Allergies are a topic that causes parents a lot of anxiety,
including me. When we first started introducing Henry to food, we decided
to forgo the one food at a time rule. It seemed overly cautious and cumbersome
to wait days between new foods, especially when there is no history of allergic
reaction in our family.
We have
been careful, however, with foods that have a family history of allergy. Daddy
has an allergy to shellfish, although it developed
when he was an adult. He also is peanut and dairy intolerant, but occasionally
indulges in Thai food and ice
cream. In addition, I had strong reactions to strawberries and peaches as a
small child, allergies that disappeared as I grew older.
 |
| Henry eats almost anything, but are we ready to introduce potential allergens? |
Reassuringly,
the CDC reports
that less than 5% of American children have a food allergy. Some studies
have shown that delayed exposure to allergenic foods has no effect on the
likelihood of developing an allergy, while other
research
suggests that delaying allergenic foods may actually increase the likelihood of
a reaction. And living with food allergies seems to
be getting easier as awareness
increases.
Since we don’t
have any life-threatening allergies in our family, we probably don’t need to
have an EpiPan on standby. But what signs should we lookout for?
Common allergic
reactions
in children include skin rash, hives, difficulty breathing, or stomach pain. A
skin rash near the mouth and diaper rash, however, are more
likely to be responses to the acid in foods like citrus,
kiwis and tomatoes. Our pediatrician
also suggested that children with frequent runny noses and ear infections may
have a dairy intolerance.
If a child
experiences allergy symptoms, then it is time to meet with your pediatrician. If
a child’s lips,
tongue or face swells, or they have severe vomiting or diarrhea, then you
should immediately call 911.
Comments
Post a Comment