Protecting Your Child from Food Allergies

It’s not something that can be taken lightly, not when it comes to the safety and well-being of your children. Food allergies may not sound serious, but when your child is suffocating, finding it difficult to breathe, breaks out in hives or rashes, vomiting, running to the bathroom with diarrhea, suffering intense stomach pains and other symptoms, it’s going to be hard to stay calm and get them ASAP to a doctor. Children are susceptible to food allergies, some of them from birth itself. And it’s up to us as parents to ensure that they don’t suffer as a result. So if you’re hoping to protect your kids from food allergies, here’s what you need to do:

• Breastfeed for as long as possible: The health benefits of breast milk have been proven beyond doubt, but if you need added incentive to delay the introduction of solid foods, the prevention of food allergies is one. If your family is at risk for food allergies, it’s best to breastfeed your child for as long as possible.
• Start solid foods one at a time: When you do start him/her on solid food, introduce one food at a time so that it’s easier to determine the cause of allergies if your child starts exhibiting symptoms. When you begin more than one food item simultaneously, it’s hard to isolate the food that’s responsible for causing adverse reactions in your child.
• Delay giving them eggs, milk and nuts: Some of the most common food allergens are milk and other dairy products, eggs, peanuts and other nuts and nut-based products. If you suspect that your child may be allergic to any of these foods, delay them until they’re two years of age and above.
• Read food labels carefully: Your child may be allergic to all dairy products so you need to steer clear of anything with lactic acid. And that’s why you need to read labels carefully to avoid giving them food that does not suit their bodies. You may think you’re buying a chocolate bar, but if there’s a hint of peanut in it, you’re buying trouble for the entire family.
• Talk to your child about the need to avoid certain foods: Rather than just telling your kids that they must not eat certain foods, it’s best to explain to them how they need to stay away from them because of their allergies. This will help them avoid potentially disastrous situations when they’re at school or with friends. Teach them to read labels and make a conscious effort to avoid foods that do not agree with them.

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.