Solid food introduction is always one of those early milestones that gets me so excited. We introduced solid foods to our third baby in late October, and even after having gone through this transition three times {and, knock on wood, do not have any children with food allergies}, the possibility of some type of reaction occurring still gives me pause. Especially when I have so many friends who battle food allergies on a daily basis with their kids.
Unfortunately, the prevalence of food allergies has increased dramatically in the last decade, doubling for some foods and even tripling for others. Today, nearly six million children {or two children in every classroom} in the U.S. have a food allergy.
As a mom, I would do anything and everything I could to prevent a food allergy, so it is exciting for me to know that there things I can do to help my child be allergy free. Groundbreaking research supports that with early introduction and routine feeding of diverse foods, you can help lower a baby’s risk of developing a food allergy.
New Science for Food Allergy Protection
“Starting solids is such a beautiful milestone and creating a long-term habit of eating and enjoying a diverse diet is a great gift to give your children as they grow up. We know that babies should be introduced to diverse foods around 4-6 months of age, including foods that commonly cause allergies. Studies have shown that offering your baby a diverse diet that includes the foods commonly associated with food allergies, such as peanut, can reduce the likelihood of a food allergy developing to that food in the first place,” Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer at SpoonfulOne.
Given the new science, parents can follow a few simple steps to help their children avoid developing a food allergy. Leading pediatricians now recommend that parents follow a three-part food allergy protection plan focused on several feeding habits.
Food Allergy Protection Plan
- Early Introduction :: Begin a food allergy protection strategy as early as 4-6 months of age.
- Diverse Diet :: Based on excellent safety data, experts advocate diversifying babies diets to include the most commonly allergenic foods.
- Routine Feeding :: Feed potential allergens multiple times per week through infancy and early childhood.
Food allergies can happen to anyone, but we can help protect our babies as their immune systems develop and grow. Infancy and toddlerhood are a critical time to expose our babies to their world, including diverse foods.
SpoonfulOne offers unique and innovative products to help parents introduce common allergens to their babies. Designed specifically for the Food Allergy Protection Plan, each product includes a spoonful of their Foundational Food Blend — small, gentle amounts of peanuts along with milk, shellfish {shrimp}, tree nuts {almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts}, egg, fish {cod and salmon}, grains {oats and wheat}, soy, and sesame.
Their products include mix-ins for traditional baby food, puffs for babies who are accustomed to chewing solid foods and oat crackers for toddlers who are 12 months or older. I am so excited to use these tools to help my baby. Knowing that these products were created by a pediatric allergist and that they have done done the proper research gives me peace of mind and that boost of confidence every parent deserves.
