Question:
Allergy prevention ?
Answer:
My ob provided me with the following information: "With the kind permission of Midwest Allergy Associates, Inc., the following
information is provided to help prevent the development of allergies during the
newborn period:
1-Breast-feed ONLY for 3 months and for a total of at least 9 months.
2-Start solid foods, if desired at 3 months. One new food should be introduced
each week. Hypoallergenic foods include: all meats except veal; all fruits
except tomato and citrus fruits (lime, lemon, orange, tangerine and
grapefruit); and all vegetables except peas and beans.
3-Cereals (wheat, corn, barley, rye rice and oats) should be withheld until 9
months of age.
4-Milk and eggs should be withheld until 18 months of age.
5-Chocolate, cola beverages and aspirin should be withheld for as long as
possible.
6-Environmental control of house dust should be performed in the bedroom. This
includes the use of foam pillows instead of feather pillows, encase the
mattress and box springs with zippered vinyl casings (available through Sears
catalog), eliminating stuffed animals in the bedroom and frequent changing of
cheesecloth covers for forced hot air ducts in the rooms.
7-No fur-bearing animals should be in the house."
Now, I intend to check with my pediatrician about these suggestions. She has
already commented that she usually suggests waiting until 6 months before
starting solid foods, but that cereals (usually rice) are typically the first
thing they suggest. They also suggest, once you do start formula, starting
with milk-based unless there is an indication of problems, but in our case,
with a family history of milk allergies, perhaps it would be better to start
with soy-based. Also, I personally would not get rid of a family pet because
of a new baby, but we lost our beloved 18-year-old cat just weeks ago, and this
is definitely not a good time to get another one.
Even if I don't stick with all of these, I can at least make the attempt to do
what I can. I just hope this doesn't start any more breast-feeding wars.... From personal experience, the vegetable exception includes *all* legumes:
peas, beans, lima beans, peanuts, etc. If there's an older kid in the
house, make sure that the little one doesn't crawl after the older one
picking up peanut butter crumbs, etc. My potentially fatal peanut
allergy started in precisely this way.
Disclaimer: YMMV, applies more to kids whose parents have allergies of
any kind, no discounts apply, one offer per family, void where
prohibited, etc...:-)
This list is missing several common allergens (berries, for example)
and ignores the fact many fruits and vegetables are not suited for
babies (the oxalic acid in spinach, for example, leads to bright
red diaper rash). Also, 3 months is now considered extremely young for the introduction
of solids. Studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding for the
first six months of life significantly reduces the incidence and
severity of allergies. Some allergists recommend introducing solids
as late as 8 - 12 months for this reason.
