Children's Allergies: 5 Ways You Can Keep Your Child From Becoming Allergic

As many as 40 percent of children in the United States are allergic to something. While most allergies are mild, some can be severe and may prove to be life-threatening. Typically, children develop allergies within their first two years of life. What you do during those vital first few months plays a huge role in allergy development.

Exposing your children to certain substances may even help your child avoid allergic reactions later in life. Following are five ways you can keep your child from developing allergies.

Studies have shown that exclusive breastfeeding for the first four months of life can prevent the development of all sorts of allergies, including food allergies, asthma, and eczema. When you breastfeed exclusively, you withhold all forms of food other than breast milk.

If you cannot breastfeed exclusively for the first few months of life, strive to incorporate as much breast milk as possible into your baby's diet. Breast milk helps your child build up immunity to certain substances, including many known allergens. For this reason, you should continue breastfeeding for as long as you can, even after you start to incorporate other foods into your baby's diet.

In the past, health officials told parents to avoid giving their babies common food allergens, including nuts and fish, during the first few years of life. Unfortunately, withholding these foods only seemed to increase the number of children who are allergic to them. Today, it's recommended that you introduce these foods to your baby between the ages of 4 to 6 months.

It is believed that early introduction of common allergens, prevents your child from developing an allergy. To give your child a new food safely, introduce only a small amount of a single new food at one time and wait several days between offering new foods so you can monitor your baby's reaction.

Pet allergies are common. However, you can keep your child from developing a pet allergy by getting a family pet when they are young, preferably as an infant. Exposure to pet dander early in life is one of the best ways to protect your child against developing an allergy later on.

While it's a great idea to introduce your young child to all sorts of animals, including your extended family's pets, occasional contact is not enough to prevent allergy development. The pet must live in your home in order for your child to get the full benefit.

Your child's immune system develops early in life. Young children must be exposed to all sorts of things early so their body can develop antibodies against them. For this reason, you should avoid creating a pristinely clean environment for your child.

Allow your child to play in areas that have not been disinfected, and allow them to play in the dirt once in a while. Use common sense, however.

Genetics do play a role in the development of allergies. If you have a strong family history of allergies, you should know that your child has a stronger chance of developing allergies. You may want to take them to an allergy specialist when they are young to develop a strategy for preventing allergies as well as a treatment plan for any symptoms they may be experiencing.

If you think your child has allergies, make an appointment with Allergic Diagnostic & Treatment Clinic today. The right treatment plan could make a huge difference in your child's symptoms and their quality of life.