A Quick Guide To Infant Food Allergies

Probably one of the most unexpected parental worries is infant food allergies and the sudden symptoms babies typically show when eating something new. Your baby may try all kinds of new foods, may like many of them, but not all foods will be good for her. One day you may find that suddenly your baby shows all sorts of funny signs and symptoms after eating something different.

This may be the first sign of a food allergy. So, learning the signs and symptoms will help you when it comes to diagnosing and avoiding those foods. But...

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy occurs when something we eat causes a spontaneous reaction in the body. Our bodies see this particular food as “foreign” and proceed to attack the food by creating antibodies and certain biological reactions. While the antibodies wage war, we’ll see some physical signs. These outward signs may show up right away or be delayed a few hours.

The risk of a food allergy in baby increases when one or both parents have food allergies themselves.

What are the symptoms of infant food allergies?

For babies the symptoms could be vomiting or diarrhea. Along with that, baby may break out in hives, eczema, or swelling. In severe cases an anaphylactic shock is caused… baby could then have trouble breathing. Other articles covering a bit more on allergy symptoms, are found here as well this one about multiple infant food allergies.

Keep in mind that other non-food items can also give the same allergic symptoms.

What to do if a food allergy is suspected

If you notice any of these symptoms contact your pediatrician immediately. They can tell you if the reaction is a typical allergic reaction or not. Other non-food conditions may cause one or several of these reactions as well. But if the doctor suspects an allergy, they will advise you on what to do next.

Breathing problems should be dealt with in the emergency room of the nearest hospital. With anaphylaxis, time is precious. Any delay could result in a fatal outcome for your baby.

Most food allergies are mild. Your baby may experience diarrhea or rash, but the reaction doesn’t get extremely serious. Stop eating the offending food and see what happens. If your baby’s appearance returns to normal, there should be no further problems as long as you don’t re-introduce the food again. 

Foods most likely to cause allergies

Certain foods are more likely to cause food allergies in your baby. Feeding baby foods such as eggs, dairy products, fish, shellfish, wheat, nuts, or soy at an early age can bring on food allergies that would otherwise have been avoided.

Also see the article, "Baby foods to avoid" for more information.

The tendency to have food allergies can be transferred from mom to baby, but the actual allergy could come from any food for any reason, not necessarily genetic.

Can infant food allergies be prevented?

When you discover that your baby has some food allergy, it's time to note the things s/he eats, but also the things you eat. If you eat something that baby is allergic too, drinking breast milk could cause the allergy to flair up again.

This is the same type of thing as baby getting indigestion or refusing to feed if mom has had some spicy food to eat.

The easiest prevention tip is to check all foods that your baby eats.

Let's say the allergy is peanuts, then be careful of other foods that contain peanuts or peanut butter. Any of these things could bring on an allergic reaction.

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Also, be sure to read the labels of all the foods you are thinking of giving to your baby. Many times you’ll find the ingredients your child is allergic to might not be something you would suspect in certain foods. Here is another informative article about preventing food allergies you may consult, or alternatively, check out this article.

Knowing the signs of food allergies can unfortunately take some time to discover. There is nothing wrong with using the "sort it out if it occurs" strategy. Of course, a better option is to take a preventative approach (as described here) as far as possible.