Preventing Food Allergies In Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008 announced new feeding guidelines that reversed prior recommendations in order to help reduce food allergies in children.

The old guidelines basically said to avoid certain foods during pregnancy, use soy formula or postpone introduction of solid food until six months of age. The old guidelines also said for breastfeeding moms of infants who were at high risk for developing allergic reactions should avoid cow's milk, egg, fish, peanuts and tree nuts. They were also advised that if they were not breastfeeding that they should use a hypoallergenic formula. They were in addition to not introducing solids until 6 months of age, not suppose to introduce dairy products until one year of age or eggs until the child turned two, and also not to introduce peanuts, tree nuts or fish until around three years of age. There were all the old recommendations.

The new policy as of January 2006 is based on insufficient evidence of maternal dietary restrictions during pregnancy having any effect on the occurrence of allergic reactions to food in infants or children.

There is evidence that breastfeeding for at least 6 months and delaying the introduction of intact cow's milk-based formulas decreases the occurrence of eczema and cow's milk allergy in the first 2 years of life. There was no evidence that using soy formulas had any effect on preventing allergies. The same was true of delaying the introduction of solids past 6 months of age, as there appeared to be no evidence that, doing so prevented food allergies. The new guidelines pertain only to those babies who had not been already personally diagnosed with eczema or other allergic reactions. High-risk referred only to infants that have a family history of food allergies. The study stresses the need for more studies especially regarding children 4 years of age and older and the impact breastfeeding or delayed food introductions had on preventing food allergies for them. The study showed that there were many complications involved in preventing food allergies.

According to the new study, it appears that it is most difficult to prevent food allergies in children. Perhaps the best defense is to carefully introduce one new food at a time being careful to monitor for any reactions. It is important to know your child and to ascertain when they are reacting to a food item. If you suspect that your baby may be at risk for food allergies it is wise to breastfeed for as long as feasible and then to introduce one food item at a time. If you suspect that your baby or young child has experienced an allergic reaction to food, make note of the food, how much of the food was ingested, and what the reaction was, and how long after the food was eaten that you observed the reaction and then report all of this to the pediatrician.