04:54 PM EST on Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Lisa Cronin’s seven-year-old daughter Samantha developed a food allergy at only 1 month old. Lisa was nursing and supplementing with dairy-based formula.

“I noticed that she was developing some eczema. At that time, I was just really unfamiliar with any type of food allergy,” she said.

Samantha suffered with eczema until, at age seven months, her pediatrician suggested soy milk. The eczema cleared up.

A few months later, Lisa discovered that Samantha was allergic to milk. “I had given her a piece of cereal dipped in my skim milk and she got a little bit of red and little bumps that looked like small hives,” she said.

Like Lisa, many new parents will experiment and try to introduce table foods to expand their child’s diet. But, if given before the age of one, some foods can cause serious, even fatal reactions.

“The first sign of allergy usually in infants is eczema, which is a dry, itchy, scaly skin condition the hallmarks are really itching and dryness and redness of the skin. You can develop more severe manifestations all the way to anaphylaxis, which could include wheezing, cardiovascular collapse,” explained Dr. Samuel Grubman of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Citrus fruits, strawberries and chocolate should be avoided.

“There are certain foods that are not recommended for the first year of life, eggs are not recommended, shell fish, fish, nuts, peanuts are not recommended until after the first year of life, specifically after the age of two,” cautioned Dr. Grubman.

However, if an infant is at high risk, if they are born to parents who suffer from food allergies or their siblings are allergic, eggs should be not introduced until after age two; fish, shellfish and nuts should not be introduced until after age three.

Children’s developing bodies cannot efficiently process and break down food the way an adult’s system can.

Lisa and her children now avoid all dairy, eggs, nuts and sesame. Samantha carries an Epipen in the event of an allergic reaction. As a family, Lisa says they’re comfortable with their diets and know their precautions are protecting her children.

Dr. Grubman emphasizes all parents of children with food allergies must always read food labels. They also should also learn how to identify specific ingredients on labels. If in doubt, call your pediatrician before giving a food to your child.