Special Food Needs
My baby can’t tolerate cow’s milk – is it OK to give soya milk?
There are concerns about the presence of phytoestrogens in soya formula and that these could have an adverse affect on a baby’s hormonal development. Research on animals has shown that large amounts of phytoestrogens affect the development of their reproductive organs and fertility but there is no evidence that this applies to humans. However as babies weigh so little and drink so much milk, the Foods Standards Agency advice is that until a full review soya formula should only be given to babies under 12 months in exceptional circumstances.
My baby suffers from eczema – does she need a special diet?
Infant eczema is pretty common but many children grow out of it. Oily fish like salmon can help with the inflammatory aspects of eczema. You may find that some acidic foods like oranges or tomatoes can irritate eczema, The cow’s milk protein in your baby’s formula can trigger eczema so speak to your GP or health visitor to see if you would be better off using a different formula. You may also need to limit dairy foods so use sunflower oil or olive oil instead of butter. And bad news, chocolate can also aggravate eczema.
My baby was born at 34 weeks; do I need to wait until she is 6 months to wean her?
Babies born before 37 weeks are considered preterm and have a greater need for certain nutrients like iron and zinc because these start to be stored in your baby’s body in the last month’s of pregnancy. A lot of preterm babies will be ready for solids before 6 months. Preterm babies tend to be in a state of catch up, so its important to give nutrient dense foods like avocado, cheese, potato, meat quite early on.
For my allergy free recipes, please visit www.annabelkarmel.com
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- For recipes and feeding advice, please visit www.annabelkarmel.com.
