Introducing Foods - what did you do?

[dalia]

DS's ped is a naturopath and is part of the camp that advocates the introduction of foods very slowly, like really slowly (no eggs, dairy, gluten till 2ys). I was all set to do this since we have asthma/allergies in our family and I wanted to play it safe... but then I have also read research that suggests that it's best to introduce foods early to prevent allergies/asthma, and that in other cultures where food allergies are more scarce that is what is done.. I'm so confused! Honestly, I would LOVE to be able to give my baby whatever I eat. I get so jealous and feel kind of embarrassed that his baby friends are eating everything and here I am being so meticulous about whatever goes in his mouth. Seriously, I'd kill to just give him a teething biscuit!! He will be one year in a couple weeks.

So, what did you all do with your little ones? Also, do you all know of any more studies I can refer to? THANKS!

[ErinYay]

I was, and am, pretty cavalier about food- but we have NO allergies or autoimmune issues in either family, which did impact our decisions.

I held off on peanut-type stuff, strawberries, oranges and tomatoes (more for the irritation than allergy issues) until about 7 months- not long, I know. We started whole eggs around that time, and all dairy as well.

Now at 9.5 months, I keep her soy and HFCS intake as low as possible (I cook almost everything from scratch, and hunt for no-HFCS breads, etc) and everything else is fair game.

[la mamita]

Around 8 or 9 months I started giving him things I was eating, because he was interested. His first food was lentils & rice. We never did "baby food", storebought or homemade. If something wasn't a safe texture (for choking reasons), I would either skip it or mash it up. If you are EBF, it's totally fine to wait until 12+ months to give food, nutrition-wise. I do think it is important for kids to be exposed to a wide variety of foods so their systems (and palates) get used to it. So I never held off on nuts or other high-allergen foods, nor did I stop eating spicy foods or strong flavors while BFing--just watch your kid's reaction and if you sense an allergy, you can be more cautious.

[Knitting Mama]

We're starting solids soon-- Cecilia is 6 months next week-- and we're going to go pretty slowly. We'll be grain free until at least 1, preferably later, and pretty much sugar and HFCS free as well. Lots of fruits and veggies to start with, and protein closer to 1.

[sunnygir1]

Both my babies were preterm and colicky and we have gluten intolerance in our family. I have gone slowly introducing foods to our los.

Ds is 1 and is still off:
gluten
nuts
sugar, corn syrup, food coloring, etc.
cow dairy
eggs
tomatoes
The last three are because I think one or all gives him a rash.

I guess I'm not sure about later introduction preventing or intensifying allergies, but for me it has been clear at different times that my babe wasn't ready for a certain food, so I backed off and waited. The list was similar for dd, but she did fine with egg yolks (and whole eggs when ! introduced them later).

[momto4plus4]

I was the most strict with dd1: no wheat until 1, no dairy/peanut until 2, no chocolate til 4 (I have a reaction to cocoa); rotation diet until 3. She's my healthiest.

ds1: no dairy until 2, trial then back off til 4, trial then off til 5. He had allergic colitis so no solids til 10 months and kept off reaction foods until 2.

dd2: off dairy til 2. Otherwise didn't restrict but she ended up with a fructose intolerance at 2 so off all fructose for 6 months, now okay.

ds2: kind of just going by his reaction to each specific food, not what is "generally" reactive or not reactive.

My suggestion: go with your instincts.