How to Reduce Your Child's Risk of Developing Allergies from Birth to Adulthood

My husband has suffered with severe allergies for most of his life especially into adulthood. He is sensitive to so many things, but his main allergies are to cat dander, shrubs, grass, and even perfume. We have managed to control his allergies naturally for the most part. However, now that we have children of our own we have taken extra steps to reduce their risk of developing allergies. It is essential to implement these things as soon possible. If you do your child will either have no allergies or very minimal allergies.

1). Start in the womb. During your pregnancy you can help your child by eating a well balanced diet and not eating just one particular food. Try to cut out or only eat very small portions of foods that tend to trigger allergies such as, cows milk, nuts, shell fish, soy, wheat, and eggs. Drink plenty of purified water, and take your prenatal vitamins.

2). Breastfeed. I can't stress enough how important breastfeeding is. As a breastfeeding mother myself I know that it does come with challenges especially at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's a breeze. Breast milk is truly the best gift you can give your baby. One precious drop of your milk contains over one million live white blood cells, in addition to antibodies, flora, and other essential nutrients. Breast milk is actually a living fluid, and giving your baby your milk is one of the best things you can do to help prevent allergies in the future. In fact the longer you breastfeed the better! For more information about breastfeeding and healthy living check out my web site at: http://www.organicliving4you.com/Breastfeeding.html

3). Don't smoke and avoid allowing your child to be around others who smoke. Second hand smoke is actually more deadly than first hand smoke because it goes directly into the bloodstream for those who don't smoke. Even if you smoke outdoors it can still leach into the house. You then carry the smoke with you on your skin, hair and clothing. You may not notice it but smoke can follow you every where.

4). Avoid giving your child solid foods too early. Wait at least 6 months or longer before giving your child solid foods, and even then start out slowly. The digestive system typically isn't mature until after 6 months of age. Be sure to take it slow by only giving your child one particular food at a time. For instance I started my son on cereal at 6 months of age, and I only gave him small amounts each day very gradually for one week to see if he had any reactions to it. I then started implementing other baby foods like peas, and green beans one week at a time very slowly. The recommendation is to only give your child one type of food at a time on a daily basis rather than switching the foods each day. This is how you know if your child will develop a reaction.

5). Postpone daycare. Children who are in daycare tend to get sick more often with more colds, stomach flu's and other respiratory infections. Try to avoid putting your child in daycare as long as possible.

6). Healthy Diet- Feed your child a healthy diet with foods that contain plenty of immune boosting vitamins like vitamin C. A daily supplement of children's fish oil and probiotics can also help.

7). Don't overly disinfect- Your child needs to be able to play in the dirt and get exposed to things in order to build up their immune system. Its good to have a clean home but don't try to make it a sterile environment.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Consult your doctor or health care provider before starting anything new.

Sources

http://www.acaai.org/public/advice/chldrn.htm

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/asthma.cfm

http://parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tphealth/0,,7h0l,00.html