How to Introduce Each of the 9 Food Allergens to Your Baby

There is so much information out there on when to introduce allergens to your baby and the reactions to look out for… but what does this actually look like? This blog will take you through the process of introducing allergens step by step so you can feel reassured and confident in the journey.

What are the 9 allergens?

It is important to remember that your baby can be allergic to any food, however the majority of food allergies come from these 9 foods:

• Egg

• Cow’s milk

• Soy

• Wheat

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts (almond, Brazil nut, cashew, hazelnut, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio, walnut)

• Sesame

• Fish

• Shellfish (including molluscs and crustaceans)

These are the top allergens to introduce to your baby before the age of one to help prevent food allergies.

When do I introduce my baby to allergens?

It is ideal to introduce all the common allergy causing foods early, by 12 months of age, as this may reduce your baby’s chance of developing a food allergy.

When introducing these food allergens, it is important to introduce one at a time, and by itself (never with another new food). That way you can easily identify the culprit if your baby has a reaction.

Waiting a couple days between introducing new foods can also make your life easier! We wouldn’t recommend introducing 2 of these allergens within the same week. Allowing a couple days between testing can allow for any delayed reactions to be picked up.

If your baby is able to tolerate the new food, continue to feed it to your baby regularly as part of a varied diet. Regular exposure to the food will reduce the chance of developing food allergies.

What allergens should I introduce to my baby first?

Eggs should be one of the first allergens introduced at around 6 months, and peanuts should be introduced before 10 months of age. The remaining allergens can be trialled in any order.

How do I expose my baby to food allergens?

We know it can feel scary to introduce foods that may cause harm to your baby, but follow these simple steps to help you feel calm and confident during the process:

1. Be sure to introduce the allergens in the appropriate texture for your baby’s developmental stage. For example, you can introduce nuts to your baby using nut spreads or flours, not whole nuts or nut pieces as they pose choking risks.

2. Introduce new allergens earlier in the day before their next nap, so they can be observed for a couple of hours after eating.

3. Introduce new foods in a gradually increasing way. You can start by rubbing a small amount of the food on the inside of their mouth. If there is no immediate reaction within a few minutes you can begin to trial small amounts.

4. On the first day, introduce the new food by mixing ¼ teaspoon in a previously tolerated puree.

5. If there is no reaction, try increasing the amount to ½ teaspoon the next day.

6. On the third day, if there is no prior reaction, increase the amount to 1 teaspoon.

7. You can assume your baby is not allergic to a new food once you have given it to them three times with no reaction.

8. Don’t rub allergens on the skin (especially broken skin) as this can actually cause food allergies.

Nourishing Bub’s Allergen Intro Pack takes the guessing work out of introducing allergens to your baby. It’s a convenient way to expose your baby to most of the common allergens, in powdered form to save all that food shopping, prep and cleaning up time (we’re talking about blending up like 10 different nuts separately here!) 

Save the extra fuss and order now!  https://www.nourishingbubs.com/collections/all

 

So what does this look like?

Below we will outline how to serve up each of the 9 allergens.

How to introduce egg to your baby

• Start with a hard boiled egg, mashed or pureed. To do this, boil an egg, peel and mash with a fork. Then stir through enough water, breastmilk or formula to form a smooth consistency.

• Add ¼ teaspoon of egg to a previously tolerated vegetable puree to introduce to your baby. If there is no reaction, feel free to gradually increase the amount each day.

• Others way to introduce egg include:

• Homemade egg custard

• Eggs baked into muffins/pancakes

• Omelettes cut into fingers

• Nourishing Bub’s Egg Powder- can be stirred in a previously tolerated puree or coat a squishable finger food like avocado or boiled carrot in it. This can be found in the Nourishing Bubs Allergen Intro Pack.

How to introduce peanuts to your baby

• You can introduce peanuts to your baby in an appropriate form like smooth peanut butter from 6 months of age.

• Whole nuts and globs of peanut butter should be avoided as they can be a choking risk.

• A small amount of smooth 100% peanut butter or Nourishing Bub’s Peanut Powder can be smeared on the inside of your baby’s mouth to first introduce them to the allergen. If no reaction occurs, you can increase the amount with each exposure

• Other ways to introduce peanuts (in powder or spread form) include:

• Stirred into porridge/cereal

• Added to smoothies

• Cooked into baked goods/ pancakes

How to introduce tree nuts to your baby

• Each tree nut should be offered individually in either a paste, butter or powdered form. Wait at least 3-4 days between trialling each nut.

• Whole nuts, nut pieces and large globs of nut butter should be avoided as they pose a choking hazard.

• Nut butters can be thinned with hot water, breastmilk or formula. The same process as the other allergens can be used to introduce it to your baby, starting by smearing it in their mouth and gradually increasing the amount.

• Once you know your baby can tolerate it, it is important to regularly add them to your baby’s diet (twice weekly) even if certain nuts are not commonly consumed in your household. A blended tree nut mix is an easy way to regularly offer all tree nuts.

• Other ways to introduce tree nuts (in pase, butter or powdered form) include:

• Crumbing for chicken/fish

• On or in pancakes

• Roll a slice of avocado, or steamed fruit or vegetable in Nourishing Bub’s Allergen Intro Pack powders of all nine tree nuts.

How to introduce fish to your baby

• Fish should be deboned, and baked, poached or steamed until cooked through.

• Initially puree the fish and add to a previously tolerated puree. When your baby is able to tolerate lumpier purees, you can simply flake the fish into a smooth vegetable puree.

• You can also use canned fish.

• Skipjack tuna, whiting and salmon are some appropriate fish to first introduce to your baby.

• Other ways to introduce fish include:

• Fish cakes/balls

• Pasta bake e.g tuna mornay

• Baked into savoury muffins

How to introduce shellfish to your baby

• Shellfish is classified into crustaceans (e.g prawns, crab, lobster) and molluscs (e.g oysters, scallops, octopus). Like tree nuts, these should all be offered individually and at least 3-4 days apart.

• Some shellfish can be rubbery and chewy so it is best to chop finely and remove any outer membranes.

• You can offer shellfish by:

• Cook, pureeing and mixing with a previously tolerated puree

• Cook, peel and butterfly prawns

• Prawn/crab cakes

• Cook scallops and cut into slices

How to introduce wheat to your baby

• Wheat is found in many staple foods so there are many options you can offer your baby to introduce the allergen.

• Couscous is very small and a great option to introduce wheat to your baby.

• Bread and toast can be offered with a spread like avocado to make it more texture appropriate for babies. These can be chopped into fingers.

• Other ways to introduce wheat include:

• Weet-Bix with breast milk or formula, pureed

• Pasta such as risoni

• Pancakes using wheat flours

• Semolina porridge mixed with breastmilk or formula

How to introduce soy to your baby

• Soy is found in meat-free proteins and many packaged foods.

• Nourishing Bub’s Soy Powder can be used to coat squishable finger foods.

• You can also introduce soy by:

• Mashing silken tofu into a previously tolerated puree

• Pureeing edamame beans

• Tofu fingers

• Muffins/pancakes made with soy milk or flour

How to introduce cow’s milk to your baby

• Formula fed babies will be exposed to cow’s milk protein if a cow’s milk formula is chosen, so reactions can occur earlier.

• Avoid giving your baby cow’s milk as a drink before they turn 1. Instead use it as an ingredient in cooking and offer dairy foods like yoghurt and cheese.

• Nourishing Bub’s Cow’s Milk Powder is also another way to offer cow’s milk to your baby to test for any allergies.

• Other ways to introduce cow’s milk include:

• Using it in porridge/cereal, pancakes and baked goods

• Mixing plain full-fat unflavoured yoghurt or ricotta into previously tolerated purees

• Cheese sandwiches (once wheat is tolerated)

How to introduce sesame to your baby

• Sesame is an allergen many people are unaware of and find tricky to introduce.

• Nourishing Bub’s Sesame Powder is an easy way to expose your baby to the allergen. You can simply stir it into a puree or roll a steamed slice of pear in it.

• You can also thin tahini with water, breastmilk, or formula, and mix into a puree.

• Other ways to introduce sesame include:

• Roll avocado in sesame seeds

• Use bread with sesame seeds for sandwiches

• Offering hummus as it contains tahini

Introducing allergens to your baby doesn’t have to be scary. Nourishing Bubs have created an Allergen Intro Bundle to help you safely incorporate allergens and solids into your baby’s diet. The bundle includes:

• Allergen Intro Pack: a box of complete allergens in powder form.

• Allergen Intro Chart Magnet: to help you keep track of baby’s allergen introduction journey.

• Introducing Allergens to Your Baby eBook: created by Paediatric Dietitian and Nourishing Bubs founder Olivia Bates, this eBook provides a comprehensive guide and all the information you’ll need to safely and confidently offer allergens to your baby.

You can order yours today!

https://www.nourishingbubs.com/products/allergen-intro-bundle

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