nutrition for pregnancy

Infants and Allergies

ACTIVITY BYTES

For overall health, include a balance of activities each week from these three categories: flexibility, strength and endurance.

Introducing your baby’s first solid foods is an exciting time for you and your baby.

Since your baby’s body can be sensitive to new foods, here is what you need to know about infant food allergies.

Which Foods Should I Introduce to My Baby’s Diet First?

Health Canada, the Dietitians of Canada, and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend that once your full term baby is 6 months old he or she is ready to be introduced to solid foods, in addition to the breast milk or formula already being consumed.

A structured approach allows you to gradually introduce your baby to new foods, textures, and modes of feeding.

To be able to identify a food to which your baby might be allergic it is important to introduce only one new food at a time. Furthermore, it is suggested that any time you introduce a new food that you wait about 3 to 5 days before introducing another³. This is important so that if your baby develops a reaction, you’ll have a better idea of what food might have caused it³.

In Canada the most common food to introduce first is iron-fortified infant cereal, followed by (one at a time please!) puréed meat, fish, poultry, cooked egg yolks and well-cooked legumes and tofu. As your baby grows, vegetables and fruits can be added next. By the time your baby is 9 months old you should be progressing from puréed foods to foods with more textures. And between 9 and 12 months of age your baby is ready for dairy foods and whole milk (3.35% fat)³.

Can I Prevent Food Allergies in My Baby?

The best way to ensure you feed your baby foods they are ready for is to follow the above recommendations for the introduction of solids.

Research is unclear if delaying introduction of the most allergenic foods helps prevent allergies. However, for the most highly allergenic foods, the Canadian Paediatric Society does provide these recommendations:

• Introduce egg whites to your baby after 1 year of age to minimize any possible allergic reaction.
• If you have a family history of allergies, you may want to wait until your baby is 3 years old before introducing peanuts, tree nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) or shellfish³.

If you are concerned about food allergies talk to your doctor for further guidance.

Recommended Web Resources:

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network www.foodallergy.org

International Food Information Council www.ific.org

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases www.niaid.nih.gov

The Canadian Paediatric Society www.cps.ca

References:

¹ The Hospital for Sick Children. Kids’ Health. Food Allergies and Nutrition Special Issue. 2006.

³ Canadian Paediatric Society www.cps.ca

Created: October 16th, 2007