Food allergies can be scary. Here is an article from the NY Times on how to reduce your baby’s risk, understand allergy tests and respond to a reaction if it happens.
THE GIST
A food allergy occurs when the body mounts a predictable immune response to a food. Peanuts, milk, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, soy, sesame, fish and shellfish are the most common.
Babies are considered high-risk for developing peanut allergies, and likely others, if they have certain risk factors, such as severe eczema or another food allergy.
If your child is high-risk, a pediatrician or allergist might recommend a blood or skin test before introducing peanuts.
Be aware that false positives are exceedingly common on blood and skin allergy tests. A positive test requires follow-up with an allergist, who ideally will do an in-office food challenge to see if your baby is truly allergic.
Introducing peanut products early can help prevent peanut allergy in high-risk babies. The goal for any baby is a diverse diet, including major allergens within the first year of life.
Kids can outgrow some food allergies, and new treatments are being developed that offer hope of improving the lives of kids with persistent food allergies.
In babies, hives and vomiting are the most common food allergy symptoms. Mild rashes or skin irritation are common and might not mean that your child is allergic to the food.
