Food allergy risk

As I've mentioned in the previous post, both our families somehow cannot resist the urge or need to feed or let chubs taste new food. Ever since chubs has started on solids and has her little ivories out, our adult relatives keep wanting to feed her whatever food is in sight and whatever chubs is showing interest in.

Funnily enough, sometimes they will attempt to feed and then ask me if it's OK to do so. When I reply in the negative, they will either continue to do it secretly or tell chubs "Sorry, mummy say cannot eat" while still waving the food in front of chubs. Or worse, they will let her "taste" the food by letting her lick/chew/suck on the food for a little while and then taking it away from her altogether to stop her from finishing or biting the food (sometimes because of me stepping in or when the adults decide they had enough). That then causes my baby to cry/wail in frustration and it breaks my heart to see that sometimes because baby will then be "berated" for being wilful or "naughty". That is just so wrong on so many levels. Mixed signals and messages are passed on to the confused baby who do not understand the conflicting instructions and actions.

Are they thinking that I'm causing chubs to miss out on a lot of good food and that I'm too restrictive and controlling? Frankly, would I want to starve my own child? Would I not want her to taste the wide variety of yummy foods out there? I, too, want my child to taste all the good food there is and enjoy the food that we adults are all enjoying. But all this needs and takes time to happen. It is important that they know babies need time to adapt to new foods and that we need some lead time between new foods introduced so parents/caregivers can track food allergies (if any). They need to understand and know that food allergies can come in many forms and range from mild symptoms like runny nose to serious symptoms like shortness of breath.

My friend (Kim)'s child, Kaitlyn, once had an allergic reaction to a food that contained nuts and within minutes of consuming the food, she had trouble breathing and started wheezing due to a swelling airway. And she was only a year plus then. Can you imagine how my friend, Kim, must have been feeling at that moment? She was alone then and Kaitlyn was wheezing away, unable to verbalise how and what she is feeling. She had to call the paramedics for help and only after some professional advice was she able to soothe her daughter and get her breathing back on track. Sounds serious enough for me to be careful about food allergies and not take it for granted?

Some information concerning food allergies I grabbed off www.dumex.com.sg : -
If your baby is allergic to a food, the signs will be there within minutes or even seconds. The most common symptoms are:
• Coughing
• Dry, itchy throat and tongue
• Itchy skin or rash
• Nausea and feeling bloated
• Diarrhoea and/or vomiting
• Wheezing and shortness of breath
• Swelling of the lips and throat
• Runny or blocked nose
• Sore, red and itchy eyes

Some foods are more likely to cause an allergic reaction than others, and are worth watching out for:
• Cows’ milk and other milk products
• Nuts
• Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, oats and barley)
• Eggs
• Soya beans
• Fish
• Crustaceans (such as crab and lobster)
• Mustard
• Sesame seeds
• Peanuts
• Sulphur dioxides and sulphites (preservatives used in some foods and drinks)
• Celery

There are some foods you should hold off giving to your baby before a certain age, to avoid increasing the risk of allergies while their immune system is developing:
• Gluten (before 6 months)
Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, barley and oats. You should avoid giving your baby any of these for the first 6 months. Look out for 'gluten-free' on food labels.

• Fish (before 6 months)

Fish can cause an allergic reaction in some babies so it's a good idea not to give your baby any fish before they are 6 months old. Once they reach 6 months fish can form part of a balanced diet.

• Peanuts and foods containing peanuts should not be given to babies from families with a history of allergy until they are at least 3 years old. Otherwise, they can be given from 6 months. Do not give whole nuts of any kind to children under 5 years of age because they pose a choking risk.

What I want to say at the end of this lengthy post is, I have no issues introducing new foods to my baby, just that it has to be done in a proper, systematic manner. At this tender age of 10-11 months old, I do not wish to take any chance at all with food allergy. Give my baby and myself some time. At least wait till she's old enough to either verbalise or show us clearly through actions when she's not feeling well. We never know with food allergy and if anything happens to my baby (OK, I might sound a little dramatic here), who is to be responsible for it? Me, for not being responsible and firm enough as a mum to stop you from feeding her or you, the kind soul who, being spontaneous, just want to "let baby taste/eat something new" without knowing her eating habits and food history?

Believe me when I say I love my baby as much as you do (if not more) and I do want the best for her as well. Please, just kindly cooperate and work with me, give us time and some respect for my decisions. We do not want anything (be it mild or serious) to happen before we go "Oops sorry, next time we'll be careful", do we?