I have two children with severe eczema and bad food allergies, what measures should I take to reduce the chances of having another
child with bad allergies too?
Dietary manipulations to prevent the development of food allergy have been and are currently studied. Overall, it seems that avoidance of
certain foods may delay the presentation and also diminish the severity of food allergies (in the case of eczema, for example). The
American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a statement on
food allergy prevention that
lists several recommendations. In summary, breastfeeding women should avoid dairy, egg, fish, peanuts and other foods while breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding should continue for at least 1 year. Solid foods should start being introduced at 6 months of age, dairy products at 1 year of
age, eggs at 2 years of age, and peanuts, nuts, and fish at 3 years of age.