Parents are often anxious to introduce new foods to the baby. But, sometimes infants can develop food allergies and develop symptoms such as hives, rashes, runny nose, diarrhea etc. To prevent infant food allergies, parents should detect the food allergy symptoms and avoid the allergy-causing foods.
Symptoms of Infant Food Allergies:
The symptoms of infant food allergies are:
- Rash
- Hives
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Runny nose
- Breathing difficulty
If you find your baby develops the above symptoms after feeding a certain food, immediately consult your pediatrician as allergic reaction can progress to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction. Your doctor would be able to detect if the reaction is caused due to allergies and help you to take proper step.
If the allergic reaction is mild, stop feeding the offending food immediately.
Foods Causing Infant Food Allergies:
Although infant food allergies can be caused due to any food, most allergies in infants are caused due to:
- Dairy
- Peanut
- Eggs
Studies show that infants who are not introduced dairy, peanut and eggs during their early months have less risk of developing allergies in the future. So, it is recommended to avoid the above foods during infancy. Other foods which cause allergies in infants are peanut, tree nut, soy, fish, shellfish, wheat.
Treatment Infant Food Allergies:
Infant food allergies can be treated by:
- Avoid feeding allergy-triggering foods such as peanut, eggs, dairy during infancy
- Breastfeeding during the first 6 to 12 months is recommended as this reduces your baby’s risk of developing soy allergies and milk allergies
- Mothers should avoid the foods to which the baby is allergic to
- Introduce new foods gradually. This will enable you to detect the foods which cause allergies in your baby
- Read the food labels to avoid allergy-causing foods
Most infants outgrow allergies as they grow; however, allergies to peanuts, fish, shellfish can stay throughout their life.
To manage infant food allergies, gradual introduction of new foods and observing allergic reaction is important. If you suspect allergy symptoms, consult your pediatrician for proper diagnosis and treatment.
