Preventing Food Allergies in Infancy
Many new parents are concerned about their babies developing food allergies. It is estimated that food allergies affect 6% of young children in Canada.
In 2019, the Canadian Pediatric Association and Food Allergy Canada started to make dramatic changes to their recommendations for introducing food allergens to babies following the emergence of convincing evidence. Over the past two to three years, both organizations have developed very clear guidance to help support parents and healthcare providers.
Foods most likely to cause allergies are called food allergens and include: eggs, fish/shellfish, cow’s milk, tree nuts (like walnuts, almonds and cashews), peanuts, sesame, soy and wheat. Introducing food allergens during pregnancy, breastfeeding and to babies at about the age of six months, has been shown to decrease the risk of food allergies in babies. It is no longer recommended to avoid or delay the introduction of these food allergens.
Some highlights from the recommendations:
- Introduce solid foods to your baby at about six months when they are showing signs that they are ready. Continue to breastfeed for two years or longer.
- Offer food allergens, particularly peanut and cooked egg, to babies at home, at about six months, in a safe texture.
- Offer one new food allergen per day and wait two days before offering another new food allergen.
- Offer the food from a spoon to start. When food allergens touch baby’s skin, they may cause irritation and be mistaken for a food allergy.
- Feeding allergenic foods to most infants is safe and rarely causes a severe reaction. Know the signs of an allergic reaction. Allergy symptoms usually appear within minutes but can appear up to two hours after eating.
- If a child does not show signs of an allergy to a food allergen, continue to offer each food allergen two to three times per week to prevent the development of an allergy.
Babies at highest risk for developing food allergies are babies with eczema, or babies that have a parent or sibling with an allergic condition such as eczema, asthma, hay fever or food allergies. These babies may benefit from allergens being introduced before six months of age, but not before four months. Talk to your healthcare provider if your baby is at high risk.
While these recommendations will not prevent all food allergies in babies, this approach has been shown to drop the rates of food allergies in babies significantly.
For more information:
https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/healthy-living/food_allergies_and_intolerances
https://www.healthunit.com/feeding-your-baby
https://www.healthunit.com/breastfeeding
https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Breastfeeding/Infant-feeding/Food-allergies-and-babies.aspx
Submitted by Ginette Blake BASc RD on behalf to the Middlesex-London Community Early Years Partnership
