Food Allergies and Your Infant

When it comes to allergies, we as adults are not the only ones who suffer. It is quite common for someone to suffer from some sort of allergy, and many who suffer are children. Most materials or substances which you may have an allergy to are not dangerous in themselves. What they happens when you come in contact with certain substances, you immune system reacts to it as if it were a unfamiliar object and as a result you body then releases histamines then allergy symptoms are experienced.

When your baby experiences an allergic reaction to something, it may be severe. If it is a food allergy, this can create much discomfort for you baby as well as in extreme cases even result in death. One a peanut can be deadly to those who are allergic to them.

When introducing new foods to your baby it is important to do this slowly in order to watch for allergic reaction. You should only introduce one new food at a time. When a baby or child eats a food they are allergic too they will have an allergic reaction within a few minutes to a couple of hours. Whether or not your child will have server or a mild attack depends on what the food is and how sensitive they are to it. Some of the symptoms of food allergies are, swelling of the mouth, tongue, ears, or skin. Skin can also become itchy, and have a rash. Other times your baby or child will vomit and, or have diarrhea. When your baby or child has an allergic reaction you should take it seriously as it may be life threatening. Always seek medical advice.

There is a belief that breast milk can be a cause of allergies in babies. This is not an allergy to the breast milk itself, but what the mother may have ingested which may cause the allergy, such as if the mother ate peanuts, eggs, milk, soy, wheat, or shellfish. While this has not been proven there have been studies which would indicate this may have an affect. If you have a family history of allergies, you should be careful what you eat when you are breastfeeding.