If you have allergies or asthma, your child is more likely to develop a food allergy.
The Mayo Clinic offers advice on preventing the development of food allergies in your children:
- Avoid peanuts during pregnancy and while nursing, especially if you have a family history of allergies.
- Give your child only breast milk for the first six months, if possible. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for your infant.
- Wait until your child is six months old to introduce solid foods.
- Wait at least one year to introduce cow's milk.
- Wait until age two to introduce eggs.
- Wait until age three to introduce nuts and seafood.
- Introduce all new foods gradually and one at a time.
- Give your child cooked or homogenized foods; many foods are less likely to cause an allergic reaction after being cooked.
If you have a child with a food allergy, see Managing Food Allergies in Children for more information.