Feeling smart yet? You should be. 😉

We’re wrapping up our food allergy series with today’s article. In it, we’ll lay out 5 steps you can take to recognize, diagnose, and manage your baby’s food allergies or sensitivities.

5 Steps to Recognizing and Handling Your Baby’s Food Allergies and Sensitivities

1. Introduce new foods one at a time, and watch for warning signs.

It’s best to introduce new foods to your baby one at a time, and to wait a few days between foods. This way, if your baby does have a bad reaction to a particular food, it’ll be much easier for you to sort out which food is causing problems.

Warning signs to watch for include:

• Skin issues (rash, hives, itchiness)
• Breathing issues (swelling of tongue and airways, wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing)
• Stomach issues (gas, bloating, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for those hard-to-spot symptoms, too:

• Lethargy and exhaustion
• Sleeplessness
• “Brain Fog” and trouble concentrating
• Frequent illness (as a result of suppressed immunity)
• Irritability

It can be a good idea to write down your observations, especially if you suspect that your baby may have a food allergy or sensitivity. If you keep a written record, it’ll be easier for you to share important information with a healthcare provider, and it’ll ensure that you don’t leave out or forget any pertinent facts.

2. If you suspect a food allergy or sensitivity, confirm your suspicions.

If you see a few warning signs and begin to suspect that your little one may have a food allergy or sensitivity, then take appropriate steps:

• Try an elimination diet. Remember, an elimination diet allows you to carefully test how your baby responds when you remove a certain food from her diet and then reintroduce it later. An elimination diet is a great diagnostic tool to use if your baby’s symptoms aren’t acute and life-threatening. Remember to consult your healthcare provider before trying an elimination diet at home.
• Seek medical help if necessary. If your baby’s symptoms are acute and serious, skip the elimination diet and seek medical attention right away. A healthcare provider will be able to perform a variety of tests (including skin prick and blood tests) to give you a diagnosis.

3. Notify all childcare providers.

Once you have confirmation of your baby’s food allergy or sensitivity, be sure to let your childcare providers know. This includes anyone who takes care of your baby. It’s important that the people who will be feeding and supervising your little one know exactly what he can and can’t eat.

If your baby’s food allergy is acute and serious, communicate that to childcare providers. And don’t be afraid to insist on special accommodations being made for your baby. Today, most daycare centers and schools have procedures in place to accommodate severe allergies.

4. Research your options.

Just a decade ago, there were so few food alternatives for people with food allergies and sensitivities. Today, that’s definitely not the case! There are a variety of alternatives to milk, and even a few for eggs! And there are a number of nut, wheat, and gluten alternatives, too. Research your options and adjust your grocery shopping accordingly.

5. Consider re-introducing foods after a while (with a healthcare provider’s approval)

With the exception of peanut and tree nut allergies (those tend to be life-long), most children tend to outgrow their food allergies and sensitivities. Many outgrow them by age 5; almost all outgrow them by age 10. For this reason, doctors recommend re-introducing allergenic foods after some time has passed. There’s even some research indicating that feeding your child very small amounts of a food they’re allergic to may help them outgrow their allergy faster.

Of course, you should never re-introduce foods without the approval of your child’s healthcare provider. This is especially true if your baby’s allergy is acute and serious; even a tiny amount of the trigger food could cause a life-threatening reaction.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Does your baby have a food allergy or sensitivity? What steps have you taken to diagnose and manage it?

The post 5 Steps To Recognizing and Handling Your Baby’s Food Allergies and Sensitivities appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Welcome again to our article series on food allergies! We’ve covered a lot of ground up to this point. We’ve examined the differences between food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances. We’ve also looked at the symptoms of each, as well as how to get a diagnosis. If you haven’t read those articles yet, be sure to go back and take a look.

Today’s article is part 2 of our Common Childhood Food Allergies article. In part 1, learned more about dairy and egg allergies; today, we’ll examine nut, wheat, and soy allergies in more detail.

NOTE: If you believe your child has a nut, wheat or soy food allergy, intolerance or sensitivity, please consult with your child’s doctor for further testing and information.

Peanut and Tree Nut Allergies & Sensitivities

If your baby has a nut allergy, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Nut allergies are usually divided into two categories: peanut and tree nut. Tree nuts include macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, beechnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, and pine nuts. And peanuts are actually legumes; they aren’t nuts at all!
• Tree nut allergies are less common than peanut allergies, but they can be just as severe.
• Children who are allergic to peanuts are more likely to be allergic to tree nuts as well (and vice versa.)
• Doctors usually advise patients with peanut and tree nut allergies to stay away from ALL nuts; there’s a high likelihood of cross-contamination at facilities that process nuts since they usually process all nuts on the same equipment.
• Children who have peanut allergies are more likely to have other food allergies, too.
• Peanut allergies in kids are on the rise — the rates of children with peanut allergies tripled between 1997 and 2008.
• Although the old recommendation was to avoid offering peanuts or peanut products to your child until after a year old, there is evidence that suggests that peanuts and peanut products should be introduced between 4 and 11 months old UNLESS your infant has an early-onset atopic disease, such as severe eczema, or egg allergy in the first 4 to 6 months. In that case, you may want to have an allergist implement a peanut introduction plan. The AAP now recommends introducing infant-safe forms of peanut earlier. There is also evidence that supports introducing peanuts through breast milk. Be sure to talk to your doctor about the latest recommendation about introducing peanuts and peanut products to your baby.
• Peanut and tree nut allergies are usually severe and acute, and they cause anaphylaxis more often than other food allergies. If your toddler has a nut allergy, you should carry an Epi pen with you at all times.

Wheat Allergies & Sensitivities

If your baby has a wheat allergy or sensitivity, remember the following:

• Wheat and gluten allergies are often considered interchangeable, but they’re not the same thing. If your baby’s allergic or sensitive to gluten, the problem is the combination of protein fragments found in grains like wheat, rye, oats, and barley. If he’s allergic to wheat, then the problem is just with the wheat protein.
• A gluten allergy is called Celiac disease. Celiac is a chronic, life-long condition; those who have it will never outgrow their allergy to gluten and will need to be on a super strict NO GLUTEN diet for the rest of their lives to stay healthy.
• Some babies and toddlers may have acute and severe wheat allergies; others may have wheat sensitivities that cause chronic, less severe symptoms.
• Many, many foods contain wheat; this makes it difficult to know which foods are safe and which to avoid. Use this list to help you make food choices for your baby, and read labels carefully.

Soy Allergies & Sensitivities

If your baby has a soy allergy or sensitivity, consider these points:

• True soy allergies are relatively rare. Soy sensitivity is much more common; it causes mild, chronic symptoms that aren’t life-threatening or severe.
• Soybeans aren’t a major staple in the average American’s diet, but soy is used as an ingredient in a huge variety of foods. As you make food choices for your baby, remember to read labels carefully.
• Most parents first detect their babies’ soy sensitivities when the babies react to soy-based infant formula.
• Soy milk and cheeses are commonly offered as an alternative to children with dairy allergies; this can be complicated if the child also has a soy allergy.

Outgrowing Peanut, Tree Nut, Wheat, and Soy Allergies & Sensitivities

Most children outgrow their wheat and soy allergies before adulthood. Many outgrow them before starting kindergarten; almost all have outgrown them by 10 years old.

Peanut and tree nut allergies are a different story, however. These are usually considered lifelong allergies, since only 20% of children outgrow their peanut and tree nut allergies.

Peanut, Tree Nut, and Wheat Substitutes

Peanut, tree nut, and soy allergies might not present huge challenges when you’re cooking, but a wheat allergy?! That’s a tough one to work around. Thankfully, food allergy sufferers have more substitution options than ever before.

Peanut and Tree Nut Substitutions

Wheat Substitutions

*Remember, soy is itself an allergen; if your baby also has a soy allergy, don’t use these as substitutes.

For extensive information on cooking for babies and toddlers with food allergies, visit the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation website.

My Baby Has Food Allergies/Sensitivities: How Do I Handle Them?

We’re glad you asked? That’s the topic of the last post in our Food Allergies & Sensitivities series:

Part Five: Handling Your Baby’s Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Is your baby allergic to nuts, wheat, or soy? If so, how did you find out? What were your baby’s symptoms? What substitutions do you use in your kitchen?

References:
https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749%2815%2900785-X/full
https://www.aappublications.org/news/2019/03/18/atopy031819
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2673956
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/Supplement_4/S234.2

The post Common Childhood Food Allergies: Nut, Wheat, and Soy Allergies appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Welcome back to our food allergy series! We’ve covered a lot of ground up to this point. We’ve examined the differences between food allergies, food sensitivities, and food intolerances. We’ve also looked at the symptoms of each, as well as how to get a diagnosis. If you haven’t read those articles yet, be sure to go back and take a look.

Over the course of the next 2 articles, we’ll be learning about the 5 most common childhood food allergies: dairy, egg, wheat, nut, and soy allergies. In this article, we’ll look specifically at dairy and egg allergies.

NOTE: If you believe your child might have a dairy or egg allergy, intolerance or sensitivity, please consult with your child’s doctor for further testing and information.

Dairy Allergies & Sensitivities

If your baby has a dairy allergy or sensitivity, here are a few things to remember:

• Dairy is the most common allergy among babies and toddlers in the U.S., affecting about 2.5% of children under age 5.
• The vast majority of children with “dairy issues” have dairy sensitivities as opposed to true dairy allergies. These babies and toddler usually experience symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. You may also notice other symptoms, like eczema and skin rashes, suppressed immunity, lethargy, and irritability.
• Occasionally, a baby or toddler will have a true dairy allergy. Symptoms can include wheezing and shortness of breath, or full-blown anaphylaxis. It’s rare, however, for dairy products to cause such severe reactions.
• Dairy allergies range in their severity. Some children can’t tolerate any dairy products at all; others can’t drink milk but can eat foods that have been prepared with dairy products (like baked goods, sauces, etc.) Babies and toddlers with less severe dairy allergies may be able to handle dairy products that have been cooked or baked.
• It can be hard to distinguish between true dairy allergies and sensitivities, and dairy intolerance (otherwise known as lactose intolerance.) However, lactose intolerance is quite rare in babies and toddlers (although it’s very, very common among adults.) If you’re unsure as to whether your baby’s reactions to dairy are due to a sensitivity or not, consider visiting your healthcare provider for more insight.

Egg Allergies & Sensitivities

If your baby has an egg allergy, keep the following points in mind:

• Egg allergies are one of the most common childhood allergies in the U.S. Egg allergies typically involve skin reactions, like eczema and rashes/hives. Occasionally, egg allergies can produce vomiting and (rarely) anaphylaxis.
• An egg allergy isn’t always an allergy to the whole egg. Some babies may be allergic to egg whites, while other are allergic to egg yolks. However, if you know that your baby is allergic to one and not the other, doctors still don’t recommend that you feed your baby the “non-allergic” part of the egg (for example, feeding your baby yolks if he’s allergic to whites.) Doctors advise this because it’s impossible to completely separate egg yolks from egg whites.
• Egg allergies vary in intensity from one baby to the next. Some babies will be extremely sensitive to eggs; others will be able to tolerate some foods that contain traces of eggs (for example, cookies or breads baked with eggs.)
• If your baby has an egg allergy, strive to read food labels carefully. Eggs are hidden in a surprising number of foods, from canned soups to salad dressings to pre-packaged meatballs. Remember, too, that egg substitutes (like Egg Beaters®) contain egg proteins and aren’t safe for babies with egg allergies.
• Talk to your doctor about whether or not your baby should have a flu shot. Flu shots are prepared using egg-based ingredients, and they can pose a problem for babies and toddlers who are severely allergic to eggs.

Outgrowing Dairy and Egg Allergies

Here’s some good news: the majority of babies and toddlers with milk or egg allergies will outgrow them. The numbers vary, but statistics indicate that a large percentage of children have outgrown their allergies by the time they reach kindergarten, and virtually all have outgrown them by the time they’re 10 years old.

Experts are noticing, however, that children are outgrowing their allergies more slowly than they did in the past. This, coupled with the fact that more and more children are being diagnosed with food allergies each year, have doctors concerned, and reveal the need for more research into the question of what exactly causes food allergies.

Dairy and Egg Substitutions

If your baby has a dairy or egg allergy, you know first-hand that cooking for your little one can become a real challenge! Not to worry, though; today, children with food allergies have far more options than they did in the past.

DAIRY SUBSTITUTIONS

EGG REPLACEMENTS**

*Some dairy substitutes contain soy. Soy is also a common allergen, so if your child has both a dairy and a soy allergy, be sure to avoid all soy dairy substitutes.

**Products that are labeled as “egg substitutes”, such as Egg Beaters®, contain egg ingredients and aren’t safe to use for children with egg allergies.

For extensive information on cooking for babies and toddlers with food allergies, visit the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation website.

What About Other Types of Allergies?

Dairy and egg allergies are common, but so are other types of food allergies. We’ll be examining other common allergens in our next post, along with 5 tips to handling your baby’s food allergies and sensitivities:

Part Four: Wheat, Nut, & Soy Allergies

Part Five: Handling Your Baby’s Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Does your baby suffer from a dairy or egg allergy? What are your baby’s symptoms? How have you modified your cooking? Share your tips!

The post Common Childhood Food Allergies: Dairy and Egg Allergies appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

What should you do if your baby flat-out refuses to eat solid food?

Baby Refusing Solids? Don’t Panic!

First, don’t worry — just because your baby hates solids right now definitely doesn’t mean he’ll hate them forever! Some babies simply resist all the “newness” that comes with starting solids — new tastes, new textures, etc. After all, up to this point, your baby has known ONE taste, and ONE texture — the taste and texture of breastmilk or formula.

Second, remember that when you first introduce solid foods to your baby, she’s mainly just “practicing” with food. Breastmilk or formula is still her primary source of nutrition, so if she’s totally rejecting the pureed peas you painstakingly prepared, it’s okay. 🙂 She needs breastmilk or formula more than she needs vegetables, at this point!

4 Things to Try If Your Baby Is Refusing Solids

Still, you want your baby to learn to love solids; eventually, that’ll be all he eats! If you find that your baby is resisting solids in a big way, try putting one of these four tips into practice:

1. Try different foods. Does she hate rice cereal? Try applesauce! Does he despise peas? Try avocado! When you try a variety of foods, you’re more likely to find something he’ll like. Consider offering him pureed or chopped table food, too (if allergies aren’t a concern) — some moms find that baby will eat if he’s having what everyone else is having.
2. Encourage her to do it herself. If your baby’s old enough (8 or 9 months), encourage her to feed herself. It could be that your baby hates mashed bananas on a spoon but adores tiny piece of banana that she feeds herself. Sometimes, being in control is all it takes for a baby who’s refusing solids to suddenly start eating with gusto.
3. Get creative! Try having someone else feed him. Try feeding him at different times during the day. Try feeding him in different settings — he may refuse to eat in the highchair but will eat just fine while sitting on dad’s lap! It could be that a small change like this prompts him to get interested in eating.
4. Give up (for a few weeks, that is!) If all else fails, don’t be afraid to give up for a few weeks. It’s possible your baby is teething and it’s affecting their appetite for solids. This isn’t a battle to be won, after all, and if your baby senses your frustration (or desperation!) she may be even less inclined to eat. Instead, take a break and try again later. You might be surprised at the difference a few weeks makes!

If you try the strategies above with no success, or if you’re concerned that your baby’s refusal to eat may be a sign of something more serious, consult with a healthcare provider to make sure your baby isn’t suffering from an underlying medical condition.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Is your baby a “solids-hater?” How have you coped? How have you encouraged your little one to eat? Share your tips and tricks below!

The post What To Do If Your Baby Is Refusing Solid Food appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

But can that healthy appetite ever be a problem? Can a baby actually eat too much solid food?

In a word, yes.

Remember, for the first year of life, a baby’s primary source of nutrition should be breastmilk and/or formula. It’s just fine to offer solid foods (starting around 5 or 6 months), but solid foods shouldn’t replace breastmilk or formula as a source of nourishment.

In this article, we’ll explore two signs that you may be feeding your baby too much solid food and two easy ways to fix the problem.

2 Signs You’re Feeding Your Baby Too Much Solid Food

1. Your baby regularly eats more food than is recommended.

   There’s no formula for exactly how much food you should be offering your baby at each meal; rather, its best if you use your baby’s own hunger cues and appetite as a guide.

   But if you find that your baby is routinely eating more than is recommended, you may want to consider offering a bit less food at each sitting. A healthy appetite is a good thing, but not if your baby ends up overeating every day! Check out our Amounts of Solid Food By Age chart to determine appropriate serving sizes for your baby.

2. Your baby regularly drinks less breastmilk or formula than is recommended.

   This is another sign that you may be offering too much solid food. If you find that your baby is regularly nursing less, or taking less formula during feedings, then you’ll want to take a careful look at how much solid food you’re offering.

   Sometimes, babies who fill up on solids don’t have much room left for breastmilk or formula. And since breastmilk and/or formula is a key part of your baby’s nutrition, it’s vital that they drink plenty of it. Our Amounts of Solid Food By Age chart (referenced above) also includes recommended amounts of breastmilk and formula; check that to see if your baby’s getting enough.

Remember, if your baby has a good appetite for solid foods and eats quite a bit, that’s not necessarily a problem; as long as he’s also nursing or formula-feeding well, and taking in the recommended amounts of breastmilk or formula, all is well.

In addition, if you find that your baby isn’t getting the amounts of breastmilk or formula that she needs, it might not be due to her solids intake. If you know that she’s eating normal amounts of solid foods, then you’ll want to think about other reasons that could be causing her to drink less breastmilk or formula (like illness, or teething).

However, if the two signs listed above seem to go hand-in-hand, then you can be pretty certain that you’re feeding your baby more solid food than is good for her, and it’s causing her to take in less breastmilk or formula than she needs.

Too Much Solid Food and Not Enough Breastmilk/Formula? Ways to Solve the Problem

If you suspect your baby’s consuming too much solid food and not enough breastmilk or formula, there are a two simple steps you can take to fix the situation.

1. Offer breastmilk or formula before offering solids.

   This one just makes sense, right? When your baby’s at his hungriest, offer him the breast (or the bottle) before you give him a handful of cheerios or a dish of mashed bananas. That‘ll help ensure that he drinks plenty of breastmilk or formula. It’ll also help take the edge off his appetite for solids.

2. Offer (a little) less solid food.

   Some people suggest stopping solids altogether, and going back to a breastmilk/formula only diet. We generally don’t recommend this strategy, since it’s not a good method for striking a balance between solids and breastmilk or formula.

   Instead, if you suspect you’re offering too much solid food, we recommend cutting back on serving sizes a bit. Simply offer your baby a little less solid food than you normally would. That (in combination with nursing or bottle feeding before you offer solids) should ensure that your baby isn’t eating too much solid food.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Was your baby a big solids eater? How did you strike a balance between solid food and breastmilk/formula? Share your tips below!

The post Are You Feeding Your Baby Too Much Solid Food? appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

That’s right — we’re talking poop today!

Starting Solids? The Poop Changes!

Before you start your baby on solid foods, it’s best to prepare yourself in advance for the fact that starting solids will probably affect your baby’s poop. The poop will smell worse. The poop may be brightly colored. The poop may appear many times a day. Or, the poop may stop coming altogether.

We repeat — the poop changes.

6 Ways Your Baby’s Poop May Change After Starting Solids

1. The poop will smell even worse.

   Now, poop never smells great. There’s a reason you won’t find any poop-scented perfumes on the market! But up until the time you start your baby on solids (and this is especially true if baby has been exclusively breastfeeding), the poop probably didn’t stink to high heaven.

   Once you start your baby on solids, though, that’s going to change. Solid food produces smellier poop, and as your baby eats more and more solid food, the poop will only get stinkier. There’s no way around it. Just plan on doing lots of mouth-breathing during diaper changes. 😉

2. The poop may be colorful.

   Before starting solids, your baby’s poop was probably a consistent yellowish-brown color. Nice and predictable. After starting solids, though, that’ll likely change. Feed your baby plenty of tasty spinach for lunch, and you may very well see green poop at bedtime. Offer a big bowl of yummy steamed carrots for dinner, and you might wake up to a diaper full of bright orange poop the next morning.

   This is nothing to be worried about; brightly-colored poop is normal at this stage. Your baby’s digestive system is still fairly immature and is learning how to process solid foods; as she grows, her poop will change to a more normal color, regardless of what she eats.

3. The poop may get firmer.

   If your baby’s been on formula, this one may not apply. But if your baby’s been breastfeeding up to this point, you may discover that after starting solids, his poop is firmer and more “shaped”. Breastfed babies typically have runny, liquid-y poop; once they start solids, however, it becomes firmer, more like paste.

4. The “poop” may look a lot like undigested food.

   This isn’t an issue when you’re feeding your baby smooth purees, but once you start adding some chopped table food into the mix, look out!

   I remember taking my oldest son, when he was just 9 months old, to a dinner buffet. I loaded up a little plate with all kinds of vegetables and felt so proud when my son gobbled them up. The next morning, however, I was a little shocked — the contents of his diaper looked almost exactly like the contents of his plate the night before. The poop didn’t look like like poop at all — it looked like food!

   Turns out I didn’t need to be worried; again, this is just a sign that my son’s digestive system was figuring out how to handle pieces of table food. Over time, as he ate more and more chopped table food, his poop returned to normal.

5. The poop may start appearing more often.

   By the time you’re ready to start your baby on solid foods, it’s likely that he’s pooping pretty normally (as in once or twice a day). In fact, if he’s being breastfeed exclusively, he may be going a few days in between bowel movements. That’s considered very normal for breastfed babies. And how nice for you, right? Poop-free diapers are so much easier to change. 🙂

   But once you start your baby on solid foods, that may come to an end. For some babies, starting solids means pooping more frequently. We can chalk this up (again) to their immature little digestive systems. As your baby’s systems figure out how to process solid food more efficiently, you’ll find that he returns to more normal amounts of pooping (thank goodness!)

   Note: Diarrhea can be a sign of a food allergy or sensitivity. If you suspect that your baby’s frequent pooping is actually diarrhea, talk to a healthcare provider about possible food allergies and sensitivities.

6. The poop may disappear altogether.

   Some babies poop WAY more after starting solids. Other babies, though, have the opposite problem: constipation. Constipation often occurs when you offer your baby lots of “binding” foods, like bananas and rice.

   For more information on the signs and symptoms of constipation, as well as ways to alleviate constipation naturally, check out our post on “How to Handle Your Baby’s Constipation.”

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

How has your baby’s poop changed since starting solid foods? Share all the smelly details!

The post How Your Baby’s Poop Changes After Starting Solids appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

We can dream, right?

Feeding may be that perfect some of the time, but then life happens.  Your little one gets sick and refuses to eat.  Your baby food maker suddenly breaks.  Baby decides she now hates tomatoes (even though she loved them last week) and throws a big, juicy handful right at your face.

Here’s another “life happens” moment that you may be experiencing right now — teething.  After all, teething seems like a near-constant problem, doesn’t it?  Baby teeth start coming in somewhere between 4-6 months, and most kids have all their baby teeth by age 3.  Sprouting 20 teeth in 2.5 years — no wonder it seems like your baby is always teething!

Physical Symptoms of Teething

Teething has lots of physical effects on your baby.  Teething might be causing her to drool more (which can lead to a rash on her cheeks and neck).  You may notice that she’s fussier than normal, and is trying to chew on her fingers or toys; this is all related to the painful pressure that the teeth are causing as they try to push through her gums.

Teething can also cause your baby to refuse solid food and/or have diarrhea, or even to develop a low-grade fever (although doctors are divided on whether or not teething is actually to blame for those symptoms).  Of course, teething can also impact her attitude, turning your happy little girl into a fussy, cranky mess.

Finally, teething can impact sleep.  Babies who are uncomfortable tend to wake more frequently and sleep less.  So if your little one’s teething, be prepared to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a weepy baby!

How Teething Affects Appetite (for Breastmilk, Formula, and Solids)

Much like illness, teething can have a really negative impact on a baby’s appetite.  Most babies who are teething tend to eat less solid food and take in less breastmilk or formula.  You may notice that your baby isn’t eating his usual amount of food at each meal, or even that he skips entire meals.  You may also find that he turns away from the bottle or the breast before he’s had a full feed, or that he rejects the bottle or breast altogether.

This can be alarming; after all, our babies need to eat!  But in general, this little “hunger strike” isn’t anything to get worried about.  Most babies adjust relatively quickly to the pain of teething (anywhere from a few hours to a few days), so your baby’s appetite will most likely return to normal soon.  In the meantime, just continue offering her solid foods and breastmilk or formula as you normally would.

Sometimes, though, the problem can become more serious.  If your baby goes several days without eating much of anything, or if you suspect that he’s becoming dehydrated (because he’s producing fewer and fewer wet diapers), be sure to contact your baby’s pediatrician.

Easy Ways To Treat Teething At Home

There’s no way to speed up the teething process, unfortunately, or to completely eliminate your baby’s pain.  But there are some easy things you can do to help ease her discomfort; that, in turn, might encourage her to eat and drink a little better.

Try these natural remedies for teething pain:

• Offer a teething ring.  You can pick these up almost anywhere.  the best ones are soft enough to give a little when baby bites down, but firm enough to create pressure on her gums (that pressure counteracts the upward pressure from the teeth below the gums, which can ease the pain a bit.)  Some even include a gel that, when refrigerated, cools to numb the gums.
• Offer food as a teether.  Don’t want to buy a teething ring?  No problem; you can probably make your own teether using things you already have in your kitchen! Try freezing a banana and then handing the whole thing to your baby (just remember to wrap one end in a paper towel or washcloth, so it’s not too cold to hold.)  Celery’s another great all-natural teether; my oldest son always liked chewing on celery stalks straight from the fridge when he was teething.
• Offer a gum massage.  You can massage the swollen parts of your baby’s gums (those’ll be where the teeth come through pretty soon!)  Again, that counter pressure will help relieve her pain a bit.
• DON’T offer topical gels, like Baby Orajel.  In 2011, the FDA issued a safety announcement urging parents to stop using Baby Orajel to relieve teething pain.  Turns out Benzocaine (the active ingredient in Orajel and other products like it) can cause a rare but serious condition called methemoglobinemia.  Check out this article on the FDA’s website for more information.
• Talk to your baby’s doctor about offering pain relieving medication.  Pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen can ease the pain of teething, but check with your baby’s doctor before using them.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

How does teething affect your baby’s eating habits?  What do you do to help ease teething pain for your little one?  Share your stories and tips below!

The post How Teething May Affect Your Baby’s Appetite for Solid Foods appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

Unfortunately, starting solids can also cause a not-so-fun side effect: constipation. We’ve mentioned before that your baby’s poop will most definitely change when he starts solids. Colorful poop, or poop that contains small bits of undigested food, is nothing to worry about.

But days and days of no poop? Or poop that’s hard and dry? That’s cause for concern. In this article, we’ll explore the signs of baby constipation, as well as ways to treat and prevent it.

Signs of Baby Constipation

So how can you know for sure if your baby’s constipated? After all, how many times your baby poops in a day changes as she grows. It’s normal for older babies to go a few days without pooping, so how often your baby poops isn’t always a great way to tell if she’s constipated or not.

Or you may notice that your baby’s grunting and getting red-faced as he tries to poop. Does that mean constipation? Not necessarily. Your baby’s poop is becoming a little more compact now that he’s eating solids, and that grunting and straining can simply be a sign that he’s adjusting.

Here are some better indicators that constipation might be a problem:

• Hard, compact, infrequent stools. If your baby’s pooping only a few times a week, and the poop itself is hard and dry (it may look like small pebbles), then your little one may be suffering from constipation.
• Pain during pooping. Again, some grunting and straining can be normal, but if your babies cries in pain as she poops, that might mean she’s constipated.
• Streaks of blood in or on the poop. Sometimes, the hard, dry poop your baby passes can actually cause small tears on his anus. If you notice any blood in his diapers, it may be because he’s constipated.
• General fussiness and refusal to eat. This isn’t the best indicator (after all, there are about a million causes of “general fussiness”, right?) But if your baby seems cranky and unwilling to eat, AND she has any of the symptoms listed above, it’s likely she’s suffering from constipation.

Treating Baby Constipation

It’s best if you consult with your baby’s doctor about how to treat constipation. This is especially important, since the constipation could be the result of an underlying medical condition, like an illness or a food allergy.

But there are some gentle, natural things you can do at home to try and ease your baby’s constipation:

• Offer more fluid. If you’re breastfeeding, try to nurse a little more; if you’re bottle feeding, offer an extra bottle. You can also offer small amounts of water in your baby’s bottle or cup.
• Offer diluted juice. Some fruit juices, like apple juice and prune juice, are natural laxatives. Start small — offer one or two ounces of diluted fruit juice (fruit juice mixed with water) in your baby’s bottle or cup. If that doesn’t work, gradually offer more. Be careful about offering too much, though — many pediatricians and pediatric dentists warn against offering lots of juice, since it can increase the risk of cavities./li>
• Offer high-fiber “P” foods. Fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, so try working more of those into your baby’s diet. And it just so happens that some of the highest-fiber fruits and veggies start with the letter “P”: pears, peaches, plums, prunes, and peas. You can serve these to your baby alone or mixed into other foods, like cereal.
• Take a break from constipating foods. Some foods are natural laxatives; others are natural “constipators”! And if your baby is already suffering from constipation, you certainly don’t want to feed him anything that’s going to make it worse. See the section below for a complete list of constipating foods.
• Apply some Vaseline. You can apply a small amount of petroleum jelly to your baby’s anus; that may help keep the tissue from tearing when she poops.

*Note: Never use laxatives or other medications without consulting with your baby’s doctor first.

Preventing Baby Constipation

Perhaps the best way to “treat” constipation is to prevent it from happening in the first place 🙂 Use the tips below to help keep constipation at bay:

• Make sure your baby’s getting enough fluids. Dehydration can cause constipation, so make sure that your baby’s getting enough breastmilk or formula. Check her diapers frequently; if she doesn’t seem to have enough wet diapers, offer more breastmilk or formula. You can also offer small amounts of water or diluted juice. See our Types and Amounts of Solid Foods By Age charts for details.
• Offer fiber-rich foods. Fruits and veggies are great for warding off constipation (see the section above for details). Whole grain foods are full of fiber, too, so be sure to offer plenty of those.
• Don’t offer too many constipating foods. Constipating foods include rice cereal, bananas, applesauce, cheese, yogurt, white bread, white pastas, and potatoes. Now, let’s be clear — none of those foods is bad. Rather, think of them as foods that your baby shouldn’t eat too much of, since they can help cause constipation.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

Do you have any tried-and-true tips on treating and preventing baby’s constipation? Share them below!

The post How To Handle Your Baby’s Constipation appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.

If you’ve been following our article series so far, you know the guidelines for when and how to start solid foods with your baby.  And if you’ve put our advice into practice, your baby may now be eating small amounts of solid food.  If that’s the case — congratulations!  We’re hoping your baby loves this newfound way of eating 🙂

But some of you may be shaking your head right now and thinking to yourselves, “Love it?  He HATES it!”  Or your baby may have started showing some strange (or even alarming) physical symptoms now that she’s eating solid foods.  Is this normal?  Is it fixable?  Don’t worry — if your baby isn’t reacting well to solids, we can help you determine what to do next.

Reacting to Solids:  Love Them or Hate Them?

Obviously, every mom hopes her baby enjoys eating solid food and can’t wait to gobble up a little dish of cereal at mealtime!  It makes the introduction to solids so much easier and babies who really enjoy solids early on will typically “learn” how to eat more quickly than babies who prefer to take their time.

A word of caution, though — you may find your baby loves solids too much!  If you find him clamoring to eat cereal off a spoon but refusing to nurse or take formula, try cutting back on solids in order to encourage more nursing or formula-feeding.  You might also want to consider offering breastmilk or formula first (when he’s good and hungry), before you offer solids.  Remember, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that breastmilk or formula be your baby’s primary source of nutrition for the first year.

Of course, plenty of children don’t love solids; in fact, some hate them!  Some moms find their babies refuse solids altogether, clamping their little mouths shut at the mere sight of a spoon, or spitting out every bite of food that enters their mouths.  This makes introducing solids hard, of course.  But there are steps you can take to try and foster a love of solid foods in your little one:

• Try different foods.
• Encourage him to do it himself.
• Give up (for a few weeks, that is!) and try again later.

Reacting to Solids:  The Poop May Change!

Introducing baby to solids often means big changes in her poop.  Feed her pureed carrots for dinner, and she’ll likely have a bright orange poop the next day!  And finger-foods that are rich in fiber (like raisins, or beans) may pass right through her system and look the same coming out as they did going in.

Baby’s poop may look different after starting solids; it may also stop altogether.  Constipation is a common problem after introducing solids.  After all, your baby’s only ever had breastmilk or formula; introducing new foods is bound to be hard on his little system!  You may notice that your baby’s poop becomes drier and more compact, or that he stops pooping altogether.  He may also grimace and draw his legs up when pooping, and he’ll probably seem crankier and fussier than normal. If you notice these signs of constipation, try the following to get your baby pooping normally again:

• Offer more fiber-rich foods:  Think pureed prunes!  Peaches, apricots, pears, and beans are also good choices.
• Avoid “binding” foods:  Avoid bananas, rice, and dairy products, as these can make constipation even worse.
• Offer more fluids:  Offer the breast or bottle more frequently, and try to increase the ounces of fluid your baby drinks.  You could also offer a few ounces of water or diluted apple juice (although only do this if your baby is getting plenty of breastmilk or formula).

Reacting to Solids:  Watching For Allergic Reactions

Of course, poop isn’t necessarily the only thing to change when solids are introduced.  You may notice signs of an allergic reaction after introducing a new food to your baby.  Remember that as you begin introducing solids to your baby, it’s important to introduce one food at a time, and to wait at least 4 days before introducing a new food.  This way, if she develops an allergic reaction, you’ll be able to pinpoint the food that caused it.

Keep an eye out for these signs of food allergy:

• Hives
• Flushed skin or rash
• Vomiting or diarrhea (call 911 if severe)
• Swelling (call 911 if severe)
• Difficulty breathing (call 911)
• Loss of consciousness (call 911)

If you suspect that your baby has a food allergy, consult a healthcare provider.  He or she will be able to order the necessary blood test to determine what the exact nature of your baby’s allergy.

Everything You Need To Know About Starting Solids – All In One e-Book!

What if you could find everything you needed to know about starting your baby on solid foods – when it’s best to start solids, how to introduce solids, complications, food allergies, etc. – in one easy-reference guide? Now you can! Your Baby’s Start To Solid Foods: A Comprehensive Guide will walk you through every step of starting solids. Plus, your e-Book package includes several bonus materials, designed to maximize your success in starting solids. You’ll get a thorough guide to treating constipation, a dietitian’s advice on how to avoid 5 common solid-foods mistakes, and a weekly meal plan for your baby’s first year. Grab your e-Book today, and ensure your baby has the healthiest possible start to solid foods!

How did your baby react to solids at first?  Any tips to offer?  Share them here!

The post How Your Baby May React To Starting Solids appeared first on The Baby Sleep Site - Baby / Toddler Sleep Consultants.