why do they say that if you give your baby food too early they're at a highter risk for a food allergy?

Answer 1

While I agree with some of what Kellie W said there are some children that REGUARLESS of how long you wait, even if it truly is by the book the child can still develop an allergy to certain foods. My oldest son (4yrs old) for example never ate a peanut product in his life ever and yet all he had to do was touch peanut butter during vacation bible school to make a bird feeder to send him to the ER for a severe allergic reaction. he never ate eggs, unless you count birthday cake. but yet he's also severly allergic. The only thing he's allergic to that he's ever ate is corn and believe it or not it's the one food allergy he has that is very mild. H'e s also allergic to grass, trees, molds, weeds, severely to cats and dogs, dust mites, fire ants, and roaches.

I think A LOT of it and an allergy specialist will tell you this IF you or your spouse or immediate relatives have allergies whether it be to meds, outdoor/indoor, whatever the odds of your children having allergies reguardless of if they're exposed to them early or not does go up considerably.

Cats, Dogs, Fire Ants, Peanuts, and Eggs can kill my child (and that's just the stuff that we know of as of right now). all the other stuff makes him incredibly ill without his daily medication after just a couple of hours of being outside.

i played it by the book and well that obviously didn't help my children (as the youngest is starting to show the same signs my oldest did). i am only allergic to two types of medications and a certain type of adhesive (as is my mother) on bandaids and surgical tape, my husband has none.

i don't know it's always safer to play it by the book but i think it's important to know that even if you do you're not guaranteed an allergy free child. so while some mothers are by the book (no offense to anyone b/c i was one and still am when it comes to certain things) like breastfeeding, all natural food, follow a baby book to the letter, and always follow doctor's orders........ you're not guaranteed anything. if the child is going to have a food or enviromental allergy it's probably going to happen whether you give it to them early or not. i followed the rules and still i have to follow my child around with an epi-pen. there can't be something in a study that says well if this mother waited to give this to her child then he wouldn't have been allergic b/c no one can know that. and this mother who waited, her child doesn't have the allergy because she waited because maybe it didn't matter when the child got it maybe his body was just made to handle it to begin with. I dont think all studies can be 100% dead on b/c there's just too many factors to take into consideration.

family medical history plays a part in it more so than i believe anything else really.

Answer 2

I agree with Kelly and the last response. My oldest was given peanut butter before the age of one, and has many allergies. I told the doctor that I was sure that it was because of the peanut butter(my sister had given it to her 8 month, and I was ignorant of the 'no peanut butter'). He said that it could have been from that or maybe not. I have always had a lot of tree, dust, grass allergies myself and it runs highly in my family.
So, who knows? My other 3 children are pretty much allergy free. So far...
I do regret the peanut butter and wish I wouldn't have done it. But, in the end...we all do our best! Like the other response said, it is best to go by the book, and then I think the rest is in the Lord's hands.
P.S. I was just checking to find out about when it is safe to give babies wheat...
My baby is 14 months and I have realized that she cannot handle the wheat that I make all my foods with. I am eliminating it completely and then will start adding it a little at a time. I was using only wheat and am going to switch to white so her tummy can have a break.

Answer 3

Because for the most part, children need to be sensitised to an allergen early to develop the allergy. Oh, and TONS of excellent research to back up the claim.

There is no evidence that early introduction of solids has any benefit at all. I don't care if someone told you to give a young infant solids because it "helped her kids sleep longer." Every study I know of on the subject shows NO relationship between the introduction of solids and good sleep. There is a mountain of evidence that it is harmful. Also, solids introduced too early displace the intake of breastmilk (or formula, if for some reason you are not breastfeeding) which has everything a young baby needs.

For example, if no peanut products are offered before age three, the child is unlikely to ever develop this very serious allergy.

There is no good reason to introduce foods too early. The American Academy of Pediatrics reccomends only introducing them after 6 months with breastfed infants. Even then, only foods that are unlike to be allergenic are reccomended. No nut products, no eggs, no citrus, no non-human milk, no strawberries, etc. Better safe than sorry.

Food allergies can be potentially dealdy. In their most mild form, they are still a huge inconvenience for both child and parent. Why take the risk?

Answer 4

Babies are built to run on only breast milk for the first 6 months. Formula is a respectable substitute if the mother is unable or unwilling to breast feed.Babies under 6 months of age have very immature digestive systems and if they come from families where allergies are prevalent, their immune system becomes overwhelmed. Strained solid foods should be introduced slowly, after 6 months of age, starting with plain rice cereal. It is the easiest thing to digest and mildly flavored. Babies have many more taste buds than adults so what tastes bland to you may not to an infant. Breast milk or formula should be a babies main source of nutrition with vegetables and fruits and meats introduced slowly and a few days apart for each addition so as to be able to identify any problem foods.It is also being suggested that babies that are introduced to solids too early have a tendency to become overweight as adults more frequently.

Answer 5

Hi there!

It's not necessarily the baby food itself. It's specific allergens. Some of the most common allergens are :
Peanuts and other legumes
Treenuts
Sesame seeds
Wheat
Eggs

There is a time frame for when highly allergic foods should be given. There are also foods that should be given for other reasons. Honey, for instance, given before one year can produce botulism in babies.
Doctors recommend not giving baby goods until a certain age because babies GI sytems are not often advanced enough to handle digesting them.
Your pediatrician should have a hand out that will lay out a time frame for you!
I hope this helps!
It's a very confusing subject!
Missy

Answer 6

because their immune system hasn't fully developed yet at around 6 mos and below..

Answer 7

because they are.