Giving an egg to your baby - how do you do that?

80% of allergies can be prevented if you give your baby eggs before the age of 8 months. 

This article uses the official guidelines drawn up by DAFH (Dieticians Alliance for Food Hypersensitivity) and the Pediatric Allergology section of the NVK (Dutch Association of Pediatrics).

3 different routes for introducing egg

There are 3 possible routes for giving an egg to your baby:

1. Home- 3 steps
2. Home - 6 Steps
3. Consultation with doctor

Which route & schedule do you choose to give egg to your baby?

In order to determine which route is most suitable for your baby, we have made a decision tree in collaboration with the pediatrician-allergist of the Food Allergy Prevention Taskforce. Answered the following 4 questions and see which route for giving eggs is best for your baby.

1. How old is your baby?
   Research has shown that introducing allergens under the age of 8 months is the critical limit.
2. Does your baby have eczema?
   Babies with moderate to severe eczema have an 8-24 times increased risk of developing a food allergy.
3. Has your baby had previous reactions to food?
   If your baby has had a acute If you have had a reaction to another food, the risk of a reaction to another allergen is also higher. By acute response herein is meant an IgE-mediated response, in which a response of the immune system takes place. The complaints arise immediately after eating (between 1 minute and 2 hours) and usually consist of skin reactions (especially hives/hives or swelling in the face), acute vomiting, red watery eyes and runny nose and wheezing inhalation or exhalation. Pimples that appear the next day or abdominal pain 4 hours after eating are therefore not signs of an allergy.
4. Is there an allergy in the family or are the parents afraid of introduction?
   There may be anxiety in the parents because of previous allergies or reactions in the family. 

1. Home 3-Step Egg Giving Schedule

If your baby is between 4 and 8 months old and there are no risk factors such as eczema or previous reactions to food, you can give egg at home in 3 steps.
You then add increasing amounts of cooked egg to the baby snack during 3 days, in 3 steps. For this you can this scheme use, drawn up in accordance with the guidelines of DAFH dieticians.

If you have completed all 3 steps, your child is not allergic! Then make sure you:
> Weekly ½ KEEP giving an egg until your baby is 1 year old, otherwise an egg allergy can still develop

2. Home- 6 step schedule for egg feeding

Is your baby younger than 6 months, but your baby has moderate to severe eczema; or your baby is younger than 8 months, but there is fear of introduction; then you can give egg at home via an adapted 6-step schedule.
You then add for 2 days; Add increasing amounts of egg to the baby snack in 6 steps. For this you can this scheme use, drawn up in accordance with the guidelines of DAFH dieticians.

If you have completed all 6 steps, your child is not allergic! Then make sure you:

> Weekly ½ egg KEEP giving until your baby is 1 year old, because otherwise an egg allergy can still be developed.

3. Talk to your doctor about how to give an egg to your baby

Is your baby older than 8 months; If your baby has severe to moderate eczema or has had a previous reaction to another food, the recommendation is to give your baby egg in the hospital.
If there are any allergies in the family or any other reason that makes you anxious to introduce at home, talk to your doctor about the best route.

Make sure you also start with peanut on time!

Buy our my first peanut products!

Sources:

DAFH (Dieticians Alliance Food Hypersensitivity)
Pediatric Allergology section of the NVK (Dutch Association of Pediatrics)