TEXAS — Pediatricians used to tell parents to keep foods like peanut butter and eggs away from babies to help prevent allergies.
“I think it worked for me. Work for my mom. Why not work for her?” said Jordynne Wensjoe, a soon to be mother of two, who keeps it old school for raising her children.
Wensjoe represents about one out of five American parents introducing what some consider a food allergy to her children before they are 1-year-old — starting with peanut butter and eggs.
“Being a half-Hispanic household, we eat a lot of eggs. A lot of eggs in here,” Wensjoe explained.
As a nurse, she saw the importance of checking if her daughter would be allergic to certain foods.
Back in 2000, pediatricians used to recommend parents wait at least a year or two before introducing an allergen. But a new Australian study published by the University of Queensland Child Health Research Centre suggests introducing eggs as early as six months.
“These guidelines are not new guidelines. We have known about them for the past few years. This is the first time a study was done where they actually published numbers and prevalence for egg allergies in families in Australia,” said Dr. Julia Romano, who is a Cook Children’s Hospital physician.
Romano says this study can benefit American families.
“With this early introduction, we know that we can reduce the chances of them having an egg allergy from about 37% all the way down to 20%. This can be life-changing for families,” she explained.
Romano advises introducing new foods to your baby one at a time to see if there’s any potential allergic reaction.
“If you know that your child might be at high risk for certain reactions to food and have questions before you introduce solid foods, please talk to your pediatrician,” said Romano.