Mom Has Food Allergies: How Can Her Baby Eat Those Allergenic Foods?
In this episode we're talking about:
- How do you know if your baby is at elevated risk for food allergy?
- If you have a food allergy: how do you introduce that food to your baby?
- Easy ways to safely introduce tree nut and peanut to your baby

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE
Episode Description
What if an adult in the house has a food allergy? Can babies learn to eat the same foods their parents or caregivers are allergic to? In this episode I’m interviewing two baby-led weaning moms who figured out how to safely introduce their babies to some of the same foods they are allergic to. Special thanks to Deena Neuman and Talia Emm-Goodall for sharing their stories and experiences with food allergies in this episode.
About the Guest
- Deena Neuman is a first time mom of Baby Talia and they live in Florida
- Deena is allergic to peanut and shellfish, but safely introduced these foods to her baby
- In this episode Deena shares how she offered Baby Talia peanut and shellfish
- Talia Emm-Goodall is mom to Baby Jack and the live in Philadelphia
- Talia is allergic to tree nut, but she wanted Jack to try tree nut early and often
- In this episode Talia is sharing how she started Jack on tree nut despite mom being allergic
Links from this Episode
PUFFWORKS BABY PEANUT + ALMOND PUFFS
- PUFFWORKS BABY peanut puffs and almond puffs are an easy, no stress, low mess way to introduce our baby to peanut protein and tree nut protein.
- Use affiliate discount BABYLED to get 15% off Puffworks Baby allergenic food puffs at puffworks.com
FOOD ALLERGY INTRODUCTION COURSE
- Allergenic Food Introduction Course co-taught by Katie Ferraro and Pediatrician Dr. Ron Sunog is available at https://www.foodallergyclass.com
- Learn about each of the BIG 9 allergenic foods, the research that supports early introduction with recipes on how to make each allergenic food safe for your baby at the various ages and stages of baby-led weaning.
- "I had been really frustrated trying to figure out my daughter’s skin reactions to certain foods. Katie and Dr. Sunog’s personalized advice and answers to my questions about food allergies gave me the confidence to keep on trying new foods with my baby!” -Jess Jiang, mom of 10 month baby with food allergies
- Learn how to safely introduce allergenic foods at www.foodallergyclass.com
- Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro program with the 100 First Foods™ Daily Meal Plan, join here: https://babyledweaning.co/program
- Baby-Led Weaning for Beginners free online workshop with 100 First Foods™ list to all attendees, register here: https://babyledweaning.co/baby-led-weaning-for-beginners
Other episodes related to this topic:
- Episode 228 - 5 Food Allergy Prevention Tips from Feeding Experts https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/228
- Episode 227 - When Does the Food Allergy Prevention Window Close? with @allergykidsdoc David Stukus, MD https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/227
- Episode 226 - Allergenic Foods: Why Your Pediatrician Isn’t Talking About This with Ron Sunog, MD https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/226
- Episode 202 - Gut Check: Microbiome and Food Allergy Development with Liam O'Mahony, PhD https://blwpodcast.com/episodes/202

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0 (2s):
Hi new friend. My name is Ally Kasasa and I am the host of the Chart Topping podcast. The Purpose Show. Listen, if you're a mom And, you want some energetic support in evolving, growing, becoming the next version of yourself, getting clutter out of your way, simplifying your entire life, your business, your home, everything. This is the show for you. So come over and listen with me.
1 (29s):
She has no allergy. this week We started with the Almond Puffs and again no allergy and it s been such a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Oh, my God
2 (42s):
Hey. there I'm Katie Ferraro, registered dietitian, college nutrition professor and mom of seven specializing in baby led weaning here on the baby. led weaning made. Easy podcast I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about feeding, leaving you with the confidence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to solid foods using baby BABYLED Weaning So. what if an adult in the house has a food allergy and there's a baby? Can the baby. also learn how to eat the same foods that their parents or caregivers are allergic to. In. this episode I'm interviewing two moms who ve recently started solid foods with their baby to kind of explore how they safely introduce their babies to some of the same foods that they are allergic to.
2 (1m 26s):
So. the first mom you guys are gonna meet is named Deena. She's a first time mom living in Florida and Deena is in my baby led weaning program and so on our weekly live office hours call recently, she asked a question about, you know, how do I introduce my baby Talia to the foods that I'm allergic to? Namely, in her case it's Peanut and Shellfish So. inside of our program we have all of the instructions and videos and recipes on how to safely prep all of the Foods on my hundred first Foods list for your babies different ages and stages. And while I know she was following those steps, I really wanted to dig a little bit deeper and ask Deena firsthand and hear firsthand how this experience happened.
2 (2m 7s):
Then in the second half of the interview, we're going to hear from another food allergy mom. This time the mom's name is Talia, so Dina's baby is Talia, but Talia is also a separate mom of Baby Jack. Now Talia and Baby Jack live in Pennsylvania and Mom Talia is allergic to tree nuts. So Talia's also in our program, she's been working her way through the hundred new Foods with Baby Jack, but I've been following her course closely. She's also friends with one of our team members, Lauren. So Lauren runs all of our marketing, she's our growth strategist. And so like every day we check in and see which new Foods baby Jack has been trying. I know the mom Talia was pretty nervous about starting tree nuts and she's allergic to them, so she's gonna be sharing exactly how she did that.
2 (2m 49s):
So let's get started. Hearing from Deena in Florida, I absolutely love this mom's energy and her enthusiasm for feeding her baby, especially once she got past her fear of doing the allergenic foods. Here's Deena,
1 (3m 4s):
Happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
2 (3m 7s):
Okay, so I've kind of been following your journey doing BABYLED weeding with baby Talia. Before we kind of chat about that, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and maybe your own personal food allergy history?
1 (3m 17s):
Sure, sure. I have a lot of Allergies, believe it or not, peanut being one of the major ones and shellfish being another and I'm also lactose intolerant. So it has been quite the journey for me and I developed Allergies, so some started on from an early age, but the, the milk, the lactose, that was new and it's been quite the journey for myself. Luckily with from people like you and the constant support and the knowledge base that you provide, I've been able to wonderfully have, have Talia experienced a much different outcome when it comes to Allergies starting her off so early
2 (4m 5s):
For peanut and shellfish for your food Allergies. That's what I wanna focus on if we can. How old were you when you got diagnosed or started having symptoms?
1 (4m 12s):
I can tell you I was under 10, probably six or seven. Can
2 (4m 15s):
You share a little bit about feeding Talia from the gecko? What were the first few days and weeks like? Any issues with tolerance then?
1 (4m 21s):
Talia was six months old, was sitting up great head control was great and she was very, very hungry. So everything kind of aligned. It was very messy in the beginning. I did not know what to feed her, how to feed her. I ended up pureing everything and before I knew it, it wasn't enough for her. So I struggled to find what system can I use that would make it easier for me as a new mom to safely give my child food. It was very important for me to feel that I was safely giving my child food.
2 (5m 1s):
Where did you hear about BABYLED Weedy and when did you make the switch from doing purees to doing soft, solid pieces of real food?
1 (5m 8s):
Okay, so I'm a part of a lot of different mom groups and one night on a, I think it was a Facebook group, all the moms were talking about what number are you on, what number are you on, how many do you did you do so far? And I'm like, what are you guys talking about? They're like, oh, this BABYLED Weaning, we, you know, a hundred Foods before she's one. And I thought everyone was crazy. I said, what are you guys talking about? What are you doing? you know, Talia's had banana and sweet potato and it's all puree, so what, what are you talking about? A hundred different Foods. I'm like, are you crazy for a hundred different Foods? And we got to chatting and one thing led to another and one of my friends on the group said, yeah, you have to look up this BABYLED ween team with Katie and it's amazing.
1 (5m 59s):
The resources are great And, you don't want Talia to be a pick eater, so let's get in those a hundred before she's one.
2 (6m 7s):
I love that. So how many Foods has she had so far at 10 months of age
1 (6m 11s):
This week? I think we're on number 66 or 67.
2 (6m 15s):
Okay,
1 (6m 16s):
We're up there.
2 (6m 17s):
Congrats. And then what about the allergenic foods? Tell us like which ones you've done. Have you gotten through all of 'em at this point?
1 (6m 23s):
So we've gotten through most of them. I, the hardest one for me to start off with was the peanut because of my allergy. Okay. So I was very hesitant about it because it's also, once it's on the table, it's very difficult for me to continue to be involved with eating because if I ingest, I go anaphylactic.
2 (6m 44s):
Okay. So have you had issues of anaphylaxis in the past? Like have you had reactions since whatever the first time you reacted when you were a child? Yes.
1 (6m 51s):
My, my first reaction was at my brother's wedding when no one told me that there were nuts in the salad
2 (6m 57s):
Stop.
1 (6m 58s):
Nope. I missed the entire wedding, miss the entire wedding. So ever since then I, I know what it's, what will happen. I carry two EpiPens with me at all times because nowadays doesn't everything Taste better with peanut oil when it's fried, you never know. So it's, it's very scary for me. Initially when I, when I was thinking about giving Talia peanut butter, I said, if something goes wrong, what what can I do? you know, we, we, we look for different opportunities of how to administer the nut to her. So it would be safe for me as well.
2 (7m 38s):
Okay. So for the peanut then, tell us if you know, like you obviously have a very severe food allergy to peanut. How did you feed peanut to Talia?
1 (7m 48s):
So I am using the PUFFWORKS po peanut butter puff and the Almond puff and it, it's amazing. Talia administers the nut to herself. I don't have anything to do with it.
2 (8m 4s):
So do you open the bag, just pour some of the nuts into her bowl so that she's not, you're not touching it. Like can you be that close to it?
1 (8m 12s):
Yes. So the way that I, I I've managed this is initially I started with gloves, then Talia was very interested in the gloves. So that did not work out very well. So now it's right hand is for Talia. I open up the bag, I put a few in her little bowl, she will take them. I do not use my right hand for me cuz I want to continue eating with her and you know, chewing and having her mimic everything that's going on at the table and have her involved within the meal, not only a meal for her. So right hand is for Talia, left hand is for mommy.
2 (8m 53s):
Wow. And so how did she do with the PUFFWORKS peed Puffs? Does she pick them up and feed them to herself? No problem.
1 (8m 58s):
It's the most amazing thing. She just picks them up, eats them, claps them together and she's fine. She has no allergy this week. We started with the Almond Puffs and again no allergy and it s been such a weight lifted off of my shoulders, Oh, my God. It is a godsend to have these Puffs where even if we're out and about walking in the park, I can simply put a few in her little cup with the silicone top so she can reach in and take them out herself and I'll wipe her down afterwards. I'll be honest and say that I'm not, you know, taking her hands and her face and kissing them and then you know, shoving everything in my face.
1 (9m 45s):
I have to be careful with that. But after I can, you know, scrub her down with some soap, leave her, I would say maybe for like a half hour or so, then I feel a little bit more comfortable, you know, rubbing my face against hers or putting her hands in my mouth. It's a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. Being able to have her at a young age administer the nut to herself, show me that she's fine And this, you know, the ingredients on the back are amazing. It's like four ingredients. Fantastic. Here you go. Instead of to worrying about a low sodium this and an organic that, it's so wonderful. Pop open a bag.
1 (10m 25s):
It's two servings in a bag. And, you get half now you get half tomorrow. Great. Done.
BetterHelp (10m 29s):
Hey, we're gonna take a quick break but I'll be right back. This episode is sponsored by Better Help. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give Better Help a try. It's entirely online and designed to be convenient, flexible, and works with your lifestyle as a parent or caregiver. The way better Help works is they connect you with a licensed therapist who can take you on the journey of self-discovery from wherever you are. And you know, getting to know yourself can be a lifelong process, especially because we're always growing and changing and I think this is particularly true for parents. I mean I know firsthand how you can feel so torn between your old baby free self and then this new challenging role that you're in of parenting a small Person Therapy is all about deepening your self-awareness and understanding and talking through things can help you know what you want or why you react the way you do. Discover your potential with Better Help. Visit better help.com/ Weaning today to get 10% off your first month. That's better help H e L p.com/ Weaning to get 10% off your first month.
Puffworks (11m 40s):
Okay, so you're smart to have done the Peanut first before the Almond. So if you guys aren't familiar with the brand PUFFWORKS, they make these, this episode is not sponsored by PUFFWORKS by any stretch. I am an affiliate for them and I love to hear that you enjoyed them and they work for them. There are other peanut puff brands out there. I personally like the PUFFWORKS ones because of the reasons that Deena mentioned. There's no, there's just a smidge salt for preservative. There's no sugar in them, they're organic, it's just very clean ingredient list cuz some of the other brands have like a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't feed to my baby plus added sugar, which is kind of ridiculous for a food that you're gonna offer to your baby. But if you're doing the PUFFWORKS brand, the PUFFWORKS Peanut is the one you do first and then the PUFFWORKS Almond one, it does have some peanut protein in there.
1 (12m 19s):
So we wouldn't wanna give, if she'd never had peanut or Almond to give her the Almond one first because if she had a reaction you wouldn't know if it were to the peanut or the Almond protein. But once she was safe for peanut, which mom tried the peanut Puffs on their own a number of times without reaction, then you can move, you know, the next week or whenever you're ready to the Almond one And, you don't need to wait three to five days between New Foods. But in my program, which Deena is in, we do build in a pad of a number of days when you're doing new allergenic foods, especially for a family that has food Allergies. So, so you've got the no, you've done peanut, you've done tri.
2 (12m 50s):
What about shellfish? Deena?
1 (12m 53s):
So I do not eat shellfish. It's not in our diet for religious reasons, we don't eat shellfish. So that's something that I would have her tested for in the future just to be aware, especially if it's something that she wanted to try in the future, that would be fine by me, but it's religious reasons, it's not in our diet.
2 (13m 16s):
Okay. So of the big nine allergenic foods then shellfish will be one that you guys are not offering for religious reasons. And, you have a shellfish allergy, is that correct? Yes. So just playing devil's advocate here, about 50% of positive food allergy test results are false positives. We generally don't recommend testing for a food that you haven't reacted to. No one's saying to go eat a food that's against your religious beliefs, but are there any other Foods that you're avoiding or you don't eat because you tested positive for them but haven't reacted to them? Cuz shellfish is one, you have a positive test result but you've never had a negative reaction. And the way we know if you're allergic to something is when you eat it you have an allergic reaction. So any other Foods like that in your repertoire? Deena?
1 (13m 55s):
I would say the only other food that I'm nervous to eat are pistachios because it's nut.
2 (14m 4s):
Okay, but what about all the other tree nuts? Like you're okay with tree nut, right?
1 (14m 8s):
No, I go anaphylactic with tree nut also.
2 (14m 11s):
Oh okay. So you're peanut and tree nut?
1 (14m 13s):
Yes.
2 (14m 13s):
Okay. So even the Almond ones that you were doing, you were doing like the right hand, left hand thing with Talia so that you didn't come into contact with it. Okay. And then for your own food allergy testing, have you done like panel testing for all of the different tree nuts?
1 (14m 27s):
So I did them when I was younger and every single one came up positive. Yeah, there were a variety of nuts in the salad at my brother's wedding, which I went anaphylactic to.
2 (14m 37s):
Oh, so you don't know exactly what it was. And, you don't wanna recreate that obviously. And when in doubt leave it out like you're smart, don't mess around with it.
1 (14m 44s):
Yes, I don't know what I'm missing. I've never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That's okay by me.
2 (14m 49s):
There's lot. And I like your attitude that there's so many, many other Foods that you can eat. Like sometimes I think with food Allergies it can especially you know as a dietician I work with a lot of families with food Allergies and at first it can feel so restrictive like oh my gosh there's all these Foods, either me or my baby can't eat. And while that that can be sad and it's true in some people's cases there's lots of Foods they can't eat if they have severe food Allergies. But in many other cases he's like wow look at all these Foods that I can eat. Because most of the Foods that you're offering to Talia are low risk Foods that she's not going to be at risk for having an allergic reaction to. Has she had any allergic reaction to any of the over 60 Foods that you offered her as part of the hundred first Foods program?
1 (15m 25s):
Yes.
2 (15m 26s):
What'd she have an allergic reaction to and what was that like?
1 (15m 29s):
She's had an allergic reaction to spinach and broccoli.
2 (15m 32s):
Okay, describe, okay, those are two highly unusual Foods to have allergic reactions to. What sort of reaction did she have?
1 (15m 40s):
So with spinach she had red spots and almost welds all around her mouth, which I've tried spinach again and she hasn't had that happen again. So I'm very happy.
2 (15m 53s):
Good for you, good for you.
1 (15m 55s):
Yes, yes. It could have been more of the acidity factor of the spinach because that was one of the first Foods that we did at six, I think it was her food number four at six months. Okay.
2 (16m 10s):
Now what happened with broccoli
1 (16m 11s):
And with broccoli there was the instance where it was a delayed reaction and she threw up in her sleep during a nap. Okay. Three hours after ingestion.
2 (16m 23s):
Okay. And then did you do broccoli again?
1 (16m 26s):
And we've done broccoli again. She does not like it but there has been no reaction.
2 (16m 32s):
Okay, so she is not allergic to spinach or broccoli because again those are Foods that are almost unlikely unheard of to be allergic to. But you bring up two really good points there. Many different Foods can cause topical skin reactions on the baby's skin and it can look scary. Oh my gosh, what the food I fed my baby gave my baby this thing on their face. But there's no adverse reaction that skin reaction goes away on its own. Lots of things can cause reactions, especially for those of you with babies that are teething, right? Teething is a three year process and when that drool comes into contact with the new compounds in the Foods that you're introducing, it sometimes causes skin rashes on the face and it can look uncomfortable. But if it goes away on its own, then it's not accompanied by another sign of anaphylaxis and we're not concerned.
2 (17m 12s):
So obviously you always wanna consult with your own individual primary care provider, but Deena felt confident in retrying those Foods. Again, they're very low risk Foods. you know a baby throws up for lots of different reasons and it may have been the broccoli but very unlikely And, you tried broccoli again, you said it's not her favorite food. But we also know babies may need to see a food 10 or 15 times before they like or accept it. So don't give up on broccoli. It's not your job to force her to like it. But also babies don't have set food preferences and we gotta keep hammering it with those vegetables, especially in that flavor window where you guys are still there because the exposures to the vegetables are what is going to make them be more accepted. We don't just do it, do it once and say, oh I don't like it, I gotta put like nacho cheese all over the broccoli.
2 (17m 52s):
And I know you guys aren't doing that but we do have fam hear families who are like, I did it once, I didn't like it so I'm never doing broccoli again. Like nope, you know, keep it in that rotation like you guys are doing, you're moving through the new Foods but continuing to offer those familiar Foods, which is wonderful.
1 (18m 5s):
Yes, I happen to love broccoli. We have it multiple times on the dinner table throughout the week so I will not give up on it at all. I honestly don't think that since she's not picky about any food so far, I honestly think that it's just a mood, you know, what mood are you in? Are you in a broccoli mood? Are you not in a broccoli mood? Because she's had it and it was fine but she didn't take to it as she takes to something sweet like mango, which I totally understand that.
2 (18m 36s):
Yeah. And it's not your job to cater to her mood. These are the Foods that I picked that we're having today for this meal. Here's the meal if you want to eat it, fine. If you're not, we'll have another meal later in the day as scheduled. Also, you guys can't see this because this is the podcast Baby Talia has more hair than I have ever seen on a 10 month old. It's amazing. I like, I think it took some of my kids like three years to get that much hair. She is gorgeous. You guys can probably hear her there in the background. I know you're busy Deena and I can't say thank you enough for sharing your story with us. Tell us though, before you go real quick, what's been like the most fun thing about starting Foods with Baby Talia so far
1 (19m 11s):
The best thing has been honestly watching my family on FaceTime say she can't eat that, she can't do that, she's not ready for that. that piece is too big. And she has absolutely no problem wielding a spear of of beef or of avocado or papaya or pineapple and they're just like, you know, what are you feeding Talia tonight? What? What are we having for dinner? I said, that's the question cause she's part of the family. So shocking their faces and seeing their reactions on FaceTime has been a blast.
2 (19m 49s):
I know you said you just dropped your mom off at the airport And, you guys, like when we first got on the call we were chatting and she's like, just the look on my mother's face when Talia was eating beef stew this week is totally worth everything. And I, I love that. I love shocking the moms and the grandmas and then you know what, they turn around and they end up being the biggest advocates for BABYLED weening. They love to brag on their grand babies. They act like it was their idea to begin with. Who cares as long as the baby is eating a variety of Foods, everyone is happy. Before we go Deena, for parents who are in your same boat who have a food allergy, a life-threatening food allergy that could send them into anaphylaxis like you at your brother's wedding with the nuts in the salad and they're nervous about starting solid Foods for their babies, can you share some advice that will help them through this challenging time?
1 (20m 34s):
Sure. The best advice that I would say is, is don't wait another day. Do it now. Do it Tom. you know, do it tomorrow first thing in the morning so you know, you have the whole day ahead of you. And to see if there is is a reaction, God forbid. But don't wait because then then it it, it just becomes more of a complicated issue and if you get it out of the way right now, you will feel so much better and be able to not have to look at the back of every single package to see, see does this contain nuts because that's what I have to do my entire life and I'm so happy that I do not have to that for my daughter.
2 (21m 10s):
Well thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. It's been so fun watching her. I can't wait to see what you guys do for your hundredth first food and you'll probably keep going beyond that. You are definitely a star student and I've loved, loved hearing from you.
1 (21m 22s):
Thank you so much for having us.
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1 (22m 36s):
I just love Dina's energy and I was shaking my head yes to so many things that she was saying in that interview and like can you just kind of feel her confidence coming through now that she's gotten over that hump and introduced your baby to the Foods that she's also allergic to.
2 (22m 50s):
And just when she says like I wanna go out and be able to have a life and go to a restaurant, I think that's all we want is to be able to live our lives with our babies and have a good time with this without stressing so much. And congratulations Deena on getting through those allergenic foods. Next up is Talia Talia's, the mom of Baby Jack and so Talia mom is friends with Lauren who works with us. So that's how we got introduced to Talia. Talia's in our program. Baby Jack's been crushing all of these different Foods. I kind of feel like a stalker because I see pictures and videos of him all the time eating. I'm like, oh what's baby jack eating today? But I was really interested to dive in with Mom about how she went about introducing the Foods that she's allergic to, to her baby Jack. So here's Talia.
4 (23m 34s):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
2 (23m 36s):
I know you work in podcasts so I was explaining how I know you and that even though you've worked in podcasts forever, you said this is your first time being a podcast guest.
4 (23m 44s):
This is my first time. I'm very, very excited.
2 (23m 47s):
Oh, awesome. Okay. And I'm excited to learn about your experience doing BABYLED weening with Baby Jack despite your own food allergy. Before we get started though, tell us a little bit about yourself, maybe your own like personal food allergy history if you don't mind sharing.
4 (24m 0s):
Sure. I am 32. My son was born 10 and a half months ago. My own food allergy history, I didn't have any food Allergies as a child so it kind of makes things even more interesting. I started developing an Almond allergy as a teenager that got kind of progressively worse until I had a pretty intense anaphylactic reaction in my early twenties and after seeing an allergist that's kind of progressed into on all Trina allergy at this point. So I avoid all tree nuts. I avoid any kind of contact or cross-contamination as
2 (24m 41s):
Well. So tell me how old you were when you got diagnosed.
4 (24m 45s):
I was 22.
2 (24m 46s):
Okay. And then what was your experience like? What happened that changed that was different?
4 (24m 51s):
Yeah, I had, I had, I mean I didn't eaten tri nuts my entire life. I had kind of realized that I was getting allergic to almonds. It seemed like I was only allergic to raw almonds though, or that was my, my strongest reaction. So I had continued eating roasted almonds, which is incredibly stupid on my part. And I had, I ate a handful of them one day and started to get hives on my chest, started getting hives in my mouth. It never progressed into any kind of like breathing difficulty or anything like that. But it progressed over the course of a weekend to the point where my tongue had swollen like swelled up to probably two times.
4 (25m 32s):
Its normal size. I, my teeth didn't touch when I closed my mouth. Mm. And I had sores in the back of my throat and all over my gums. So I went to several, I went, ended up going to the dentist. Like I said, it was the weekend so it was really difficult to try to get proper medical care but it did eventually go down. But I ended up at the allergist that following week.
2 (25m 57s):
And then what sort of testing did you have? Did you have blood testing, skin testing just for Foods you had reacted to or did they kind of do panel blanket testing? What was your experience with testing?
4 (26m 7s):
I had both. I had skin and blood. They did. And then I had a full panel about a year later where I found out that I was actually allergic to a lot more than just tree nuts.
2 (26m 18s):
Okay. What other Foods were on that, just outta curiosity?
4 (26m 21s):
Sure. I have an allergy to stone fruits, all stone fruits, pineapple, kiwi, cucumber, bell pepper.
2 (26m 30s):
Wait, so do you avoid all of those Foods or
4 (26m 34s):
No?
2 (26m 35s):
Yeah, because it's really hard with with testing right. Because 50% of positive food allergy tests are false positives. Yeah. Yeah. So when we start testing for Foods you've never reacted to, they're gonna come back back positive And you be like, wait, am I really allergic or not? So have you had reactions to anything else besides tree nut?
4 (26m 48s):
I do have a stone stone fruit for sure.
2 (26m 50s):
For sure. Like you feel that
4 (26m 52s):
Peaches, plums, yeah, nectarines. Anything like that I get, I get hives.
2 (26m 56s):
Okay. So tell us about when baby Jack was born. How did feeding go for you in the first few days and weeks of life? Like any issues with tolerance of infant milk? Be that breastmilk or formula like prior to starting solid Foods for him?
4 (27m 8s):
Sure. He didn't have any issues with tolerance. I've been, we've been doing breastmilk and formula from the moment he was born. I, I never fully produced enough milk for him. So we, we had been doing both from the time he was born. He never had any is issues at all with that. And then he's been on exclusively formula since he was three and a half months.
2 (27m 32s):
So is he on a standard formula?
4 (27m 34s):
He is, yep.
2 (27m 36s):
Okay. So then moving past this next month, mark you guys, or thinking about starting solid Foods, where did you hear about BABYLED weeding And then why did you decide to take this approach to starting solid Foods with your baby?
4 (27m 47s):
Sure. One of my best friends works in BABYLED Weaning and she is a huge proponent. I started to do the research actually before Jack was even born. And it seemed like certainly the best solution for us. We, we love to eat, we love to cook, we love to go out to eat. So the idea of being able to kind of introduce him to Foods as we were eating them and you know, not to have to have some kind of special, you know, baby food all the time just for him or to be making purees constantly was a very attractive idea.
2 (28m 21s):
Okay. And how many Foods has Jack had so far?
4 (28m 23s):
Jack has had, I believe over 80 different Foods this far.
2 (28m 28s):
So cool. Okay. So when you started solid Foods, were you nervous about him having an allergic reaction?
4 (28m 33s):
I was definitely nervous about the things that I was allergic to. So I was a little nervous. We did, you know, some peaches and then when we did, when we did almonds I was pretty nervous.
2 (28m 46s):
Okay. So let's go back before you did those Foods, like what were the first starter Foods that you guys did for BABYLED? Waiting,
4 (28m 53s):
The first thing we did was avocado. We did banana, we did egg was our first allergen. And then we did Greek yogurt pretty soon after we had cleared egg as an allergen oatmeal, things like that. Softer
2 (29m 6s):
Things. So like the kind of basic ones exactly that aren't, you know, highly, I mean egg obviously you could be allergic to. And then you already knew he didn't have a cow's milk protein allergy cuz you were giving him a standard commercial infant formula and the base of that is cow's milk protein. So you kind of had that one outta the way you did egg? No, no reactions at all with egg.
4 (29m 22s):
No reaction at all.
2 (29m 23s):
Okay, that's good. And then that's usually a good sign then that you know, lower, not that it's super low but lower risk of peanut allergy than if he doesn't already have an egg allergy. So that's good. So do you remember the second allergenic food that you guys did?
4 (29m 35s):
I believe the second thing we did was wheat.
2 (29m 38s):
Okay. And any issues there?
4 (29m 40s):
No, none at
2 (29m 41s):
All. Okay. So then let's talk about introducing Foods that you are allergic to. Let's take stone fruits for example. And, you mentioned peaches. How did you introduce peaches to baby jack?
4 (29m 50s):
Sure we did just, I, I steamed them, I cut them up and steamed them, softened them for him. And that one I wasn't, I was not super nervous about cross-contamination because with myself, because I don't have an allergy just touching them or anything like that. So that one was less of a concern than when we went to the tree. Nuts
2 (30m 13s):
For peaches. Are you nervous to touch them or is it just ingesting them that's problematic for you? No,
4 (30m 18s):
It's just ingesting them for me. For the stone Foods. Yeah.
2 (30m 21s):
Okay. So you were the one preparing the food. There wasn't another parent or caregiver making the stone fruit? No, no. Has he done other stone fruit?
4 (30m 30s):
He has not.
2 (30m 32s):
Okay.
4 (30m 32s):
So cherries. Cherries are a big one.
2 (30m 34s):
So are you allergic to cherries? Yeah. Okay. Are you gonna do cherries with him? Yeah. Okay. Cherries seasons usually like really short. So sometimes parents are like, wait a minute, I blinked and it was gone. You can actually buy tart cherries in cans that are packed in water. So they're already pitted. It's so super easy. And now that he's a little bit older, I would assume he has his pencil grasp, is that correct? Yeah. So he can pick up the smaller pieces of fruit And you guys have been doing BABYLED Weaning like you're, you know, well, and almost phase three of BABYLED Weaning at this point. Maybe try those out and just see it's kind of an easy way if it's like not the season for cherries that you can actually get them Keyon. You just look for impact in their own water instead of any syrup. But I, I think it's kind of an easy way to do cherries. So let's talk about almonds now.
2 (31m 16s):
Are you like airborne allergic to almonds? Do you touch or just ingesting them yourself?
4 (31m 22s):
I don't, I have not, I don't have an airborne issue but I try to avoid touching them as much as possible just so that I don't then forget and touch my face, touch, you know, my mouth or something like that.
2 (31m 36s):
Hey, we're gonna take a quick break but I'll be right back.
5 (31m 43s):
Hey, it's sodas gray. Do you have trouble falling asleep? Well you should check out this podcast called Sleepy. It's where I read old classics and help you fall asleep. Best of times it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom and that's it. So get tucked in, fluff up the cool side of your pillow and take a one-way train down to Sleepy town. Unless you're driving then please don't listen to sleepy new episodes. Go out every Sunday so you can get refreshed for your week. Subscribe to Sleepy wherever you get your podcasts. Sweet dreams.
2 (32m 20s):
And I'm just curious, since you had your first allergic reaction when you were 22 with diagnosis, have you had other reactions to tree nuts, like accidental ingestion?
4 (32m 28s):
Yeah, I've had issu. So I originally wasn't or didn't think I was allergic to other tree nuts. I thought it was just almonds. Since then I've had allergic reactions to almost every other tree nut pistachios, pecans. Yeah.
2 (32m 42s):
And is it all tree nuts or are there ones you've eaten without incident?
4 (32m 46s):
I can still eat walnuts.
2 (32m 48s):
Oh, interesting.
4 (32m 48s):
Very weird.
2 (32m 49s):
How did you guys do almonds or the first tree nut Introduction, which I'm assuming is Almond but that might be wrong for baby jack.
4 (32m 56s):
Yeah, so the first thing we did was almonds. We used the Almond Puffs and I had my husband do that, so my husband, he opened the bag, he did everything with that. And then he also wiped jack down before I put him in the bath so that I didn't, he didn't have anything on his hands or on his face and his mouth to make sure that I didn't have any, any contact with
2 (33m 20s):
It. And then how many times did you guys do Almond over the course of that week after the first Introduction?
4 (33m 25s):
I think we did it, I believe we did it five times that week. Just to be a little more thorough.
2 (33m 32s):
That's a great idea. Just repeated exposure. Now obviously your baby could potentially react on the sixth time, but it's unlikely, like if a baby's gonna have a reaction it's generally on the second or you know, subsequent exposure. It's generally not on the first one. So you guys are smart to do it multiple times. And then I'm just assuming your husband was helping all five times for those Foods kind of same protocol of him wiping the baby down so that you don't come into contact with it.
4 (33m 52s):
Yep, yep. Correct.
2 (33m 54s):
And then have you been continuing to do other tree nuts for Jack or is Almond the first one? Only one you guys have done.
4 (34m 0s):
He's also done cashew at this point.
2 (34m 3s):
And how did you guys do cashew?
4 (34m 5s):
I did originally I thinned it out and put it over sweet potatoes for him and now we've been doing it in muffins, cashew butter in muffins.
2 (34m 16s):
Oh cool. And are you able to make those or do you have to have your husband do that?
4 (34m 19s):
Yes, actually I've, yeah so we've been doing the cashew butter and Almond butter in, in muffins and I'm just super, super careful when I do it
2 (34m 28s):
All. right. What has been the most fun thing about starting solid Foods for your family so far?
4 (34m 33s):
I just, I love, we love to watch his reactions. We like sit around we, I take a video half the time when he try something new because he is, he's so funny, he's so expressive when he tries something and it's so exciting to be able to like add that to his little list and then we can, you know, introduce more things.
2 (34m 52s):
I, it is funny because not to be a stalker but I see all these videos cuz you said in the Lord and then Lauren shares 'em with us and we're like just amazed at how involved he is in food. And I know it's a little rough going at the beginning and I think it's, you know like all things, like I always tell parents like I think it's worth sticking it out like you have to feed this small person for the next 17 and a half years of their life. Like you might as well do the hard work now, which is really working on variety and exposure to lots of different types of Foods, right? Because And you, you know what's coming around the corner that like there is some degree of picky eating that will set in for all children usually in the second year of life. And it doesn't mean that you're doing a bad job, it doesn't mean your child's a lifelong picky eater. It's developmentally appropriate for one-year-olds to become more selective. If you have a hundred Foods that your baby will eat And, you lose 10 or 15 of those to picky eating, it's really, really not a big deal.
2 (35m 36s):
So congratulations to you guys for doing so many Foods and for sticking through to do those allergenic foods cuz as you know, it really is the only thing you can do to lower your baby's risk of food allergy. And just in closing, has Baby Jack had any allergic reactions to food so far?
4 (35m 51s):
He has not had any allergic reactions to anything thankfully.
2 (35m 55s):
And for new parents who are listening right now and might also be nervous about starting solid Foods, can you share any advice that you've learned in your experience the last four and a half months that might help them through this challenging time?
4 (36m 6s):
Sure. I think just to stick with it and you know it, there will be frustrating moments for sure like there is with all of parenting, but it totally, it's totally worth it and it to be able to see your baby trying new things and being so happy to, to have those experiences is a hundred percent worth it.
2 (36m 26s):
Well thank you so much Talia, it's been a pleasure chatting with you and I really appreciate you sharing your experience.
4 (36m 31s):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
2 (36m 33s):
Thank you so much Talia and Deena for sharing your stories. It is so inspiring to hear from you and in the first part of the interview, Deena was raving about the PUFFWORKS baby peanut Puffs. So they also make an Almond puff for introducing Tree Nut that brand, the company PUFFWORKS. I love their products because there's no added sugar in them. There's Justice smidge of salt for preservative and they're the softest baby Puffs on the market. So they're perfect e for your baby, even like before your baby has teeth. If you're looking for a low mess, no stress way. To introduce peanut and tri check out the PUFFWORKS baby Puffs. I am an affiliate for PUFFWORKS and my affiliate discount code BABYLED works for 15% off at PUFFWORKS dot com. If you wanna grab a case of both the peanut and the baby Almond Puffs can knock out two different allergenic food categories.
2 (37m 16s):
And then if you're interested in learning more about how to introduce the other allergenic foods so that you know there's nine Foods that account for about 90% of food allergy. And today we talked a little bit about peanut and tree nut as well as shellfish, but I have a course that I co-teach with a Pediatrician Dr. Ron Sunog. He specializes in using food to prevent food allergy. If you go to food allergy class.com, you can find Dr. Sunog and my course that we teach together. He teaches you all about the different allergenic food categories. And then I share Tips on how to safely make each of the Foods from the Big nine lists with different recipes and approaches for the different ages and stages. Cuz yes, we want you to introduce them early at around six months of age.
2 (37m 59s):
We also want you to do these allergenic foods often. So as your baby gets bigger, And you progress to different textures. I've got lots of different recipes and info in there. Again, that's at food allergy class.com if you wanna check it out. The show notes for this episode are at BLW podcast.com/ 3 1 8. And thank you to our partners at AirWave Media. If you guys like podcasts that feature food and science and using your brain, AirWave has some wonderful podcast options for you there. We're online at BLW podcast.com. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you next time. Okay, you are a loyal listener, I can tell because you're still listening at the end of this episode here, or maybe you're just too far away from your phone to change it to the next episode.
2 (38m 45s):
But I wanted to ask you for a real quick favor. So recently the baby led weaning made Easy podcast joined the AirWave Media Network who helps us with our podcast ads management, and every year AirWave conducts a listener survey to help gain more insight into who is listening to which show. And I know you guys like things like Real Food and Responsive Feeding and respectful parenting, baby wearing Montessori, some or none or all of those things. But AirWave wants to hear from you via this listener survey so that the ads that you hear on this show are of use and of interest to you. It only takes a few minutes to complete the listener survey. And, you can be entered to win a $500 Amazon gift card at the end of the survey as a thank you for participating. So to complete this survey, you have to go to this website, bit lee slash BLW AirWave.
2 (39m 28s):
Again, that's bt.ly/ BLW AirWave to complete the survey. And thanks so much for listening to the show.

The Program Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro
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