I have found no scientific explanation for the frequently-made observation that some foods cause very serious allergies, while others do not. However, it seems to be obvious that, while allergies to wheat and diary products are common, they are almost never life-threatening, whereas allergies to nuts, peanuts, and seafood occasionally kill people. There is also another important issue--choking kills many children every year. Therefore, I place foods to avoid into three categories of avoidance....
Current wisdom is that peanuts should be avoided in the diet until the age of three, although I don't think I personally am willing to try beyond the age of two unless I see evidence that this makes a big difference.
Latex balloons are not a food but are particular offenders for children of all ages; babies should never be allowed to touch them--they are decorations, not toys.
Some say that popcorn is too dangerous for young children. Whole nuts and peanuts are particularly bad as choking hazards. Not infrequently, a case diagnosed as chronic asthma is actually a peanut that has been aspirated iunto the lungs.
Formerly, peas were reported to be allergenic, but as far as I can find out this has turned out not to be the case.
Vegetables. Some consider legumes to be more allergenic than other vegetables, and cabbage-family vegetables give some babies gas. That leaves carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash as favorite baby food choices. We found peas and green beans to go over well, and our peditrician told us they are not allergenic.
Fruits. Good: Bananas, peaches, apples (may give some babies gas), pears, nectarines, grapes, cherries. Bad: all berries, including kiwi. Who knows: raspberries and blueberries. (Sure, Gerber makes baby food with raspberries, but they have added all sorts of innappropriate things to their baby foods so many times, so that doesn't tell us whether it's wise.)
A health food store is a great resource. They cater to those with allergies. You can buy frozen waffles that contain no wheat, dairy, or eggs; these make great fnger food for an older baby.
We started mushed foods at six months, relying on breastfeeding exclusively until then. In the US, it's typical to begin with instant Rice cereal, although you can make some good mushed rice yourself if you prefer a tastier product that doesn't have to be mixed with formula or mother's milk to increase its palatability. Some claim that introducing vegetables before fruit prevents the devlopment of a sweet tooth; this is laughable to anyone who's ever tasted formula or human milk, as both are quite sweet. Instead of using rice fortified with inorganic iron, we used whole grain rice, and introduced homemade mushed meat as an iron source at 8 months. Both approaches work.
Copyright 1997 Paula E. Burch
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