It has been known that asthma and allergies run in families, which makes children, where one or both parents suffer from allergies, are more prone to develop them. The good thing is that there are steps that can delay or prevent asthma or allergies.
The best way to prevent having to go to an allergist is to expose them to different foods early, instead of pushing them for later. This way, their bodies can get used to several kinds of food and will have no problem eating whatever they want in the future.
There are several ways mentioned in this article on how you can prevent food allergies in children. Read on now.
Read Food Labels
Today, food labels have information about food allergies written on their labels like if there are additives containing milk protein if it was from a facility that processes nuts, and wheat byproducts. You still have to read all food labels, every time, even if you bought so many items in the past. Manufacturers can frequently decide to change ingredients and allergens can be part of a new formula.
Do Not Give Actual Peanuts to Your Toddler or Baby
You should never give babies real peanuts or anything else that could make them choke. You can buy a snack for babies that has peanuts in it. You can add smooth peanut butter to your finger and give it to your baby. You can mix it into foods, or bake it into soft bread. Eggs can be mixed easily, and you can add small cooked egg pieces because they can be given to babies as well. There are plenty of ways to introduce them without giving them food in large pieces or are hard. You can ask your doctor how to do it.
Recognize the Symptoms
If you have a food allergy, it is important that you know how to identify the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction, especially when it comes to anaphylaxis. If you are able to spot the early signs of an allergic symptom, it can be life-saving. Here are the symptoms you should watch out for:
- Eyes – Tears, itching, redness, and eyes are swelling
- Skin – Redness, itching, red bumps, hives, rash, skin swelling
- Upper respiratory – Sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, dry cough, hoarseness, and itching
- Lower respiratory – Wheezing, chest tightness, cough, and shortness of breath
- Mouth – Palate, itching, lips, or tongue swelling
- Gastrointestinal – Reflux, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, bloody tools, or abdominal pain
- Cardiovascular – Dizziness, low blood pressure, slow or rapid heartbeat, fainting, loss of consciousness
- Other symptoms – Sense of “impending doom”, or uterine contractions
Start Solids Around 4 to 6 Months
You can introduce single-ingredient foods to your children like pears, apples, and bananas. Vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots and squash, and cereal grains.
Based on how ready your baby is, you can start to introduce new foods. You introduce them 3 to 5 days apart, so you can watch for any allergic reactions. Symptoms can include tongue swelling, itchy mouth or eyes, vomiting, hives, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, breathing difficulty, and anaphylaxis in worst cases.
You should not give food to your baby that you know they are allergic to. You cannot always know if your baby is allergic to something, but if you see eczema, blood in their stool, vomiting, rashes, or fussiness after any food they eat, you should consult your allergy doctor before starting any solid foods with them. You must also seek your doctor’s advice if both parents or any sibling has allergies to food.
You may book an appointment at the allergy center Germantown MD anytime.
