Introducing solids is an exciting stage for babies and parents. You can witness your child’s palate open up to a new world of tastes and textures. At the same time, parents can be apprehensive about this new milestone, as the concern over food allergies is understandably a frightening one.
The good news is that parents can impact allergy development by feeding allergens early, safely, and regularly, as newer research shows that feeding your baby allergenic foods early (starting as early as 4 to 6 months old) helps to reduce the risk of later developing a food allergy.
Let’s look at two very common food allergies in children: milk and eggs.
Introducing allergens
Egg allergies
Like milk, an egg allergy is the immune system’s reaction to the protein in the food. Research shows that daily incorporation of eggs in the diet of high-risk infants with eczema, as young as 4 months old, reduces the prevalence of egg allergy.
While your child may show an allergic reaction to an egg, they may be able to tolerate foods where eggs have been baked, such as muffins. At the same time, if their allergy is severe enough, eggs in any form can pose a risk.
To introduce eggs to babies, I recommend hard-boiling then puréeing it, or fork-mashing a scrambled egg. The schedule could look as follows:
- Day 1: 1/2 tablespoon
- Day 2: 1 tablespoon
- Day 3: 2 tablespoons
When introducing allergens, continuous exposure to these foods will make the most significant difference in training your baby’s immune system to recognize these foods as safe, reducing the risk of an allergy forming.
With the rates of pediatric allergies rising, and an estimated 5.6 million children with a food allergy, it’s encouraging that we can positively impact our children by introducing allergens early and consistently. Remember to always consult with your pediatrician before starting solids and introducing allergens.
