In episode 8 of Mother Doctor Nurse – ‘Allergies + Kids’ we talked about all things allergies from the increase we are seeing in allergies, spotting an allergic reaction, to whether it is possible to prevent allergies and introducing highly allergenic foods.
Introducing solids is a nerve-wracking and exciting time! One question we received was – ‘When’s the safest time to introduce egg?’
Egg is one of the 9 common allergy-causing foods –
Here are our top 4 tips on introducing the common allergy-causing foods, to your little one!
Before one!
You may have heard the expression ‘food for fun, before one’… wrong! It is vital that common allergy-causing foods are introduced before the age of one, to help prevent allergies from developing;
“We recommend that all of those highly allergenic foods are started before your child turns one. So that is the goal. The majority of children will be ready to start solids at about six months. So you’ve got
six months to introduce all of these foods.”
Here’s the t – timing!
“First of all, choose your meal time carefully. And this is for all foods. And that means a breakfast meal or a lunchtime meal. That being so that you’ve got time to observe your child to see if they have any
reactions.”
It is also important to introduce one common allergy-causing food at a time. When it comes to eggs in particular, the recommendation is to introduce both the egg white and yolk at the same time;
“When it comes to eggs it’s a little different as eggs have the yolk (packed full of nutrients!) and the white (more likely to cause allergy). It used to be that we recommended introducing the yolk first and then the white. Now, unless your baby is at high risk of allergy, we usually say to just give the whole (cooked!) egg. The easiest is to mash a hard-boiled egg and introduce it in small amounts as for all allergenic foods.”
Just a little bit
“When starting an allergenic food it’s best to start with small amounts, like the size of the tip of a finger, and give for at least 3 or 4 days in a row.”
Consistency is key
“What we want really is repeated exposure. If over those next few days, there are absolutely no reactions, you can tick that off and say fantastic, no food allergies. Then you can increase the amount and keep it in their diet.”
It is important to keep that food in your little one’s diet, as Deb goes on to describe – “It’s important to continue giving the food a few times a week as this actually protects against allergies developing.”
And be sure to listen to the full episode of Mother Doctor Nurse – Allergies + Kids, wherever you get your podcasts + don’t forget to subscribe to Feed Play Love.
Resources
