GRAND Magazine - January/February 2018 - 25

Bless you!

As your GRANDbaby progresses through the first year of life, tries new foods, and
is exposed to more of the world, there's a chance he or she may develop allergies.

ou've seen reactions to allergies before - from watery
eyes, runny noses and sneezes to rashes and hives to
cramps and stomach upsets. Those problems are rather common and manageable.
A more severe reaction -- an anaphylactic response - where the tongue swells
or the throat closes, is more serious and
fortunately, much more rare.
Whether your new GRANDbaby develops allergies or not depends mainly on
genetics. Children whose parents don't
have allergies have about a 12% chance
of being allergic themselves. With one
allergic parent, the likelihood is 30-50%,
and if both parents have allergies, the
chances are 60-80% the baby will too.
Allergies typically come from
food, dust, mold, pollen, insect bites,
pet dander, medication or latex.
Research has shown that about 80%
of all food allergies are caused by
a small group of foods: milk, eggs,
fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts
(almonds, walnuts, pecans), wheat
and soybeans. In children under
age 1, the most common allergies
come from milk and eggs.
Medical experts have changed their
recommendations about the best ways to

25 GRAND

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2018

lower the chances of developing sensitivity to some common
allergens. The advice used to be to try to avoid exposure completely. The recommendation is now is to be aware of
the family history, proceed carefully, and, with some
substances - for example, peanuts and pet dander
- expose children gradually, beginning at an early
age, even as infants.
The shift is particularly dramatic when it comes
to peanut allergies. For years parents dutifully
followed the previous advice to avoid peanuts and peanut products for the first three
years. But what happened was a significant
upswing in peanut allergies. To resolve
the confusion and disagreement about
what course of action to recommend,
The National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases sponsored a conference involving the American Academy
of Pediatrics, the American Academy
of Family Physicians, and the
American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology. They
agreed that exposing children to
peanut products (not actual peanuts, because they pose a choking
risk) at an early age (around 6
months) could actually lower
the risk of a peanut allergy.

Speaking of sneezing...while allergies are no laughing
matter, check out this video of these cuties.

They agreed that exposing children
to peanut products (not actual
peanuts, because they pose a
choking risk) at an early age (around
6 months) could actually lower the
risk of a peanut allergy.
Cheryl Harbour is the
special editor of the "My
GRANDbaby" section
and author of Good to Be
Grand: Making the Most
of your Grandchild's First
Year, a combination of upto-date information and
grandparently inspiration.

https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942952325/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1942952325&linkId=915fc1f0f3179643549eae0fd53fe068 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942952325/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1942952325&linkId=915fc1f0f3179643549eae0fd53fe068 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942952325/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1942952325&linkId=915fc1f0f3179643549eae0fd53fe068 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942952325/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1942952325&linkId=915fc1f0f3179643549eae0fd53fe068 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1942952325/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=grandmagazi0d-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1942952325&linkId=915fc1f0f3179643549eae0fd53fe068

GRAND Magazine - January/February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January/February 2018