Babies, children and adults can all have allergies
August 4, 2011 by admin
Filed under Baby Health
When I was a child hardly anyone even doctors ever thought of allergies, nowadays, times have changed and we live in a world in which we have a greater empathy for those suffering from allergic reactions.
When I was young I suffered from a series of skin allergies. The first to become apparent was an allergy to first aid sticking plasters (band aids as Americans call them) there wasn’t the range of so called hypoallergenic plasters available. As a consequence every time I cut my self my mother would wrap huge amounts of bandages around my cuts. As a rough and tumble boy and the youngest of 6 children my mother was always busy nursing my cuts and bruises. Fortunately all my brothers and sisters knew that I was allergic to them, however, once I started school the teachers and school nurse would not accept that I could have an allergic reaction to plasters. Every time I cut my self and the teacher or nurse would do what they thought right and seemingly a naughty child ripped it off within minutes. That child was of course my self. School would telephone my mother and tell her the story and my mum would promptly turn round and tell them I wasn’t being naughty I was allergic to plasters. They never did believe my mum and certainly not me the poorly child! Sometimes she would have to come in and take me home if I was badly cut. How quickly would I react to a plaster? Well after less than 5 minutes I would have a rash under and around the plaster, if school could force it to stay on half an hour the rash would be half way along my leg or arm, after an hour it would be the whole length of the limb.
I also became allergic to the metal backing plate on my first ever watch when I was a child. Bought from an offer on the Weetabix box’s and with 6 months of pocket money saved up to buy it. I wasn’t best pleased, nor were my parents! I couldn’t wear the watch without some form of protection on the back to prevent skin contact.
Later on as a teenager working on my motorbikes or my dads car I found I was allergic to Swarfega hand cleaner, thankfully washing up liquid with a dose of sugar sprinkled would enable me to get my hands clean without any reaction it is still a method I use today – why change something found to work for the last 30 years!
Another allergy that started to show with products changing over the years has been to washing powder, best make sure of the one used and that it is well rinsed out afterwards if it isn’t really well rinsed then it will become irritable if I get very hot.
Possibly the most unusual skin allergy I discovered in my twenties. Living at my parents house they retired to in the mountains of Wales what could I possibly be allergic to? Not only that but it was only in winter not in summer? No prizes for any readers guessing, I was allergic to a particular type of tree! Or more precisely the sap of a particular type of tree, because the tree sap is chemically quite different in winter than summer, even in coniferous trees. Our fields were surrounded by forestry commission land and in winter storms some would fall in to our fields. Out with the chain saw and safety gear and in to the wood store they would go. One of the local farmers that was also a foreman for the forestry commission laughed and kindly told me exactly what type of tree was causing the problem, it would seem it is quite common in forest workers. He was definitely right when he said it would be in winter or summer not both. Someone not in the medical profession with very practical experience of allergies, I am really glad I went to his farm that day to pick up extra food supplements for the sheep in our fields. A fortnight later and I was free of the discomfort caused by my allergy to the trees, now I am more careful with any ‘green’ wood I cut up. Life is like that you can learn from your own experiences and those of others as long as you have an open mind and are prepared to listen and learn.
The only food that never agreed with me growing up was prawns/shrimps and they can be a little dodgy to eat for anyone. As they always made me sick I haven’t eaten them for over 40 years until recently. I knowingly ate them from the soup and the fried rice from a local Chinese takeaway, well I’m not working at the moment so I could try them and if they made me ill it wouldn’t matter in terms of my work. I was very pleased to find that I was not ill at all.
Now in my forties, my local doctors and staff in the health services are far more aware of allergies to different items and food stuffs, some are obviously known for being potentially lethal hence we have warnings on our foods in shops and restaurants. Fortunately as an adult I have been far less likely to cut or injure my self and having worked as a medical engineer you really do take extra care, not because of worries of reactions to plasters, there are now ranges on offer that I do not react to but for reasons of being infected by anything that might be contaminated.
In modern times medical staff are far more aware of allergic reactions to foods and materials used in items of clothing, washing powders and the like. Babies, particularly premature babies in NICU and SCBU care in hospitals are far less tolerant to environmental changes such as heat, cold, humidity. Because of their diminutive size and proportionately high surface area of skin contact area to their relative body mass it is as important with such babies to become very quickly aware of any skin allergies that they may have as it is to become aware of any food allergies they may show at later stages in their development.
If whilst in hospital care or even once at home and the baby begins to show any signs allergic reaction then as responsible parents we should all act accordingly and as swiftly as possible to determine and remove the cause.
Even as your child grows and through to adulthood they may still display various allergies to metals, clothing, animal fibres or foods hopefully by that time they will be strong enough and experienced enough to be able to act accordingly and let friends and family know and be prepared for some of the most dangerous allergies. As someone who suffered from the discomfort of some basic skin allergies whilst growing up I am thankful of the responsible approach that my parents adopted. Whilst frustrated at the lack of empathy and understanding of various adults in my early life I fully appreciate the greater understanding health care professionals have on such issues in the 21st century. If the medics didn’t listen, study and learn from patients experience in the past our health care might never improve in the future. As responsible adults and as parents we must all help the professionals as they try and help us, their patients. For those that are the most weak and vulnerable such as premature and poorly babies all the way through to our most senior citizens any person may show allergic reactions to items they have never been in contact with previously in their life or even develop an allergy as they get older such as ‘hay fever’.
Don’t be blasé and simply shrug your shoulders, do something to help the people in the ‘now’ and for fellow suffers in the future.
Andrew Edmondson
Twenty five years experience as a engineer in various roles and still learning!
The practical joker husband of Sue of the founder and former owner of Prem2Pram the online premature baby store http://www.prem2pram.co.uk
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Babies, children and adults can all have allergies
A Guide on How and What to Feed Babies
August 4, 2011 by admin
Filed under Baby Feeding
A Guide on How and What to Feed Babies
Introduction
There are a lot of very different kinds of advice on how to feed a baby and on what foods should a baby eat. Generally speaking, feeding a baby ought to be taken seriously, but not too seriously. This means that every parent should be aware of the fact that their baby is special and unique and that not all babies should be fed and treated the same way. Instead of this, every parent will have to try to discover as much as they can about their baby, to see what the baby likes and does not like, what the baby’s habits are and so on. By doing this, a parent is not only connecting to the baby, but also getting to know the baby in the best way possible. The parents who have the time to really meet their babies always turn out to be the best parents, because their parenting job becomes much less difficult and much more interesting.
How to Feed Babies Solid Foods
Nowadays, many parents are having problems with not knowing how to introduce solid foods and make their babies like it. The main problem with this is making the baby accept a new type of food, and the solution is to offer new solid foods to the baby gradually and one by one. When the baby starts eating vegetables, the transition from vegetables to fruit will be fairly easy, due to the fact that fruits are more appealing. Also, it is important not to force a baby to eat and the best thing to do is to offer new foods every day at the same time. This way, a baby will develop a need for new and exciting things that it can try out.
What Solid Foods to Use in Feeding Babies
Generally speaking, every parent can make their own list of solid foods that they want to feed their baby. The main thing to remember is to avoid the foods that should be avoided, to peel all fruits and vegetables and to cook them before serving them to the baby. Besides this, there are no other strict rules that need to be followed. Rather than following rules and recipes to the letter, parents are advised to experiment with the foods and be creative. This will be beneficial for both the parents and the babies. In addition to this, it is important to remember that a baby can sometimes refuse a type of food one day and than love the same the following day. Therefore, any foods should be offered to the baby on several occasions.
Introducing Solid Foods – Allergies
There is a lot of information and a lot of talk about allergies that can occur when parents begin introducing solid foods. The best thing to do is to introduce new foods carefully and to watch for any reactions. Any new food should be given separately from the others, and parents should wait for four days before offering the same type of food for the second time. If there is no reaction the second time a baby eats the food, there is no fear of an allergy developing.
Nemanja Boskov is an ambitious writer who has been writing articles on a great number of different topics for a very long time. If you need an article for your personal project or your website, please contact Nemanja at nemanjaboskov@gmail.com
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A Guide on How and What to Feed Babies
Weaning Breastfed Babies – Foods to Avoid on the 6th Month of Life
March 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under Baby Health
Whether you like it or not, your baby is eventually meant to wean. Breastfeeding may have given him the time of his life – literally, since breast milk has given him life for the past 6 months. It has given him the ability to ward off sickness and infections almost easily. But the time comes when weaning is not an option anymore but a necessity, especially if he reaches his half year without any hitches.
Most babies can eat anything. But there are some foods which should definitely be avoided, especially if you or your partner (or the baby’s dad) has a “rich” family history of allergies and respiratory problems. Unfortunately for baby, allergies can be inherited and may be attributed to a lineage of itches and sniffles.
Here then, is a compiled list of foods that your baby should definitely avoid in his first 12 months of life:
- Honey, corn and maple syrup. These may contain bacterial spores which may lead to infant botulism – a very rare but extremely debilitating disease that attacks the body’s defenses, leaving a baby paralyzed from the neck down, sometimes even leading to infant death. The disease is so serious that it is highly recommended not to give your baby these products until he reaches 1 year of age.
- Nuts. Whole nuts should always be avoided for two specific reasons: one, babies may develop allergies to it (especially peanuts), and two, it may become a choking hazard, especially since babies are just starting to develop teeth and can’t really chew too hard substances yet.
- Cow’s milk. At about 9 months, babies can be given small amounts of dairy products, but never cow’s milk, especially skimmed and low-fat milk products. Your baby needs fat to grow some muscle and helps stimulate brain development, and skimmed milk loses most of baby’s needed nutrients in the processing stage, especially calories which babies need for him to grow better. Also, these supply too much potassium, milk protein (which most babies find difficult to digest and absorb), and sodium – something your baby needs for proper nutrition. Cow’s milk lacks the necessary vitamin E, iron and essential fatty acids. It can even give your baby a tummy ache or too much gas.
The list ends here but there are a lot of foods that should be avoided before he reaches the first year. It will be up to you and (sometimes) your doctor to have a keen eye in observing and preparing what you think may be right for your child.
When to stop breastfeeding? Click on the link for more info.
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