Does my baby have food allergies? My article in Chicago Parent is now online!

Just wanted to share a link with you all regarding an article I wrote regarding babies and food allergies. This is not a topic you see much about but so many parents are concerned about what to look for and how to approach a potential food allergy in their babies.

We didn't find out about my daughter's allergy until she was a preschooler, (which is scary for different reasons) but I can't imagine how frightening it is to watch an infant go through anaphylaxis. Hopefully my article provides some direction for parents and will encourage people to pursue this with their doctors if they notice anything unusual.

If you are in the Chicago area, you can pick up a print version of this in many locations around the city, but for those who aren't, click this link! I was lucky enough to interview the head of pediatric allergy at Children's Memorial Hospital here in Chicago, and I appreciated her insights as well as the family of little Lucy who were interviewed about their experiences.

Of course, if you have any questions or medical concerns such as testing, etc., please talk to your pediatrician or allergist.

Babies and Food Allergies

I just read this article in Chicago Parent about new research about introducing solid foods in babies. The timing of solids is thought to have an effect on later development of food allergies.

When my kids were babies, we were told to hold off on solid foods until 6 months of age. Now, the new research (discussed in the Chicago Parent article) shows that babies should be given solids at 4 months of age. This is thought to possibly prevent the development of food allergies.

Medical disclaimer alert! Of course, every baby is different, so please always consult your own doctor about the introduction of solids. Thank you. :)

I don't know about many of you, but I had no choice but to give my two kids solids younger than 6 months. Way younger. (I got the OK from the pediatrician, of course.) My babies were huge and they were hungry. Interestingly, one child developed food allergies and one didn't. This new research raises more questions for me, defintely.

The whole idea of babies getting diagnosed with food allergies is very interesting to me because I didn't know about my daughter's nut allergies until she was in preschool. I can imagine how difficult this would be for parents of infants -- what would you do about introducing new foods, for example. And of course, the introduction of babysitters takes on a whole new level of stress.

On a freelance writing note, I'm interested in writing about this issue for a local magazine, so any of you Chicago-area parents who have young babies getting diagnosed with food allergies, please send me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you if you wouldn't mind sharing some of your experience with me for a future interview. I have a few sources already but I can always use more.

No matter where you live, I'd love to hear about your concerns in caring for food-allergic babies. What support and info do you need? Let us know.