** None of this post should be taken as medical advice. Please take food allergies very seriously and consult with your pediatrician!
I held off writing this post for a while now. There are so many questions out there regarding babies and allergies- should a pregnant mom eat allergenic foods? Should a nursing mom? When is the right time to introduce these foods to baby? Each allergist has their own answers and some will even be honest and say they have no idea! Because I don't actually know if that I'm doing is 'right' I never felt like I should be writing about it!
WHY NOW...
I am currently working with a pediatric allergist who believes that feeding babies little portions of allergenic foods each day, may help prevent those allergies. So each day I am vigilantly Exposing her to a variety of different foods. I realized that there may be others out there who want to feed allergens, but not quite sure how to do it in a baby friendly way.
My middle daughter has food allergies and they are seriously frightening. We’ve dealt with issues such as hives, tingly mouth and scratchy throat which is really scary for a mom. I cannot possibly understand what it feels like for her to have these allergic episodes- she just cries and says her mouth is bothering her so bad- it’s heart breaking.
From the moment I found out I was pregnant this time around, I committed to doing anything I could to prevent my baby from getting allergies.
Here are some tips I’ve discovered along my journey that may help other moms in my shoes:
1. Take a probiotic each day while pregnant and once the baby is born, ask your pediatrician if she recommends adding a probiotic supplement each day to your babies bottles.
2. Stay away from peanut butter and dairy during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
3. Consider consulting with a pediatric allergist before your baby is ready to start food, especially if there is a sibling in the family with food allergies.
4. Introduce the top allergy foods to your baby daily. There are companies, like this , who will help moms add allergens to babies diet, but I honestly feel like moms can do it without paying any premium!
Ten Ways to Introduce Top Allergens to Baby:
Here are some of the ways I’ve introduced peanuts, treenuts, sesame, fish, soy, wheat and eggs. These are just ideas that can pose as a jumping off point for your babies!
1. Whole grain toast, such as Food For Life Ezekiel bread with almond butter and smashed berries. Slice toast into sticks to make it easy for babies to lift and bite.
2. Steamed carrot sticks with tahini dip.
3. Beets roasted with sesame oil and cut into chunks.
4. Almond milk or other nut milks (just a few sips after a meal). Check out Elmhurst Farms which sells all different variety of nut milks.
5. Trader Joe's Bamba Peanut Snacks
6. Cashew Yogurt (my favorite is Forager Brand) + avocado and mint or smashed up mango.
7. Eggs all ways- omelets, scrambled and hardboiled and sliced (whites and yolks)
7. Stone fruit, apples or pears pan fried in coconut oil and sprinkled with cinnamon.
8. Roasted Broccoli drizzled with sesame oil.
9. Thin Rice cakes (I like Ludenberg’s Stackers) with Kite Hill Cream Cheese.
10. Baby muffins, such as these
Do you have any easy ideas to add allergic foods to your babies diet? I’d love to hear your thoughts!