Introducing Foods That Could Trigger Allergy
When you start introducing solid foods to your baby from around 6 months old, introduce the foods that can trigger allergic reactions one at a time and in very small amounts so that you can spot any reaction.
If your baby already has an allergy, such as a diagnosed food allergy or eczema, or if you have a family history of food allergies, eczema, asthma or hay fever, you may need to be particularly careful when introducing foods. Talk to your GP or health visitor first.
Foods that can trigger an allergic reaction are:
- foods that contain gluten, including wheat, barley and rye
- nuts and peanuts
These foods can be introduced from around 6 months as part of your baby’s diet, just like any other foods.
Once introduced and if tolerated, these foods should become part of your baby’s usual diet to minimise the risk of allergy.
Evidence has shown that delaying the introduction of peanut and hen’s eggs beyond 6 to 12 months may increase the risk of developing an allergy to these foods.
Lots of children outgrow their allergies to milk or eggs, but a peanut allergy is generally lifelong.
If your child has a food allergy, read food labels carefully. Avoid foods if you’re not sure whether they contain the food your child is allergic to.
What Are The Treatment Options For Pet Allergies
Doctors tend to recommend that young kids avoid interacting with the pet or that you remove the pet from your home altogether. That’s especially true if your child’s pet allergy symptoms are really bad or if they have asthma.
If you decide to give away your pet, you’ll need to get rid of the all the dander, fur and saliva left behind. This includes thoroughly cleaning carpets, sofas, curtains and bedding. Even then, it can take months for allergen levels to drop so your child isn’t having a reaction anymore.
If you decide to keep your pet, or if your child’s pet allergy symptoms continue even after your furry family member has left the house, your doctor may recommend pet allergy medicines. These include:
- Saline nasal rinse. This may be enough if your child has only a mild reaction to your dog or cat.
- Antihistamines and other allergy medicines. The pediatrician or allergist may recommend these if your child has more severe symptoms.
- Allergy shots. These are best for older kids, especially if they’ve tried other allergy meds. Allergy shots contain a tiny amount of purified allergen and are given over three years to gradually build up your child’s immunity. You’ll want to take your child to a board-certified allergist who can evaluate their pet allergy and decide whether shots are the best choice.
How Are Allergies In Children Diagnosed
It often takes careful detective work and the help of medical tests to pinpoint the exact cause of an allergy.
Though you should not diagnose an allergy yourself, you may be able to deduce what’s likely causing your child’s symptoms. Ask yourself:
- When do the allergy attacks occur? Mold allergies usually develop during damp or rainy weather and can be hard to distinguish from colds. Dust mites or pet allergies often cause morning congestion throughout the year. Pollen-related allergies are more common in spring, summer, and fall. An allergic reaction to food typically occurs within a few minutes, though it can happen up to two hours after the food is ingested.
- Do my child’s symptoms improve in certain situations? If you take your child away from your pet and symptoms improve, then you have a good â but by no means conclusive â clue that your baby has a pet allergy. You’d also want to consider that your child might be allergic to something else in your house.
Once you have your answers, it’s time to see a healthcare provider, who will examine your child and ask lots of questions. If the problem seems to be allergies, the provider may:
Testing tells you what your child is allergic to at that point, but it may change with age. Many children grow out of certain food allergies, for example. If your child has a negative skin test but continues to have allergy symptoms, seek a reevaluation in 6 to 12 months.
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Factors That Contribute To Food Allergy Risk
All babies are at risk for developing food allergies, but certain genetic and environmental factors can increase your child’s risk of developing a food allergy.
Some of these factors can’t be changed, but some can be influenced.
- Eczema: Research shows that babies with eczema are at the highest risk of developing food allergies.
- Family history: if a baby has a sibling with a food allergy, their own food allergy risk increases slightly.
- Not enough vitamin D: Several studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency may result in increased allergy risk.
- Delayed allergen exposure: Waiting to introduce allergenic foods until after a baby’s first birthday increases food allergy risk.
For more on these risk factors, be sure to read our article on food allergy risk.
Keeping Your Child Healthy And Safe
It may be a difficult decision to make, but if your baby or child develops severe allergies to the family pet, you may have to do the hard thing and allow the pet to be adopted into another home. Although this is not the ideal situation, if you have taken multiple approaches to relieve your childs allergies yet the symptoms persist, it may be necessary.
If you do have to remove the family pet from the home, this can be easier by having the pet adopted into the home of a family member, friend or neighbor, so you can still visit your animal friend. After the pet leaves the home, make sure you thoroughly clean the entire house because, although the pet is no longer there, their dander will continue to linger if not properly dealt with. This can cause persisting allergic reactions in your baby or child.
Remember, even though you may have to have a home without pets at this time, this may not be a permanent thing. Babies and children can outgrow their allergies. For now, respect your babys or childs allergy and do everything you can to alleviate their symptoms. You want to make sure your home is a safe space for your child where they can grow and play freely without fearing an allergy attack.
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What’s The Difference Between Milk Allergies Vs Lactose Intolerance
With a milk allergy in infants, a babys immune system reacts negatively to the proteins in cows milk. Breastfed babies are reacting to the dairy his mother has eaten , while formula-fed babies are reacting to the cows milk proteins in the formula. In either case, a baby’s immune system sees the cows milk proteins as foreign substances.
Milk intolerance, on the other hand, has nothing to do with cows milk proteins or the immune system, and instead has to do with the digestive system. Your child might have loose stools or blood in stool hours or days later.
Congenital lactose intolerance is an extremely rare metabolic condition that also impacts the digestive system. Lactose intolerance more commonly develops in older kids and adults. The few babies with lactose intolerance will usually fare much better on a formula with little or no lactose.
- Irritability, crying or other colic symptoms
- Failure to thrive and gain weight
Pet Allergies In Babies And Children
Bringing a furry friend into the home is a milestone that many parents feel completes the family picture. While many children are born into homes with pets, you may decide to bring an animal in when your child is no longer a baby. With over 70% of homes in the United States housing a cat or dog, having a pet in the home is increasingly common and is something many people look forward to.
However, bringing a pet into the home also comes with the risk that someone will be allergic to it. Somewhere between 10%-20% percent of the population worldwide has allergies from common household pets like dogs and cats. As allergies can develop later in life, the numbers of those allergic to pets fluctuate. Regardless, there is a chance that bringing a pet into your home will cause allergies for your babies and children.
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Remove Carpets Or Restrict Your Pets To Carpet
Carpets and rugs, especially those with longer fibers, can trap allergens for up to six months. Replacing carpet with hardwood or linoleum makes floors easier to keep clean and remove fur and dander from. If you do not want to do this throughout the entire home or in multiple rooms, at least try removing carpets in your childs room so they have a space that does not hold dander as easily. In the rooms that you keep carpeted, make sure that you vacuum and deep clean the floors often and with filters specialized in eliminating animal dander to help relieve some of your childs allergy symptoms.
Signs And Symptoms Of Allergies In Babies And Toddlers
Allergy symptoms can vary depending on the type of allergen and your baby’s response to it. Symptoms can be mild or severe, intermittent , or ongoing because of constant exposure to the allergen. Most allergic reactions occur instantly or within minutes, though occasionally they may take hours to appear. Here are some common signs of allergies:
Respiratory symptoms
- Loss of consciousness
- Sudden drooling
See our article on anaphylactic shock in babies to learn more about symptoms and what to do.
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Avoiding A Milk Allergy Reaction
If You’re Breastfeeding
If your breastfed infant has a milk allergy, talk to the allergist before changing your diet.
If You’re Formula Feeding
If you’re formula feeding, your doctor may advise you to switch to an extensively hydrolyzed formula or an amino acid-based formula in which the proteins are broken down into particles so that the formula is less likely to trigger an allergic reaction.
You also might see “partially hydrolyzed” formulas, but these aren’t truly hypoallergenic and can lead to a significant allergic reaction.
If you’re concerned about a milk allergy, it’s always best to talk with your child’s doctor and work together to choose a formula that’s safe for your baby.
Do not try to make your own formula. Commercial formulas are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and created through a very specialized process that cannot be duplicated at home. Other types of milk that might be safe for an older child with a milk allergy are not safe for infants.
If you have any questions or concerns, talk with your child’s doctor.
What Should I Do If My Baby Has An Allergic Reaction
If your baby shows any signs of an allergic reaction:
- Immediately stop feeding your baby the allergenic food.
- Seek medical advice.
If your baby shows signs of a mild to moderate allergic reaction:
- Closely monitor your baby for signs of a severe allergic reaction. After all, a mild to moderate reaction could rapidly develop into anaphylaxis.
- Consult your pediatrician or a health care provider.
If your baby shows signs of a severe allergic reaction/anaphylaxis:
- Lay baby flat in your arms. Never hold them upright, and do not let them stand or walk.
- If they have difficulty breathing, sit them up.
- If they are vomiting, or have fainted, lay them on their side.
- Immediately administer epinephrine with an auto-injector if available.
- Keep track of the exact time you used the auto-injector.
- It’s extremely important that your baby receive epinephrine promptly, as epinephrine is the only medication that can stop anaphylaxis.
- Urgently call 911. State that your baby is having an anaphylactic reaction, and ask for an ambulance.
- If you used an epinephrine auto-injector, let the ambulance staff know when you used it, and give the used auto-injector to the staff.
If your baby shows signs of anaphylaxis, immediately give epinephrine if available, and call 911.
State that your baby is having an anaphylactic reaction, and ask for an ambulance.
Benadryl or Zyrtec will not stop anaphylaxis. Only epinephrine can stop anaphylaxis.
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Feed Solids At Around 4 Months
Your baby is likely ready to start eating food when he or she has good head control, can sit up unassisted, and shows interest in foods, Madison says. At the babys 4-month checkup, your pediatrician will tell you whether its time to introduce solids. This means giving your baby a single-item food, like steamed carrots, not a combination of foods, like steamed carrots blended with potatoes.
Historically, we started with purees. Now we know you can give a baby a whole food as long as its soft enough to chew, like a slice of ripe peach, Madison says. To prevent choking, make sure that chunks of food are not round and hard, and can be mashed with a fork.
The first foods babies typically eat are single-grain cereals, vegetables, fruits and meat. Once your baby has gotten comfortable with these foods, you can start feeding him or her common allergens, introducing them one by one.
How Is Allergic Colitis Diagnosed
If your baby is extremely irritable and you notice vomiting and gassiness, it’s a good idea to make an appointment to see a pediatrician. The doctor will check for blood in your baby’s stool. This might be blood that can only be seen through a microscope. If blood is found, the symptoms are most likely caused by an allergic reaction.
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Ask Your Doctor About Your Babys Allergy Risk
Talk to your pediatrician if your baby has eczema, because this can put your baby at higher risk for developing a food allergy. And children with one food allergy may develop other food allergies. Children with an egg allergy, for example, are at higher risk of developing a peanut allergy, Dr. Tam says. If your child already has a food allergy, your pediatrician can give you advice on when to introduce other potential allergens.
Keep in mind that you should not avoid giving your baby a food just because someone in your family has an allergy to it.
Since we know that in some context giving food early can prevent food allergy, then it would be even more important for an at-risk child to have it introduced early and purposefully, Dr. Tams says.
Be Especially Careful When Introducing Peanut Products
Serious food allergies are dangerous and will change the way you and your family eat. Since the most common serious allergen is peanuts, be overly cautious when introducing it to your child.
This doesnt mean hold off on introducing peanuts though. In fact, theres currently research that states that introducing younger children to peanuts, as early as 4 months old, can actually reduce the risk of developing an allergy.
Heres a great article with tips for safely incorporating peanuts into your babys diet.
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Severe Food Allergy Reactions In Babies
Anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
Anaphylaxis is rare in babies. When it does happen, it may start with sudden hives and difficulty breathing or swallowing.Symptoms are most likely to come on right after your baby has been introduced to a new food or formula. Along with typical allergy symptoms above, watch for:
- Wheezing, difficulty breathing:Listen for a whining or rattling sound. They may gasp for breath or purse their lips to breathe.
- Swelling of mouth, face, or throat: This becomes a concerning symptom when it impairs breathing or swallowing.
- Pale, flushed skin:This symptom may be hard to spot if your baby has hives. It may indicate dropping blood pressure.
- Loss of consciousness: This is a sign of dangerously low blood pressure.
Allow Toddlers To Watch A Show On A Tablet
For those moms who do not allow for much screen time, making babies’ naptime the time that toddlers get to go on their tablets makes for an exciting time for little ones. And because of this, moms will not hear from their toddlers at all when working to get their babies down for their time in dreamland.
By choosing educational apps and programs with favorite characters, toddlers will be happy to spend time on their tablets for several minutes while their younger siblings work on getting to sleep. Then, once babies are down for their naps, tablet time is over. Something that makes for a routine for toddlers so that it is not difficult to get them to put down their tablets after their babies get to sleep. Meaning that toddlers get to watch their shows and moms get none of the pushback when it is time to put them away.
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Causes Of Pet Allergies In Babies And Children
Designed to find foreign substances and get rid of them, the immune system can sometimes become sensitive and react to harmless proteins, such as those found in pollen in the spring. In the case of pet allergies, proteins such as pet dander or skin cells, urine or saliva, can act as allergens, causing some people to have an allergic reaction. While animal fur is not an allergen, it can collect pollen, dust and mold, and pets fur can carry proteins from their skin cells, urine and saliva that may cause an allergic reaction.
As the body tries to protect itself from foreign substances, some people with more sensitive immune systems will have an allergic reaction to things that do not bother others. This is why some people, babies and children included, find themselves suffering from bodily reactions when around animals. Pet dander allergies can be difficult to control because dander consists of small skin particles that can remain airborne for longer periods, even with only small amounts of air circulation. This means even minimal exposure to a pet can cause effects that last a significant time.
