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The ABC's of Preventing Allergies
Monday, September 26, 2011 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
This summer I realized how many kiddos have allergies. In my professional life, I have the pleasure of working daily with children and their families. My mailbox, with all its epi pens, looked like a pharmacy. It made me wonder how and why so many munchkins these days seem to have allergies.
When it comes to child development, first and foremost, we all want our kiddos to develop healthily. Let’s face it, there are some things we can control and there are some things that we cannot.
Can you control whether or not your child will develop allergies? There are some things you CAN do!
Whether you are pregnant or running around with an infant, toddler, or preschooler in tow (or maybe all three!), here’s some food for thought about allergies and how you may be able to reduce the possibility of your child developing them.
It’s been recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that food allergies have risen 18 percent among children and teens in the past 10 years. It’s also been recently reported that if allergy-based conditions run in your family (whether it be hay fever or food allergies), your little one has an above average chance of also developing allergies.
So, what can you do to perhaps prevent allergies?
A) Breast-feed as long as possible. Yes, it’s work, but the benefits are worth it. Experts conclude that breast-feeding for at least the first four months of your infant’s life can reduce the chance of your kiddo developing asthma or an allergy to cow’s milk. What if breast-feeding is not an option? No worries- look for a formula labeled as “hypoallergenic.”
B) Don’t give your baby solids until they are at least 4 months of age. I’ll be the first to admit, I couldn’t wait to feed my little one cereal. You may also hear that infants may need a little cereal in their bottles to help their tummies stay full. Don’t fall for it. Breast-milk or formula is all they need until at least 4 months; some even recommend the first 6 months of life.
Besides the above, it’s good to note a few misunderstandings/misconceptions about how or why your little one may develop an allergy:
A) What you eat during your pregnancy has not been found to create or prevent allergies in your offspring (though I often wonder if my kiddo dislikes pineapple thanks to the large amounts I consumed during pregnancy!).
B) Though you should certainly follow the recommended guidelines for introducing foods such as eggs or peanut butter, waiting longer than this has not shown to make any difference in whether a child may have an allergic reaction to a food.
Why allergies? There’s lots of discussion about why the increase with the most popular theory being our obsession with germs/overuse of antibacterial products, etc. Perhaps a little dirt IS good (no need to clean the house today - lol!).
Supporting baby’s health is #1 when it comes to optimal child development.
Are you concerned about allergies developing in your child?
Are you doing any thing in hopes of preventing allergies?
