The introduction of a nutritional supplement for children from the age of six months raises some concerns among parents about the side effects of certain fruits, vegetables, fruits or dairy products. Do you know the three-day rule to prevent food allergy in children and can you detect it in a timely manner?
How to Prevent Food Allergies in Children
Starting a supplement diet, if there is one rule that applies to all cases, it is patience. Not all babies will accept new foods with the same mindset and not all foods will react the same way, so, patiently and slowly, we need to expose our babies to all the foods we deem appropriate.
However, although it is not scientific, there are discussions between parents about the three-day rule and the introduction of complementary foods, what are these rules and what are the final requirements? Basically, the three-day rule (5 days if we are more careful) is to wait, after the introduction of a new food in the child’s diet, the day before we offer another new food, the possible appearance of symptoms of the relationship to the new food.
An allergy is an extreme and inappropriate reaction of the immune system, in which the body itself reacts to a harmless substance, but the body treats it as if it were harmful (food antigen). The body’s defenses are initiated, producing antibodies and responding to food antigens by stimulating the production of histamine, which triggers the onset of symptoms.
Types of Allergies in Children
Food often causes two types of allergies: overeating and contact. Swelling and redness of food antigens, often attached to the lips and tongue (skin and mucous membranes), are common especially in food allergies.
Redness of the nose, eyes and ears is also common, but touching can also cause acne, blemishes and irritation. In addition, if the throat is swollen and affects the airways, respiratory symptoms may worsen, requiring immediate treatment.
Symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders include ulcers, nausea, or diarrhea, and considerable hypersensitivity to food antigens that can lead to anaphylactic shock. Anaphylaxis is a common skin reaction to an allergen that can affect vital organs.
It requires the administration of epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. It increases heart rate, narrows blood vessels, dilates airways and slows the immune system’s response to food antigens.
Tips for Parents When Introducing New Foods to a Baby
When a new food is added to a child’s diet, although allergic reactions tend to occur within the first 24 hours, food intolerance is more likely to occur later, so it’s worth waiting at least 3 days (up to 5) for them to be. Deleted.
Currently, we need to provide the child alone, with or without the new food, with food that has already passed the 3-day test, and we are sure that it will not cause the child to have an allergic reaction.
Therefore, when symptoms occur, we can isolate the food antigen without problems and start introducing new foods. When a new food passes the test, it will be added to our child’s list of safe foods. Here are some more tips for adding new foods to your child’s diet:
Choose the first time of the day to have a new meal instead of dinner. If symptoms occur, it is better to occur during the day than at night.
Take extreme precautions if there are food allergies in the family, not only to these foods, but also to other foods with high allergy potential, as they may be genetic.
According to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, cow’s milk and eggs are the most common allergies in childhood, but most children usually get spontaneously over 5 years old. Other common allergens are fish and seafood, legumes (including soy), certain fruits (strawberries, kiwi and peaches / apricots) and especially nuts.
Unfortunately, the only way to control allergies is to completely avoid exposure to food antigens, so unless your pediatrician advises otherwise, it’s best not to include these foods in your child’s diet.
