Allergies are responses that the body gives when it is hypersensitive to something. The most common allergies are related to certain foods, animal fur and even dust.
Allergic reactions differ depending on the person. Sometimes, they are mild and easily handled while others can be severe and even lead to serious medical emergencies.
When it comes to babies, it’s even more crucial to identify what they could be allergic to. Finding out what they can and can’t eat can often be a tricky situation.
In order to establish food allergies your baby might have, you’ll need some guidelines. Here are some essential methods you can use to prevent food allergies in your baby.
When babies start eating solid food, avoid the common allergens like cow’s milk, fish and peanuts. Specialists suggest that, at the beginning of their solid feeding, you should start with common vegetables and other simple foods that are known not to trigger reactions. Delay any allergy tests and introduce them a little later when they are older.
Introduce them to home-cooked foodAs you begin doing some food allergy tests, its best to do them in a controlled place like your home. Doing them at home will help you observe your baby well without any distractions. Also, you’ll be more confident in what you’re feeding them rather than worrying about other additives in store-bought food. Doing this will simply help you get more accurate results.
This is an effective way to help identify any underlying allergies in your baby. When your child is allergic to something, their skin is likely to react by swelling, itching and showing other signs of irritation. Once you get the go-ahead, you can proceed to introduce more foods in small amounts and gradually increase the portion size with time.
Take your timeGradually go from one food to another rather than bundling everything up at once. This is a very crucial step when identifying any underlying allergies because you’ll need to be careful and alert in case of anything.
In a scenario where your baby shows some signs of a reaction, you’re in a better position to identify the cause if you’ve spaced out the food trials. Otherwise, when different foods are bundled up behind each other, you won’t be able to know what the main trigger was.
Family medical history is one of the biggest indicators for any underlying concerns. If you or your children have had allergic reactions to certain foods, your baby might be allergic to the same foods as well. In many cases, allergies are hereditary. However, this doesn’t mean that all your kids will have the same experience. Take precaution by visiting a pediatric allergist to do some allergy tests in this case.
All in all, the best thing to do is to take your time if you decide to identify any allergies at home. If you’re not too comfortable in more severe cases, its best to visit a specialist to handle everything for you.
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