Common Child Food Allergy Triggers

Some certain foods tend to trigger food allergies in children. Don’t get carried away and feed your baby new foods too quickly or feed foods that are known allergens until your baby reaches age 1. A baby’s immature immune system is more likely to react to allergens.

Because these foods typically cause problems with children less than 1 year of age, wait until your kid is older than 1 year old to consider trying any of these items:

• Cow’s milk: Many children have allergy problems with cow’s milk. If you discover an allergy with cow’s milk, try a soymilk substitute.

• Eggs: If eggs present an allergy, you can use egg substitutes that are on your grocery store shelf.

• Gluten and wheat: Gluten is a protein found in grains, especially wheat. Children that have gluten allergies must avoid all products with wheat.

• Peanuts: Peanuts aren’t true nuts — they’re actually legumes from the pea and bean family. Children with allergies to peanuts can be very sensitive to foods with even tiny amounts of peanuts in them. Avoid all foods with peanuts.

• Shellfish: Wait until your child is at least 2 before you try serving shellfish because shellfish often causes reactions on the more severe end of symptoms: difficulty breathing and anaphylactic shock.