Food Allergy Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Food Allergy Affecting Babies And Children
By Julia Taylor-Fernandez
Child food allergies have increased 18% over the past decade.
New parents need to be aware of the possibility that their children
may have some sort of food allergy and know how to react in the
event of an emergency.
The top foods to watch out for include milk, egg, peanuts, walnuts,
cashews, Brazil nuts, almonds, fish, tuna, salmon, cod, shrimp,
lobster, crab, soy and wheat. Most kids will outgrow an allergy
to soy or wheat by the time they go to school.
Almost half of infants with a milk or egg allergy will outgrow
them by age 10. Often shellfish and peanut allergies are for life,
and they are also the most dangerous.
Look For The Signs
Food allergy symptoms may show up a few minutes after your baby
has eaten or even a few hours later. If you’re introducing
new foods, you should review your options and be on the look out
for hives, flushed skin, rashes, face swelling, tongue swelling,
lip swelling, vomiting, colic, diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, difficulty
breathing or unconsciousness.
If your baby’s allergic reaction causes severe sickness, swelling
or difficult breathing, do not hesitate to call 911 to get paramedics
on the scene at once. It may sound strange, but babies can react
to a food even if they’ve eaten that food in the past.
Specific Food Intolerance
In some cases, your baby’s apparent food allergy may be an intolerance
to a specific food instead, which means he or she has trouble
digesting a certain food. The telltale signs of intolerance are
excess gas, bloating or diarrhea.
Lactose intolerance is one of the most common digestive ailments
to look out for. These babies lack the necessary enzyme to digest
the sugar naturally found in cow’s milk and other dairy products.
Having a lactose intolerant baby may make it difficult to find
the appropriate formula for your infant to enjoy, but it is rarely
fatal.
Run To The Doctor For A Medical Diagnosis
You should still meet with your doctor at once to find out what
is safe for your baby so he or she does not slowly suffer from
malnutrition.
Very rarely should allergy medication be prescribed to treat
a food allergy in babies. However, it’s safe to use topical treatments
for an allergic reaction rash. Make sure one of the first ingredients
is natural oils, such as sunflower oil, cocoa butter, aloe, shea
butter, olive oil or rosewater.
Keep Children Away From Any Source Of Allergies
Also check to see that there are no synthetic fragrances. While
antihistamines may help alleviate some symptoms for adult sufferers,
infants should be kept away from the source of their allergies.
Sometimes doctors will give children very small doses of an allergen
under their supervision to gradually build tolerance, although
this method is not usually performed on children under the age
of 3.
Please Note: All information given
on this site is for general information purposes and is not to
replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis or any other
medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see
your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.
About the Author:
Julia Taylor-Fernandez has written a number of articles on food,
cooking and dieting including General
Nutrition, Meal
Plans, Salad
Dressings, Low
Carb Cheese Cake, Fresh
Fruit, Latte
Coffee, Teen
Weight Loss, Nutritional
Information, Healthy
Appetizers, Low
Carb Dinners, Health
Food Store, Organic
Baby Food.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
Most people find that they are allergic to something. It might
be poison ivy. It might be a certain type of medication. But by
far the hardest to control are food allergies. You have to be
very diligent in what you eat and buy.
You never know when a potential allergen could be in a meal and
this could lead to some very serious medical problems if you are
seriously allergic. Child food allergies are especially hard to
deal with because children do not often understand why they cannot
always eat the same foods that their friends eat.
You have to ensure that they are educated and know what to look
for on packaging information as well as having the ability to
communicate these allergies to adults that are supervising them.
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