Is it true that starting baby food early will increase likelihood of food allergies in babies?

Question

My daughter is 4 months old and I would also like to know when the best time to start anything other than formula. There are tons of mothers who do different things and I want to know what you did so I can see different opinions. Thankyou.

Answer 1

I have a 7 month old son and he's had a slow, gradual introduction to foods. We have a family history of dairy allergies (his 3 brothers and dad), so that in addition to the fact that babies can't tolerate cows milk before 1 yr old I've avoided anything dairy altogether.



We started with rice cereal mixed into the breastmilk, but it didn't do much. At about 4-5 months we introduced some fruits to his diet because he was having infrequent bowel movements and we wanted something to help him "move it along". I started mixing a little bit of rice cereal into applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, etc. to add texture at about 6 months when he started disliking the stuff plain due to texture. Just follow your baby's cues. Also, watch out for rice and bananas. both are "firming" foods and can cause your baby unnessecary digestional discomfort when overused, as did mine.



We also don't give him any meat, but that's a personal choice. Babies get what they need from breastmilk, formula and iron-fortified cereals and besides, the first time you change a diaper that has... um, "processed meat baby food" in it, you'll understand why. :-)



Hope this helps.

Answer 2

You cannot beleive everything that a doctor or a book can tell you, but you can beleive all the cues your daughter gives you. She will let you know when the formula is not enough for her. I started my son on foods when he was about three and a half months old. He was drinking about 10 to 12 bottles a day, and waking up about every three hours to eat. I stayed away from common allergies like strawberries and peanuts and took into a count which allergies were in my and my partners family and played it by ear. He did not have any reactions and is not over weight. He was a lot easier to get along with because he was satistifed and was able to sleep through the night. Take your time, and watch her, she'll let you know when she is ready.