Having never eaten before we don't know what does or does not affect our babies. I have put this page together to try and help you with things to look out for and avenues to explore.
I am not a professional. The information provided is through my and other mother's experiences. If you suspect your baby has an allergy or an intolerance please consult a health professional.
If you have an experience you would like to share then please email to mail@babybanana.biz
The most common offenders! -
eggs, cow's milk, nuts, wheat, gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats), fish, shellfish, citrus fruits, tomatoes, sesame seeds and soya.
Food Standards Agency Allergy Information
My Experience:
"My daughter has had dry skin and eczma on her arms and legs but that stays under control with diprobrase presribed by the doctor. When we thought about it she'd never actually had any bad skin on her face until we started weaning so food was definitely the culprit!
Since discovering tomato sets off the ecmza on my daughter's face I have looked into allergies a lot more. Thankfully the first thing people have told me to do is keep a food diary - shouldn't be too hard then ;o)
Although her face is definitely worse when she is run down with colds or teething we are now certain that tomato causes it to inflame, go very red and sore."
Weaning with food allergies or intolerances can be a difficult time here is how one Mum dealt with it...
"By the time it came to weaning my son, we already knew that he would have food allergies. I’d exclusively breastfed him for 6 months but he suffered really badly from eczema and cradle cap. Before he was even 5 months old, he’d been on three courses of antibiotics for the infected skin on his face.
We decided it might be something in my diet so I tried cutting out dairy and wheat to see if it made a difference. This only resulted in a slight improvement but I was still convinced that there was something in my diet that was affecting his skin. In desperation, I decided to try formula and he had an immediate reaction with hives appearing all over his body. Next on the list was soya formula and the reaction was even worse! Thankfully, before long we were referred to a wonderful paediatrician and dietician and Taran was put on an amino acid-based hypoallergenic formula and a restricted diet. Almost immediately his eczema started to clear up especially on his forehead and cheeks.
In continuing to wean Taran, I kept a food diary and only introduced something new every 3 to 4 days which meant I was able to see which foods were affecting his skin. We were advised to try a new food for lunch, and not dinner, so that we would be able to tell if there was a reaction. And we always did a skin test first by rubbing a small amount of the new food on the inside of his arm to see if there was any reaction.
Now at the age of 20 months, although my son still has multiple food allergies, he is a greater eater. He loves to be part of family mealtimes and as far as possible we try to all eat the same meal. He really enjoys strong flavours and spicy dishes! Oh and he still loves his finger food!"
Lucy & Taran (20 months)
Lucy has published her own recipe books for feeding babies and toddlers with multiple food allergies to help other Mums in the same situation.
Take a look at her website Feed Me Allergy Free