seeds and food allergies

[Sara]

Dear misc.kids.breastfeeding.solids,

The chart we've been following for introducing solids [1] says "seeds"
should be avoided until 24 months. (Banana seeds? Avocado pits?) I
just realized the whole-grain bread Ollie's been eating -- one of the
few solids he likes -- has sunflower seeds. Whoops. But since he's
eaten them repeatedly with no ill effects, does that mean we don't
need to worry about him being allergic to them?


[1] http://www.hallpublications.com/title2_sample2.html

--
Sara, accompanied by the surprisingly-no-allergies-yet barnacle

[Beth Kevles]

Hi -

Starting solids is a little bit like playing roulette. You avoid
certain solids at certain ages to improve your odds in the food allergy
game. But even if you start peanut butter at day one of life, there's
still a good chance that your baby won't develop a peanut butter allergy
(just much LESS good a chance than if you delayed.)

Once your baby has had a particular solid several times with no
reaction, then you know you've won that particular round of the food
allergy game. That particular solid is now safe for your child to eat.
(Yes, one can develop food allergies later in life, but I haven't a clue
how those work or whether childhood eating habits have a thing to do
with them.)

Some reasons for delaying particular solids, by the way, have less to do
with avoiding food allergies in the first place than with detecting mild
reactions before they become serious reactions. A baby won't be able to
tell you that peanuts make his throat tickle; a three-year old probably
WILL be able to tell you that. And with that information, you'll know
to avoid peanuts because the next time around the reaction could
escalate to full anaphylaxis. So the foods that are likeliest to cause
severe allergic reactions are delayed so that you can get feedback (no
pun intended) from your child.

If your child has been eating sunflower seeds for a while now, I
wouldn't fret over them.

My two cents,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

[Sara]

Beth Kevles wrote:



[i]
> If your child has been eating sunflower seeds for a while now, I
> wouldn't fret over them.

Thanks -- that's what we figured, but I wanted to ask around.

--
Sara, accompanied by the baby barnacle