Can You Prevent Allergies in Children?

Food allergy is an abnormal immune response to a substance. Some of you have allergies, and it can be one of the most annoying "responses" you can have - you are unable to try particular foods and swell up like a balloon. Also, I'm sure a number of you do not wish for your babies to go through the same torture you have. There have been controversies if babies can be "cured" of allergies from a young age - to live without care for what to avoid. If that's the case, can you prevent allergies in children, or is that just a myth? Read on.

Besides being born to a family history of allergies, babies who are born with eczema tend to have a higher probability of getting allergies. Eczema can be another annoying incurable sickness a person can have. People with eczema have hypersensitive skin which swells, reddens, and sometimes be flakey at specific environmental changes. If your baby has signs of eczema, please do consult with a doctor.

Currently, 10% of infants and 8% of children in the US have a food allergy. Among all the foods or allergens, peanut and tree nut allergy are the leading cause of anaphylaxis, which is an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, the number of children with a peanut allergy is increasing every year.

There are a couple of hypotheses behind the increase. Firstly, it is due to the "avoidance approach." Past researches have shown that there is a relationship between allergic reactions and the introduction of solid foods before 4-6 months of age. Avoidance has caused an increased risk of allergy. Secondly, as parents are generally more paranoid about their first addition to the family, the baby might go through heavy use of antibiotics and antibacterial products, which will cause the baby to rely on them, and thus decreasing their immune system. As the system becomes weaker, the baby is more susceptible to allergies.

However, the question remains - can you prevent allergies in children? Recent scientific research has shown that you can prevent peanut allergy by introducing peanut-containing foods into the baby's diet at an early age of 6 months. For infants at low risk of getting allergies, parents should introduce common allergens at around six months. Allergens should be fed one at a time to identify any adverse reaction. For infants at risk of getting allergies, parents should get them evaluated by a specialist first before feeding any allergens to them.

As long as the baby can eat solid foods, which should be the first consideration, parents can feed allergens to them. The baby should already be eating other solid foods before introducing any peanut/allergen-containing food. As for peanuts and other small grains, do not give them whole as they might choke on it.

Hopefully, this article has given you ample information on what to take note of your infant when they are born, if you can prevent allergies in children, and how to introduce allergens to babies!