Passing on allergies

jmaeberkley

I have several food allergies...mushrooms, all peppers except chilis and red bell peppers, all nuts with the exception of peanuts...and I am trying to decide when to let my honey attempt these foods with our little one on the way....the mushroom allergy was passed on by my dad so I know that I may pass on my allergies and I am not willing to send my child to the hospital not breathing....any ideas on when it will be ok for him to try those things?

jandb2011

Since you have allergies, your baby is at a higher risk of having some kind of allergy.  If your DH has an allergy (of any kind), that also ups the risk.  However, it's not a gaurentee (sp) your LO will have allergies and if they do, they may be completely different from your own.

With the nut allergy, I would just have your LO allergy tested around 1 or 2 yrs old.  If I remember correctly, you're supposed to wait til age 2 to even give a child nuts, because they are a choking hazard.

With the other food items, I would just stick with the normal, recommended way of introducing foods.  3-4 days between trying new foods, so you can see if there's any reaction.

GL!

Yaygobabycakes

I agree. My family has at least 4 generations of passed on allergies. Not everyone got them but no one who got the allergies got the same ones as the previous generation. Just test each food normally because chances are your baby will be free and clear of what you suspect the most.

One trick my mom showed me for the most nerve wracking items that I needed to test my daughter for was to lick the item and rub it on their back before letting them taste it. By mixing the chemicals in your saliva to start the break down it will let you know if they might have a problem ingesting it themselves. (of course get someone else to lick it if it is an item you are allergic to) And by rubbing it on their back if they do get a reaction to the item they won't be able to scratch it and make it worse.