there is actually a study that has been ongoing for quite abit recently at the childrens hospital at westmead consisting of introducing foods that were a no no previously before 6 months and allergies etc.
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I wouldn't be overly worried unless there is a history of allergies though. I read somewhere that there are new studies saying that things we once said NOT before a certain age should be introduced from 6 months and that holding off can cause allergies.
Actually maybe that was on here...
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there is actually a study that has been ongoing for quite abit recently at the childrens hospital at westmead consisting of introducing foods that were a no no previously before 6 months and allergies etc.
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And there is also research indicating a correlation between production and processing methods and allergies. And the links between introducing foods before the immune system is properly developed.
In a 4 months old child, their immune system is not functioning as a 2 year olds is. Hence many peoples hesitation of immunisations.
Sesame is can be quite a fierce allergen and early introduction of such things, sesame, peanuts, egg, it is thought can actually trigger a immuno response in the body that can actually create antibodies to the allergen. (The body doesnt recognise the food as food, but rather sees it as it sees a virus and tries to fight it by creating antibodies to it) As the exposure to the food increases in volume so too does the antibody reponse, which creates the major reaction to the food down the track.
Whereas if the food had been introduced later, in a far more mature immune system, the body would not create the antibodies, but rather process it like it would any other food stuff. This is the reasoning behind introducing certain high risk foods later, not earlier. And it is supported by many in the related fields.
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I dont want to be a stickler here,
BUT
within the research of BLS, they suggest that you do not delay any introduction of food, unless there is an obvious danger or DIRECT (you or your DP or the babies siblings) allergy link.
here is a copy of the guidleines for BLS
As much as what you are saying LS can be also proven as right in some situations, it was not until we started delaying the introduction of food (that and the increased amounts of preservatives in foods) that these allergies started to raise their head.DO's and DON’Ts for baby-led introducing of solids
DO offer your baby the chance to participate whenever anyone else in the family is eating. You can begin to do this towards the end of the sixth month. Around this time most babies start showing an interest in watching you.
DO ensure that your baby is supported in an upright position while he is experimenting with food. In the early days you can sit him on your lap, facing the table. Once he is beginning to show skill at picking food up he will almost certainly be mature enough to sit, with minimal support, in a high chair.
DO start by offering foods that are baby-fist-sized, preferably chip-shaped. As far as possible, and provided they are suitable, offer him the same foods that you are eating, so that he feels part of what is going on.
DO offer a variety of foods. There is no need to limit your baby’s experience with food any more than you do with toys.
DON’T hurry your baby. Allow him to direct the pace of what he is doing. In particular, don’t be tempted to ‘help’ him by putting things in his mouth for him.
DON’T expect your baby to eat any food on the first few occasions. Once he has discovered that these new toys taste nice, he will begin to chew and, later, swallow.
DON’T expect a young baby to eat all of each piece of food – remember that he won’t yet have developed the ability to get at food which is inside his fist.
DO try rejected foods again later – babies often change their minds and later accept foods they originally turned down.
DON’T leave your baby on his own with food.
DON’T offer foods which present an obvious danger, such as peanuts.
DON’T offer ‘fast’ foods, ready meals or foods that have added salt or sugar.
DO offer water from a cup but don’t worry if your baby shows no interest in it. A breastfed baby is likely to continue for some time to get all the drinks he needs from the breast.
DO be prepared for the mess! A clean plastic sheet on the floor under the high chair will protect your carpet and make clearing up easier. It will also enable you to give back foods that have been dropped, so that less is wasted. (You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your baby learns to eat with very little mess!)
DO continue to allow your baby to breastfeed whenever he wants, for as long as he wants. Expect his feeding pattern to change as he starts to eat more of the other foods.
If you are bottle feeding, or have a family history of food intolerance, allergy or digestive problems, DO discuss this method of introducing solids with your health advisers before embarking on it.
Finally, DO enjoy watching your baby learn about food – and develop his skills with his hands and mouth in the process!
In the video that our CMHN played for us - based on research by Gill Rapley also suggested this.
The CMHN had just got back from a conference in which this was presented and the information is now suggesting that early introduction is no less safe than delayed introduction.
As i have said before in this thread however, you have to do what you are comfortable doing.
Your baby will pick up if you are nervous about a food... and to be honest, dont do it until you are comfortable...
We did not delay introducing anything except honey until 12 mths. At the age of 6 months when they are just starting, very little food actually goes in, so when i offered MJ a bit of cheese, it wasnt as if she was being fed the same amount as a baby being hand fed by its mother, she chewed it and most of it was in her crutch by the end.
there have been foods that MJ has been un-interested in and i figure that she knows what she needs/wants... I remember watching something years ago and it showed children being given different foods, the high allergen natural (non heavily processed) foods were avoided by children by instint (so too were bitter lettuces/greens) however the same foods that we provided in a processed manner, children ate them all up.
Sorry to argue, well im not really, just giving you all the other side
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you see there is research and study for both sides. I am going with the introduce everything theory
Even when I was a baby they were TOLD to give egg as a first food. So my mum did. They can never make up their minds for what to do ... I think in this case it's best to follow whatever YOU think is right.
And LS I did say 6 months not 4
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"DON?T offer foods which present an obvious danger, such as peanuts."
I am sorry, but sesame eggs and shellfish are also in this category.
I disagree. In fact, when your mother and grandmother were raised, it was a given and accepted that children under 2 did not eat peanuts/peanut butter. It has only been in the last 20-25 years that the peanut allergy has soared exponentially, correlating directly with the 'modern view' to give kids anything and everything as soon as they can swallow. This increase in the allergies can also be linked to processing methods, pesticides used, additives and preservatives, etc. There is no concrete proof of what is or isn't going to cause an allergy. However, there is very strong historical evidence to suggest that the very early introduction of strong allergens can actually aid in prolonging, exacerbating and creating the allergy in the first place.
ETA: I feel though I should point out that doing what is right for you is a nice notion, but it needs to be ok for bubs aswell. My initial comment was directed to hollye, as her bub is not even 6 months old yet. (which as has been pointed out is infact the age to begin BLS, according to the 'rules' isnt it?)
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6 mths is the recommended minimum age for true BLS, yes. Before 6 mths there is an increased risk both of allergies and to the baby's digestive system due to the baby's system not being mature enough to handle solids, particularly if there is a family history of allergies.
This is from kellymom:
Some babies younger than 6 mths seem to be interested in joining in at mealtimes, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are ready to eat solids - more often it's just the normal developmental urge to do what everyone else is doing.In April 2001, a literature review "of the developmental readiness of normal full term infants to progress from exclusive breastfeeding to the introduction of complementary foods" was jointly published by Wellstart International and the LINKAGES Project. Per the authors, "The review does not focus on health outcomes associated with discontinuing exclusive breastfeeding at a particular age but rather on the biologic/developmental readiness for this complex experience. Four processes or functions were selected for inclusion: gastrointestinal, immunologic, oral motor and the maternal reproductive processes that relate to the continuation of lactation and the provision of breastmilk."
Following are some of the conclusions of this review:
"These clinical reports indicate that the majority of normal full term infants are not developmentally ready for the transition from suckling to sucking or for managing semi-solids and solid foods in addition to liquids until between 6 and 8 months of age."
"Using this available information on the development of oral motor function, maternal reproductive physiology and development of the infant?s immunologic and gastrointestinal function, the expert review team concluded that the probable age of readiness for most full term infants to discontinue exclusive breastfeeding and begin complementary foods appears to be near six months or perhaps a little beyond. The also felt that there is probable convergence of such readiness across the several relevant processes."
BUT that should not stop parents who are interested in learning how the process of BLS works joining in this discussion. Like all things, with BLS there are guidelines, but it is up to you if you wish to follow them or not.
Last edited by Jennifer13; March 18th, 2009 at 02:41 PM.
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LS - totally agree with the age thing and sorry if you took it as i was justifying it...
I was postig in relation to the allergy issues thats all.
I also agree with this point in itself, i took the advice of my health partitioners as well as my own research. Obviously we have different points of view and thats fine, but the above comment i take as an attack on my parenting, you come very close to suggest that i am throwing caution to the wind and just feeding my child what i want because it is convienent - which i certianly am not.I feel though I should point out that doing what is right for you is a nice notion, but it needs to be ok for bubs aswell.
I might also add that the peanut reference was due to choking hazard, as will all nuts and are not recommended until 5 years of age (according to the info CMHN gave me) Peanut bitter is fine to give (smooth) as this age if there is no direct allergy...
Im going to leave it at that, i dont want to get into a bun fight with anyone in here
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I am sorry you took it as an attack - it most certainly is not. I am even close to suggesting the things you just accused me if implying. Far from it. The comment was not even in response to you, but a response the the comment made by Mel.
I have to ask though why your first thought was that I would personally attack you? Here I thought we were having an intelligent discussion of theory and evidence? I do not engage in personal judging for your future reference. JMO.
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This is a BLS chatter thread. Please refrain from making personal attacks on other members. Any further posts that are inflammatory will be removed and the member infracted.
If you have any issue with this, please take it up with myself or another moderator.
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This is what I was talking about.
I am almost 100% sure it was posted on here not long ago too but can't seem to find it.Food advice could be peanuts: early exposure seems to lessen the risk of nut allergy.
Consuming peanuts in infancy appears to lessen, not increase, a child's risk of developing a peanut allergy later, British researchers report in the November Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The findings clash with some pediatric recommendations of the past decade--parents have been told to avoid feeding peanut products to infants. The new study suggests that early exposure to peanuts, in the form of eating peanut butter, might induce tolerance and head off the aberrant immune response that underlies an allergic reaction.
"This work is extremely thought-provoking and raises the possibility that an approach of trying to avoid peanuts may be the wrong thing to do," says Robert Wood, an immunologist and pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Allergist Gideon Lack of King's College London and his colleagues distributed food allergy questionnaires to thousands of families in Britain and Israel in 2004 and 2005. The research team analyzed nearly 9,000 responses, which contained data on roughly 4,000 Jewish children in North London and 4,500 Jewish children in Tel Aviv.
The researchers chose Jewish children in both countries to limit genetic differences between comparison groups.
Peanut allergies showed up in 0.17 percent of the Israeli children and 1.85 percent of the British children, an 11-fold difference in risk. Even after the researchers accounted for age differences between the groups, and for the prevalence of other food allergies and allergic reactions such as rashes or asthma, the British kids were still nearly six times as likely to have a peanut allergy. Among primary school children the risk was nearly 10-fold.
To assess what "first foods" are given to babies in England versus in Israel, the researchers gave questionnaires to mothers visiting clinics with children ages 4 months to 24 months--distributing 99 surveys to Israelis and 77 to Britons. These surveys detailed when the babies first received cow's milk, peanuts, other nuts and eggs.
The results revealed that early peanut consumption was more common in Israel. At 9 months of age, 69 per-cent of Israeli babies had started eating some form of peanuts, whereas only 10 percent of children in Britain had. There was little difference in the age at which other foods were introduced.
"I think there is enough here--even from trying to compare these two different populations--to suggest that peanut avoidance practices in most of the industrialized societies now need to be reexamined," says Wesley Burks, an immunologist and pediatric allergist at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Peanut allergy in kids has grown in recent decades in Europe, Australia and the United States, where fear has discouraged peanut butter as an early food, the authors note. The average age of onset of the allergy has also decreased in the United States.
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended withholding peanut products until a child reaches 3 years of age. But earlier this year, based on mixed results in ongoing studies, the Academy rescinded that recommendation and reverted to its standard recommendation for introducing non-breast-milk foods--wait until only 4 months to 6 months.
Nonetheless, warnings remain in place in Britain and Australia.
Meanwhile, infants commonly consume peanut products in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. In all those places, peanut allergy is rare, the authors note.
In 2007, the researchers started recruiting families to participate in a long-term study. Researchers have signed up 640 children under age 11 months, some of whom will be randomly assigned to eat peanut products. When the children reach age 3, the scientists will assess who has developed a peanut allergy. Results are expected by 2014.
Though the cause of peanut allergy remains unknown, it's widely accepted that genetic predisposition plays a part. But genes wouldn't account for the recent increase in allergies since genetics don't change that rapidly, Wood says.
A 2003 study by Lack and his team led to one theory unrelated to genes. The team found that preschool children who were allergic to peanuts were much more likely as infants to have been treated with skin lotion containing peanut oil than were children who didn't have the allergy.
The researchers hypothesized that exposure to peanut protein through the skin laid the foundation for an aberrant immune reaction that resulted in allergy. Researchers continue to investigate this possibility.
Risk of food allergies
Kids in the United Kingdom are 5.8 times
more likely to have peanut allergies than
kids are in Israel.
Relative risk (U.K./Israel)
Peanut 5.8
Sesame 2.7
Hen's egg 1.8
Cow's milk 1.3
Note: Table made from bar graph.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Average age of peanut
allergy onset in U.S.
babies born before 2000 24 months
Average age
in babies born
after 2000 18 months
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So hows everyone travelling??? any new exciting foods that your bubba's have had????
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Ne new exciting foods here. We have all had gastro this week so have had to hold off the solids for a little while, all of us!!
For anyone who is interested, I picked up a book on BLS from the Australian Breastfeeding Association a while back which clearly defines BLS and the "rules"(guidelines!
I am getting so sick of cleaning up Jett's high chair!! It is a Steelcraft Hi-lo chair and he struggles reaching the tray well which means the messiness is even more messy as he has to move his arms in an awkward fashion to get the food successfully to his mouth (after first getting it everywhere else as he brushes past!). And there are just way to many grooves for food to hide in!! I have taken to putting him in his Bumbo seat with tray for the ease of clean-up! We have bought a couple of the Ikea high-chairs, one for DH's work and one for Mums place. Jett loves them, he sits well, can reach the tray really well and the best bit is that there is no where for the food to hide!! I think I am going to ditch the one at home and get another Ikea one!! Who would have thought the cheapest highchair on the market is actually the best!! For when we are out and about I have a portable chair that clips to the edge of the table which Jett LOVES!! He gets to sit up at the table with everyone else and because the table is his tray he really feels part of mealtimes. I borrowed the high-chair we have from SIL, so I daresay she will be getting it back much sooner than originally thought. What seating arrangements does everyone else have for their bub?
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we have a wooden high chair that MJ sits in, it has a tray and so she is sitting at the same height as us at the table.
Mum has an IKEA one and it far better for cleaning etc.
I think that when we have #2 we will get an IKEA one and use the wooden one as a progression one, after they are eating fairly well and dont need the tray, as it fits under the table well with no tray.
The mess is insane and i have ruined the wooden tray with the frequent scrubbing!!!
i agree totally the cheaper in this case is by far the better, and MJ's seated position is much better in it too.
The only place i find extra bits of food is MJ crutch!!!
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Yep! I hear you on that one!!
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or Ashtons nappy... nothing like discovering that he didn't eat all his toast and that there is a finger stuffed in there haha
I have just a cheap mothers choice one. Only cost me $70 and I am glad I got it, it's soooooooooo easy to clean! Used my friends hi lo one when I was in Launceston and OMG it was such a pain to clean!
Nothing new here, did buy lots of new vegies yesterday though so he can try them
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Aww, you spoiled his fun!! He was saving that for later!! Unless he of course has a complex and was trying to make his *ahem* package look bigger!!
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I bought a chair thing that hooks on to one of our kitchen chairs when Aldi had a baby sale (not that they were selling babies....). Its a cute Disney themed one and it reclines in a few different positions and a clip on tray- its GREAT. I mention it because I see Aldi is currently selling them again if anyone is looking for a convenient chair, go buy!
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