Paula Burch's
Baby Food Cookbook
Introducing Foods to Babies
Some foods can make babies sick; some may increase the risk of
serious food allergies later in life; and some may even increase the
risk of Type I diabetes. Early introduction of solids (before four
months of age, or preferably six) may increase the risk of allergies
and eczema. It's worthwhile to carefully choose which foods to
introduce to a baby, and when.
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....
Dangerously allergenic foods
The most dangerously allergenic foods appear to be peanuts, other
nuts, and shellfish (including shrimp). I've also heard of cases in
which eggs or seeds (including strawberries and kiwi) cause dangerous
allergies. I believe that all parents should do their best to avoid
these foods in their infants' diets until at least the age of one
year, and preferably a few months beyond then, whether or not anyone
in the family has any allergies. It's just not worth the risk.
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.
Choking Hazards
Hot dogs are dangerous unless sliced lengthwise, which takes no time
to do anyway. I've read that grapes should be halved for toddlers and
quartered for infants. Both of these plug the airway rather neatly.
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.
Foods that are allergenic, but less frequently life-threatening
Those with allergies in the family, food or otherwise, even hay fever,
are supposed to be at risk of food allergies in their children. Those
who are concerned about allergy prevention try to avoid dairy products
and wheat until a child is a year old. Some avoid corn, because it's a
common allergen and quite a pain to live with. (Even Bandaids and
postage stamps are based on corn, as are most processed foods with
any sweetening.) Citrus fruits, tomatoes, and fish are generally
recommended against for babies under a year.
Formerly, peas were reported to be allergenic, but as far as I can
find out this has turned out not to be the case.
Summary
We avoided wheat, milk, yogurt, cheese, formula, soy, corn, all
seafood, eggs, citrus, tomatoes, strawberries, kiwi, all nuts, and
peanuts, until our son was a year old. We are continuing to avoid
strawberries, nuts, peanuts, shellfish, and eggs for a few more
months, and peanuts at least until he is two.
What *do* you feed a baby, then?
Starches.
Grains that are generally considered low in allergenicity include
rice, buckwheat (botanically unrelated to wheat), and millet. White
potatoes are not very allergenic.
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
The contents of this document must not be republished in any form,
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without the explicit permission of the author, except for brief
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