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A regular occurrence...

Food allergies are common in kids of all age. In fact, the U.S. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) reports that over 6 million kids are living with one allergy or the other. 

Breastfeeding babies are not immune to allergies. A baby who feeds off his mom’s breast milk could develop allergies from the food his mother eats. Toddlers who are being introduced to cow milk and other ‘light’ foods also stand the chance of developing allergies.

Cow milk allergy, for example, is common among kids who are being introduced to cow milk for the first time. Being the first time, they are exposed to such amount of proteins, they tend to react to the milk after drinking it.

In this article, you will learn the common food allergies in children, their symptoms, and how best to prevent these allergies.

It is very crucial to know the difference between food allergy and food intolerance. Basically, food allergy occurs when the body responds abnormally to a particular food.

Causes of Food Allergies?

Just as food allergies vary between kids so does the causes. Whereas some kids are allergic to peanuts, others are allergic to milk, soy, shellfish, etc. Research shows that milk, peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, wheat, and soy are the most common causes of food allergies in children.

HARD FACT: 6 million children in the United States have some type of food allergy.

Symptoms of Food Allergy

It is almost impossible to tell if a child is allergic to a certain food until he is exposed to such food. To make matter worse, kids can barely explain how they feel afterwards. Some kids would complain of stomach pains, while others may feel there is something stuck in their throat.

Depending on the cause and individual, the symptoms can range from mild (such as sneezing, itchy skin, and vomiting) to severe (in the case of Anaphylaxis).

 Some of the common symptoms of food allergy include:

Prevention of Food Allergy

Allergy is unlike most medical conditions that you can diagnose and prevent from happening. The child must be exposed to a certain food before you can tell he his allergic to such food. This makes it difficult to tell what a child is allergic to and how to prevent the occurrence of such allergies. That said, experts advise parents to employ the following tips to delay the development of food allergy in babies.

Avoid The Allergens

Since you can’t tell if your baby is allergic to these common allergens yet, it is advisable to avoid them all until your baby is a year old. This gives him a better chance of fighting the allergy as his immune system will be way stronger than when he was a tiny little baby.

Stick With The Six-Month Plan

Generally, moms are advised to breastfeed their baby for the first six months. While this helps his mental development, it also helps shield him from allergens until his immune system is better ready to handle stuff.