Helping Prevent Allergies in Babies

To help prevent food allergy, give your baby the common allergy causing foods before they turn one. Research shows that giving your baby the common allergy causing foods before they are one year of age can greatly reduce the risk of them developing an allergy to that food. When your baby is ready at around 6 months, but not before 4 months, start to introduce first foods including common allergen foods such as smooth peanut butter and well-cooked egg. Delaying the introduction of the common allergy causing foods does not prevent food allergy.

The common allergy causing foods should be included in the foods you feed to your baby before they are one year of age. Common allergy causing foods include:

• Egg

• Cow’s Milk

• Wheat

• Soy

• Peanut

• Tree Nuts

• Sesame

• Fish

• Shellfish

You may want to introduce foods one at a time (such as one new food at each meal) so that you can identify if any foods cause an allergic reaction.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your baby is allergic to a particular food, do not feed your baby that food. If you think your baby has a food allergy, you should seek advice from your doctor. It is important that food allergies are confirmed by a doctor.

Babies need to learn to eat a variety of foods from each of the food groups to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need. If your baby is allergic to cow’s milk or wheat, talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to choose foods that will provide the nutrition usually provided by these foods. Once a baby accepts a food, keep offering them that food about twice a week.

What about feeding my baby peanut and egg?

Parents are sometimes worried about giving egg and peanut to their babies, as they are common allergy causing foods in childhood. However, it is best to offer your baby well cooked egg (not raw) and smooth peanut butter before they are one year of age as delaying the introduction of these foods may increase the chance of developing allergies to these foods. Once you give these foods to your baby, you should continue to offer these foods regularly (about twice a week). Feeding well cooked egg and smooth peanut butter soon after your baby wakes allows you to watch your baby and easily respond if they show signs of an allergic reaction.

How to introduce peanut and egg to your baby

Introduce well cooked egg and smooth peanut butter in small amounts to start with. For example, mix a small amount (¼ teaspoon) of hard-boiled egg or smooth peanut butter into your baby’s usual food, such as vegetable puree. If your baby does not have any signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction, gradually increase the amount next time, say 1/2 a teaspoon.

Never smear or rub food on your baby’s skin, especially if they have eczema. This will not help to identify possible food allergies and may cause skin irritation and possibly contribute to your child developing a food allergy, as the food was introduced through the skin and not the mouth.

You can rub a small amount of the food inside your baby’s lip when you give the food for the first time. If there is no allergic reaction after a few minutes, you can start giving small amounts of the food as explained above.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A small number of babies will still develop food allergies even if the common allergy causing foods like smooth peanut paste and egg are fed to them before they are one year of age. If there is an allergic reaction to any food, that food should be stopped and you should seek advice from your doctor.