How strict are you about starting new foods?

[newlywedtzh]

Hi All- I"m so paranoid about giving her new foods because of all of the "allergy" stuff out there.

"Do you all stick to the give it for 4 days with nothing else"

She is interested in food we are eating at dinner time especially and I find myself wanting to give her some and letting her try it (putting it to her mouth for her to taste, etc.) but then get paranoid bc it's "new".

 

[fieryphoenix]

I never did this, I started baby led weaning at six months and just started giving him whatever I was eating, appropriate things of course. I think the four days is mostly for under six months.

 

[noon_child]

I agree. Without family history of severe food allergy, after 6months there isnt any reason to do any kind of rule.

 

[MindUtopia]

We weren't strict at all and never restricted any foods. We did wait until after 6 months (really the risk of allergies is in starting any solids before 6 months). After 6 months, you can give them anything and you shouldn't delay offering any particular foods. That's actually way outdated advice. There is lots of scientific evidence to support that offering all foods is less likely to lead to allergies. For example, kids who have things like nuts withheld as babies (post-6 months) are actually more likely to develop a nut allergy later in life. So I wouldn't restrict or delay anything as long as your LO is 6 months. The only things we didn't feed were added sugar, salt, honey (risk of botulism before 1 year) and whole nuts (choking risk before they have all their molars), but obviously none of that was related to allergies. Our daughter's first meal was roasted carrots and parsnips, mash and a yorkshire pudding, so obviously a mix of lots of different types of foods. The only time I'd delay offering any food is if you or your partner have an allergy to it.

If you are going to have an allergic reaction, more than likely you'll be able to pinpoint what it is fairly easily. Our daughter had a suspected reaction to pumpkin seeds (pumpkin seed butter) - within 2 hours of eating them, her face swelled up, she was covered in a rash, puffy eyes and projectile vomiting. It happened twice and it was really obvious what caused it (it was the only thing she'd had in common on those two occasions). On advice of GP, we avoided it until after a year and then re-introduced it. She was fine. No reaction now. I have no idea if it was a true allergic reaction or maybe a strange reaction to food poisoning if it had gone bad (she'd had it before several times with no problems). Anyway, it was easy to work out and easy to eliminate until we were ready to try it again. It didn't change how we generally offered new foods though.

 

[newlywedtzh]

thanks for the great advice! She is 7.5 months and has just started to really pick up her interested in food. We are also doing BLW- but I am the odd mom out here in the States as none of my mom friends or anyone else has ever heard of it! haha

One more question, my DH and I do not have any food allergies however LO was diagnosed with a cows milk protein intolerance at 12 weeks old. Do you think that means she is more susceptible to other food allergies?

And is it true that the "first" allergic reaction is generally mild and not life threatening?

 

[Odlewis]

We have not set any rule as such while introducing new food to our DS at 7 months, starting from baby food(cereal) and slowly introducing same food as that of our, only little less spicy. Begin with foods that are not likely to cause allergies and that are most like the milk baby is used to. If your baby is used to the sweet taste of human milk, start with mashed bananas.
If by some chance your baby is allergic to a particular food, the intestinal upset should wear off by the end of the day. Beginning a new food in the evening runs the risk of painful night waking. Mornings are usually the time when babies are hungriest and in the best mood for social interactions, including feeding. If your baby rejects what you've got, try again tomorrow and the next day and the next. Some babies need to be introduced to a new food four or five (or more!) times before they'll accept it, so perseverance is a key. It's a good idea to check with your baby's doctor if any close relatives have a food allergy. We were just conscious to stick to foods that are soft, broken down into small pieces and easy to swallow, to avoid choking. Keep allergic foods like eggs, cow’s milk, shell fish away till he is one year old.