Do you feed your baby milk products and/or gluten?

[McGucks]

A friend told me you should not give your baby milk products or wheat until the age of two.  She said that either could interfere with immunity and increase the possibility of allergies.  Our LO is 10 m.o. and enjoys plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and wheat products (bits of whole wheat bread, a part of a Triscuit, organic Cheerios, that kind of stuff).  He's not much of a solid food kid even though he does like those items.  I would say he eats, on average, maybe a couple tablespoons of food a day and the rest is just breastmilk.  Now, though, I am worried.  I should mention that neither DH or I have allergies, and our baby has never been sick.  If you have an opinion or could provide a link to a resource regarding this issue, I would appreciate it.  Thank so much!

[Knitting Mama]

My opinion on wheat is based on my doctor. She said to wait until over 1, preferably closer to 18 months for glutenous products. As for dairy, Cecilia doesn't really get any because when I offered her cheese she had a horrible night. I repeated it the next day with the same results. She's fine with dairy in breastmilk, but apparently not for herself. Yogurt did not cause the same reaction, interestingly enough.

But the bottom like to me is, if it works for you, it works for you.

[Melissa Joanne]

I did loads of reading on this topic when we were getting ready to start offering complimentary foods. I decided to offer grains at just shy of nine months, but I don't plan to offer dairy at all. On the idea that offering wheat before two can increase the risk of issue with allergies, I have seen this suggested, but I have also read articles stating that waiting too long is actually more of a concern! As with many things, it seems that there's no right answer, so we just do what works for us!

[peacelove&camping]

the recommendations to avoid stuff are now thought to be outdated, and the newest research is actually saying once they hit 6 months, the earlier the better for allergic foods. my dd has had everything except shellfish [which i am allergic to, and can't prepare for her] and dairy [which she is already allergic to, but which she would have had at 6 months were it not for that], including peanut butter, fish, and wheat.

here's what i could find for you :) :

"In January 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its stance on delaying the introduction of common allergens like dairy, eggs, and nuts, stating that there was "no current convincing evidence that delaying their introduction beyond [the age of four to six months] has a significant protective effect on the development of atopic disease." This means that, contrary to earlier recommendations, it is now the AAP's stance that dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood are safe to introduce to your baby at the same time you introduce other foods. As always, however, your allergist or pediatrician is the best source for specific recommendations for your family."

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=108

the policy itself [in medicalese :) ]: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;121/1/183

of course, like pp said, go with your mommasense and your pedi's recommendations always :)

[HonkyTonka]

Originally Posted by peacelove&camping 

the recommendations to avoid stuff are now thought to be outdated, and the newest research is actually saying once they hit 6 months, the earlier the better for allergic foods. my dd has had everything except shellfish [which i am allergic to, and can't prepare for her] and dairy [which she is already allergic to, but which she would have had at 6 months were it not for that], including peanut butter, fish, and wheat.

here's what i could find for you :) :

"In January 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its stance on delaying the introduction of common allergens like dairy, eggs, and nuts, stating that there was "no current convincing evidence that delaying their introduction beyond [the age of four to six months] has a significant protective effect on the development of atopic disease." This means that, contrary to earlier recommendations, it is now the AAP's stance that dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood are safe to introduce to your baby at the same time you introduce other foods. As always, however, your allergist or pediatrician is the best source for specific recommendations for your family."

http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=108

the policy itself [in medicalese :) ]: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;121/1/183

of course, like pp said, go with your mommasense and your pedi's recommendations always :)

Yes I do because of the above.
 

[SeattleRain]

Daniel is 7 months and is formula fed, so he's had dairy since birth but I'm told that the dairy in formula is so processed that it doesn't really "count" as introducing dairy. However he never had any reaction whatsoever to his dairy formula so I didn't feel uneasy when I introduced whole milk yogurt a few days ago. So far he's been fine and I'm happy he's getting the probiotics in yogurt. Daniel has also been getting some baby oatmeal (gluten free) and some multigrain cereal (gluten) and has had no reactions. For what it's worth we don't have any food allergies in our family besides mine to shellfish, and since we keep kosher, shellfish aren't in our diet. For this reason, I'm comfortable with Daniel eating pretty much anything we're eating. Right now I'm focusing on getting new spices and flavors into his diet so that he can be prepared to eat table food in a month or two.

I think sometimes we take a much too stringent approach to food. I think the most important thing is to introduce high quality foods that are as close to whole as possible and have little to no genetic modification or hormones. It's my personal belief (not based on any science) that some of the reactions we're seeing to foods have to do with the way that we mess with then nowadays. Previous generations haven't had the kind of reactions that we've had to food that we've seen and I personally attribute that to all the cr@p we do. I would never feel comfortable with feeding Daniel yogurt that isn't rBST-free or feeding him grains that are GMO.

Multiple studies seem to think that early exposure to allergens is the way to go. They seem to think this way about food, and interestingly enough, about pets as well. Allergies being an immune response, it totally makes sense to me to give babies early exposure to allergens in small amounts so that their immune system learns to adapt.

[Knitting Mama]

Just as an FYI, if you are feeding oatmeal (baby or otherwise), it's probably not gluten free. The reason for this is because, while oats are gluten free by nature, most oats are grown alongside wheat. There's basically no way to prevent cross pollination. So, unless the box specifically says gluten free, chances are the oatmeal isn't.

[Terrilein]

DS eats everything for the same reasons peacelove&camping posted above. The only thing I've drawn the line at so far is peanut butter and honey. As recommended I don't give honey due to possible bacterial contamination. But I can not for the life of me get over the ingrained prejudice that you absolutely must not ever give a baby peanut products.

[NicolleLynne]

If your little one is healthy and happy I say keep doing what you're doing and trust your mama's instinct. My sweetie just started solids. She's still about 95% breastfed but loves plain goat's milk yogurt mixed with fruits and veggies. The only noticeable effect thus far has been heftier diapers!

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by Terrilein 

DS eats everything for the same reasons peacelove&camping posted above. The only thing I've drawn the line at so far is peanut butter and honey. As recommended I don't give honey due to possible bacterial contamination. But I can not for the life of me get over the ingrained prejudice that you absolutely must not ever give a baby peanut products.

I personally treat peanut products like I do eggs-- if you have no family history of allergies, and you feel safe trying a small amount, go for it. Cecilia's been eating regular scrambled eggs (not just yolks) since about 8 months.

[Greenlea]

My son is almost 2 and has been eating dairy (organic only) and wheat for quite some time, like before a year and has had no problems with it.  He got organic whole milk from grass fed cows at around 1 year or so until we could wean him off his night time bottle.  Now he doesn't drink milk (we do almond milk).  He had peanut butter before 1 as the sitter gave it to him.  I agree with above poster, as long as there is not allergy of it in the family, I think its okay to give them the food.  I can't see waiting till 2 for dairy, seeing as how doctors recommend it for around a year - for the calcium I guess, or the fat?  Not sure as I know there are other ways to get calcium besides from milk.

[Knitting Mama]

Yes, if you don't want to do dairy, you can just make up the calcium and vitamin D in other foods. You just have to watch to make sure you're offering foods that have them.

[TreeRose]

I have been wondering these same things. I am dairy- and gluten-intolerant and these foods aren't in our house. Occasionally, I will have gluten because I LOVE it (ha ha) but only on special occasions. I am a holistic nutritionist but I don't generally work with infants or toddlers and I have put out some of my questions to my colleagues and old classmates to see what they have to say on it. I was really curious about the eggs, since I've heard not to allow them. I think yogurt and butter are the safest dairy products (even I can handle them) and she may be getting some yogurt in the near future. We're trying to practice BLW but I am hesitant, she's not quite 6 months and I want her digestive tract to be completely ready. So far just apples, bananas, cucumbers, and avocados. She dove after my pizza (gluten-free with goat's mozarella) today and I was scared - soon she'll be eating!!!

I'm glad to hear everyone's opinions about this because I've just been so curious and nervous myself. We want her to eat whatever we're eating but we don't want to hurt her either!

[JudiAU]

The recs to avoid foods have been updated. Waiting a long time to introduce can actually increase the risk of allergies in families with no allergy history. If you have a strong history of allergies (nuts, etc.) then the recs are different. You can pretty much do most foods whenever you want, as long as you keep an eye out for reactions.

There is some other research however pointing out that wheat is difficult to digest early on and that it is better to wait until closer to a year. Other grains don't count.

We were very careful with our first and not-so-very careful with our second. We have no family history of food allergies (like NOBODY) and my kids don't have them either.

[marinak1977]

So far DS has eaten everything except for nuts and honey starting from about 7 months (we do BLW). He had no reactions to date. The main reason I haven't introduced nuts yet - I've been too lazy to make anything that is easy for him to eat (e.g. nut butter)
I'm working on getting DS to gain weight right now and his favorite food is greek yogurt. So he eats a lot of dairy seemingly without issues and that's ok with me.

[peacelove&camping]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Originally Posted by Terrilein 

DS eats everything for the same reasons peacelove&camping posted above. The only thing I've drawn the line at so far is peanut butter and honey. As recommended I don't give honey due to possible bacterial contamination. But I can not for the life of me get over the ingrained prejudice that you absolutely must not ever give a baby peanut products.

I personally treat peanut products like I do eggs-- if you have no family history of allergies, and you feel safe trying a small amount, go for it. Cecilia's been eating regular scrambled eggs (not just yolks) since about 8 months.

yeah, the honey i should have mentioned. that's not an allergy concern, that's an infection risk. the reason they recommend against egg whites is the same thing--infection, they say you can't completely kill the salmonella unless the egg is baked in something. but i've had one doctor tell me that, and another say that's bunkywort and go ahead and feed her the whole egg.

and terrilein--at the peanut products thing. i had like alarm bells going off in my brain while i was giving it to her--part of me was saying 'this is smart, it's early exposure, it's the right thing' and the rest was screaming NOOOOO WHATAREYOUDOING?! :)

[GoBecGo]

I feed my DD2 (8months) literally everything (i have no family history of allergies) except honey, although TBH i WOULD feed honey i just don't own any because i almost never eat it myself.  She's never had cowsmilk, but only because she's BF a lot and i only offer water in a cup just now.

In some places peanut butter is an early weaning food as it is high calorie, full of good fats and doesn't need teeth to eat.

Also FWIW i don't give her wholegrain anything yet, because i can see from her poo she clearly cannot digest it yet.  Wholegrain basmati the other night passed through almost unchanged but the white basmate was all gone/digested (i tend to mix the two for dinners).

[Terrilein]

Originally Posted by peacelove&camping 

yeah, the honey i should have mentioned. that's not an allergy concern, that's an infection risk. the reason they recommend against egg whites is the same thing--infection, they say you can't completely kill the salmonella unless the egg is baked in something. but i've had one doctor tell me that, and another say that's bunkywort and go ahead and feed her the whole egg.

and terrilein--at the peanut products thing. i had like alarm bells going off in my brain while i was giving it to her--part of me was saying 'this is smart, it's early exposure, it's the right thing' and the rest was screaming NOOOOO WHATAREYOUDOING?! :)

I say bunkywort about the salmonella. It's usually on the shells. Only rarely will salmonella make it inside the egg.

And lol about your alarm bells!

[SeattleRain]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Just as an FYI, if you are feeding oatmeal (baby or otherwise), it's probably not gluten free. The reason for this is because, while oats are gluten free by nature, most oats are grown alongside wheat. There's basically no way to prevent cross pollination. So, unless the box specifically says gluten free, chances are the oatmeal isn't.

Yes you're right, I just looked at the oatmeal box and it does not say gluten free. TBH, we don't have a history of gluten problems so I don't worry about it that much so I didn't think to check. So I guess Daniel has been having gluten as well.

My issue with peanuts is that it can present in anaphalctic shock with severe allergies, which many allergens do not. I have an anaphalactic reaction to shellfish and that can be scary. Most milk allergies do not present in such a life threatening manner that requires immediate, life saving intervention. I'm not comfortable giving peanuts without being close to a doctor so I'm going to give it to him at the pediatrician's office at his 9 month WBV. Daniel can barely handle the thick texture of avocado these days though, so I think peanut butter is stretching it in terms of developmental appropriateness for him anyways.

[Nicole730]

DD started trying wheat and dairy around 7 months, but didn't start eating either until 10 months.  At 11 months she has had plenty of wheat products, dairy (including whole milk), and eggs (both parts - either hard boiled or scrambled).  I haven't done peanut butter yet, but I suppose I don't need to wait until the "magic" age of one for that either.  She's also had strawberries and citrus and tomato sauce...I think you are supposed to wait on those too.