Allergies: How can You Identify their Causes and Protect Your Child from Them?

A baby’s digestive system is not fully matured. Therefore, introducing your baby to any new food items requires caution. It is necessary that you should be able to recognize an allergic reaction and identify its cause. This will help you to know which foods to avoid.

Typical symptoms of allergy in a child:

• Itching in the mouth and throat
  
  


• Rash on the skin
  
  


• Appearance of hives
  
  


• Nausea and vomiting
  
  


• Diarrhea
  
  


• Runny nose with sneezing
  
  


• Unusual breathing (shortness of breath)
  
  


• Anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction that could be life threatening)

Food items that are most likely to cause allergies include:

• Eggs
  
  


• Shellfish
  
  


• Peanuts
  
  


• Cow’s milk
  
  


• Soy products

Ways to avoid allergies in children:

• Wait until your baby is six months old before starting with solid foods. By this age, a baby’s digestion system will have matured sufficiently. This will help prevent allergies.
  
  


• While introducing your baby to newer foods, always try one item at a time. Wait for four days before introducing any new food. This is because it may take up to four days for a baby to exhibit allergy towards any new food. Waiting for four days enables you to know whether the food has produced any allergic reaction.