There is much that a parent can do in the first two to three years of a child’s life to help prevent allergic disease or sensitivity developing later in life, or to minimise its effects. Care taken in early childhood can improve your child’s chance of not developing sensitivity, and help his or her resilience if they once become sensitised to something.
Statistically, a child with one or both parents with a history of sensitivity or allergy is much more likely to develop the tendency – called ‘atopy’. Babies can be born with allergies and intolerance; they can be sensitised already in the womb, particularly to foods. Preconceptual care and care in pregnancy can sometimes prevent or minimise this and are worth finding out about if you have the opportunity.
There are also ways of feeding and weaning babies that give them the best possible chance of not developing food sensitivity. It can be hard work sometimes, but it is much less hard (and much less distressing) than the work involved in caring for a baby or child with severe eczema, asthma, colic or other symptoms. If there is a history of food sensitivity in either parent, or in an older brother or sister of the baby, special care taken when feeding and weaning is valuable, especially in the first two years of a baby’s life when you have much more control, and you can establish eating patterns for the future.
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