Please Login


Cancel
Become a Member | Why Join?
  • I am an Individual
    • I am an Individual
    • I Work in Industry
    • I Work in Healthcare
    • I Work in Education

Anaphylaxis Campaign

Supporting people at risk of severe allergies

DonateEMERGENCY INSTRUCTIONS

  • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Our Ambassadors
    • Vacancies
  • Media Centre
    • Latest News
    • Press Releases
    • Your Stories
    • Facts and Figures
    • Media Toolkit
  • Contact Us
    • Anaphylaxis Campaign’s Helpline
    • Helpline FAQs
    • Keep In Touch
    • Share Your Story
  • 0 items£0.00
  • Home
  • What is Anaphylaxis
    • 14 Major Allergens
    • Signs and Symptoms
    • Glossary Of Terms
  • Living with Anaphylaxis
    • Care and Medication
    • Infant Weaning Guidance
    • Guidance for Young Adults
      • Managing Allergens at University
      • Easy to ASK Campaign
      • #TakeTheKit
      • Meet our Youth Ambassador
    • Shopping and Preparing Food
    • A Guide to Eating Out
      • Anaphylaxis Campaign welcomes ‘Natasha’s Law’
    • Travelling
      • Booking your Flight
      • The Day of your Flight
      • Preparing to Travel
      • When Abroad
      • Airline Allergy Policies
      • Translation Cards
      • Travel Insurance
      • Allergy Organisations Abroad
    • Seasonal Events
      • Diwali
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Mother’s Day
      • Easter
      • Father’s Day
      • Summer Festivals
      • Halloween
      • Christmas
    • Living with Natural Rubber (NRL) Allergy
      • Latex Allergy and The Law
      • Latex Allergy Forum
      • NRL and the Workplace
    • The NHS
  • Support Us
    • Donate
      • Make a One-Off Donation
      • Make a Regular Donation
      • Gift Aid your Donations
      • Give as you Shop
      • Give through your Salary
      • Give in Celebration
      • Give in Memory
      • Leave a Gift in your Will
      • Charitable Donations and Grants
    • Fundraising
      • Register your Fundraising Plans
      • Fundraising events
      • Awareness and Fundraising in Schools
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
      • Allergy Buddy
      • Community Volunteer
      • Media Volunteers
      • Volunteer as a Lay Reviewer
      • Volunteer at our Head Office
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Healthcare Industry Events
    • Food Industry Events
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Information & Training
    • Anaphylaxis Training
      • Allergywise Training Courses
      • For Parents and Carers of Severely Allergic Children
      • For Adults with Severe Allergies
      • For Schools
      • For Families and Carers of Pre-School Children
      • For Pharmacists
      • For Healthcare Professionals
      • For GPs and Practice Nurses
      • For Careworkers
    • Factsheets
    • Knowledgebase
    • Our Webinars
    • Allergy Alerts
    • Support Groups
    • Our Posters
    • Useful Links
    • Facts and Figures
    • Research
  • Campaigning
    • Making Schools Safer Project 2020
      • Spare Pens in Schools
      • #TakeTheKit
    • Guidance for Young Adults
      • Managing Allergens at University
      • Easy to ASK Campaign
      • #TakeTheKit
    • Anaphylaxis Guidance For All
      • Managing Allergens in the Workplace
      • Always Carry Two Adrenaline Auto-Injectors
      • Prescription Charges Coalition
      • Anaphylaxis Information Matters (AIM)
  • Tried and Trusted Reviews
  • COVID-19 advice
    • Covid-19 Vaccines and Allergies
    • COVID-19 FAQs
    • Tips For Parents
    • Coronavirus & Allergy Webinar
  • Shop
  • Meet our Ambassador

Infant Weaning Guidance

Download our Infant Weaning Guidance Booklet (PDF)

Introducing solid foods to your baby for the first time is an exciting milestone but often raises many questions for new parents including; when to begin, which foods to offer first, how much and how often to give food.

If a family member or your baby has a food allergy or eczema, you may have some additional concerns and questions about starting solids foods including whether there is anything you can do to reduce the risk of your baby developing food allergies.

  • In recent years several research studies have been undertaken to investigate the best way to try to prevent allergies in infants and young children. They have looked into how the timing of the introduction of the most commonly allergenic foods (including egg and peanut) affects the risk of developing an allergy to these foods.

This research has led to the development of special written guidance by the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) which gives information on “how to prevent food allergies in babies at higher risk”.

The recommendations are summarised below:

General weaning guidance

  • Exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months of life.
  • If your baby does NOT have a food allergy already and/or does NOT have eczema its recommended that you follow the standard weaning guidelines given by the NHS. See the NHS website below for more details

NHS Start4Life Weaning Guidelines

From around six months of age (but not before four months), introduce complementary foods (solids) including foods known to cause food allergies, alongside continued breastfeeding.

You may wish to introduce commonly allergenic foods one at a time and in small amounts so that you can spot any reactions. These can be introduced alongside other foods, once weaning is established, from around six months of age.

These commonly allergenic foods are:

  • cows’ milk (in cooking or mixed with food)
  • eggs (eggs without a red lion stamp should not be eaten raw or lightly cooked)
  • foods that contain gluten, including wheat, barley and rye
  • nuts and peanuts (serve them crushed, ground or as a nut butter)
  • seeds (serve them crushed or ground or as tahini)
  • soya
  • fish
  • shellfish (don’t serve raw or lightly cooked)

It is expected that these foods will all be tolerated without any issues in most babies.

Once introduced, if tolerated, it’s recommended that you continue to offer these foods regularly (ideally at least a couple of times a week) to reduce the risk of an allergy developing.

Scientific evidence suggests that the introduction of hen’s eggs and peanuts (in a suitable form for babies) in particular, should not be delayed past 6-12 months, as the evidence suggests this may increase the risk of developing an allergy to those foods.

Even if another family member has a food allergy, you should still follow these guidelines whilst taking any necessary precautions to keep the food allergic person safe.

Weaning guidance for babies with a food allergy or eczema

We know that some babies are at higher risk of getting a food allergy these include

  • Babies with eczema (particularly severe eczema) or
  • Babies who already have a food allergy

If your baby has eczema (especially if the eczema is very bad), or already has a food allergy you may be able to reduce the risk of them developing other allergies by following the weaning guidance that has been developed by the BSACI. Research has shown that these babies may benefit from the earlier introduction of solids foods – from four months of age – including peanut and egg in a suitable form. You can find out more information and recommendations of how to introduce these foods in the following document.

Infant Feeding and Allergy Prevention Guidance for Parents

We recommend that you follow this guidance in consultation with your baby’s GP, Health Visitor or Allergy Specialist.

Weaning and allergies research

If you would like to read more about the two major studies that have contributed to the development of the BSACI guidance, further information is available on the following websites

The LEAP Study

and

The EAT Study

  • Living with Anaphylaxis
    • Infant Weaning Guidance
    • Care and Medication
    • Shopping and Preparing Food
    • A Guide to Eating Out
      • Anaphylaxis Campaign welcomes ‘Natasha’s Law’
    • Travelling
      • Booking Your Flight
      • The Day of Your Flight
      • Preparing to Travel
      • When Abroad
      • Airline Allergy Policies
      • Translation Cards
      • Travel Insurance
      • Allergy Organisations Abroad
    • Seasonal Events
      • Valentine’s Day
      • Diwali
      • Mother’s Day
      • Easter
      • Father’s Day
      • Halloween
      • Christmas
    • Living with Natural Rubber (NRL) Allergy
      • Latex Allergy and The Law
      • NRL and the Workplace
      • Latex Allergy Forum
    • The NHS

Head Office

1 Alexandra Road
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 6BU

General Enquiries

  • +44 (0) 1252 546100
  • [email protected]

Helpline

  • +44 (0) 1252 542029
  • [email protected]

Press Office

  • +44 (0) 1252 893864
    +44 (0) 7393 234092
  • [email protected]

Fundraising

  • +44 (0) 1252 893850
  • [email protected]

Get Social

  • © Anaphylaxis Campaign 2019
  • Terms & Conditions |
  • Privacy & Cookies Policy |
  • Fundraising Policy |
  • Feedback Policy |
  • Complaints Procedure

Anaphylaxis Campaign (incorporating the Latex Allergy Support Group), a charity registered in England and Wales (1085527) and a registered company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (04133242).
Our registered company address is Anaphylaxis Campaign, 1 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, GU14 6BU.