1. The tendency toward allergy is lessened in a child with one non-allergic parent.
2. Allergy to a particular food item can be prevented. The following are some examples.
a. Cow’s milk: A baby must be breast fed (and not fed a formula based on cow’s milk).
b. Cereal grains: Cereals should be introduced into baby’s diet one at a time (and not in a mixed form) to see which ones the baby tolerates well.
ñ Fresh juices (orange, etc.): These should be started at four months of age and one at a time.
d. Egg: A tiny piece of hard-boiled yolk should be tried at the age of seven months, and, if this is tolerated well, it is to be followed by egg white.
e. Shellfish, nuts, chocolate, and strawberries: These foods are not to be given to the allergic baby at all.
f. Additives: Snacks in cellophane bags should not be used as part of a baby’s diet.
The food of an atopic baby who has diarrhea should be made very simple because sensitivity to food is more likely to develop if the bowels are inflamed.
Although a baby may outgrow his food allergies, it is not wise to wait for him to do so. Food allergy in a baby should be considered seriously and steps should be taken to avoid it. Otherwise, the allergy persists and opens the door to further food allergies in childhood.
3. At the age of three or four years, foods lose their importance as allergens, and inhalants (light substances which float in the air) become the chief cause of allergies. The following preventive measures against these have to be carried out in the bedroom of the allergic child:
a. Filtering devices, air conditioners, and electronic precipitators have to be installed (for brand names see the Appendix).
b. The bedding should be made of allergy-free material. The pillows should be made of sponge rubber and should not contain feathers.
c. The house must not have a damp or moldy basement.
d. The temperature of the house and that of the bedroom should always be kept at about 70°F.
e. Strong odors in general are to be avoided (in the whole house and especially in the bedroom). The odors of fresh paint, perfumes, scented flowers, mothballs, cleaning fluids, or cigarette smoke are especially dangerous.
f. Pets should not be introduced into the bedroom and preferably the house (sensitivity to feathers and to animal hair is easily acquired).
4. Besides eliminating inhalants inside the bedroom, an allergic child should avoid them outdoors.
Although it would be impossible to entirely avoid outdoor allergens short of staying at home all the time, some suggestions help to considerably reduce the chances of exposure:
a. Vacations should be planned around the child’s allergies, making sure not to leave certain allergens at home while running into others in the vacation area.
b. While outdoors, the child should avoid bees and other stinging insects, grass being mowed (as this can churn up mold spores and grass pollen), ragweed shrubs (because pollen concentration rises sharply the nearer one gets to its source), the poison ivy plant, and outdoor pets (as these can be multiple allergy carriers).
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