6.5 Month Old First Child... Where Do I Start?

[HappyMom623]

This has been on my mind since I've been pregnant.

 

I was diagnosed with Celiac 3 years ago, and now have a 6.5 month old baby girl who is just now delving into solid foods.

 

What is recommended with babies? Do you feed them regular food and see if they have reactions? My home is a gluten free home and my daughter was obviously never exposed to gluten when I was pregnant with her. I don't want to MAKE her gluten free if she does not have it, but I don't know that I want to buy wheat products too much for the house.

 

I've already decided that I'm not going to give her any grains (I've read babies digestive system isn't great at dealing with grains until about 18 months) until she's much older and able to tell me when her belly is hurting or having any other problems.

 

I brought it up to my ped, but they didn't really say much. I want to be proactive and don't want her to live for years of her life in pain like I was!

 

Anyone out there who had celiac and had a child? How did you handle it?

[StephanieL]

Will you be staying home with her or will she be going into daycare?  (NO judgement but it helps to know).

 

We chose to keep our kids gluten-free at home. My oldest has celiac disease and the though of younger kids making gluten filled messes in his "safe" house wasn't going to happen.  When DD was ready to start preschool we gave her very controlled gluten here at home so we could watch for any initial issues.  Then when se started preschool she ate gluten at snack time. After her first year of preschool we tested her then as she had been getting gluten for a while.   This may be an option if your kid is going to daycare/school.  Some people prefer a gluten-free house so that is also up to you and how sensitive you may be.

 

NOW, that said, there has been research that says when gluten is introduced doesn't really make a kid develop Celiac but I do believe they say it is better to do it younger (this was after we had already started doing what we decided as it's fairly new research).  You can google "gluten introduction" to find information about it.  

[cyclinglady]

I think you need to do some more research.

My daughter is 13. I had allergies (milk, egg, nuts) when I was pregnant and my husband was gluten free. My allergist and his GP suggested going off gluten to eliminate symptoms he had. What do you know? He was cured! Now, he refuses to do a challenge. Does he have celiac disease? We think so as autoimmune disorders run strongly in his family (thryoiditis: Graves and Hashi's, MS , etc). When my daughter was 11, I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

I breastfed my daughter until she was 8 months old. I followed my allergist's advice and not her Ped. I fed her veggies first, then fruit, then at 10 months I gave her rice. I waited until she was a year old for gluten, other grains, and dairy. She was two when I gave her peanuts and eggs.

I am not sure if this protochol works or not. I think researchers are finding that early food introductions are better.

My daughter has tested negative to Celiac disease so far. We think she is pretty doomed for celiac disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and hope that RA, Lupus, and MS will not affect her. We can only hope!

Her Ped fought me every step of the way. She was thin (5% weight, 50% head, 50% height) but healthy. And just like the rest of my petite family! Never sick. Her first visit to the sick waiting room was when she was four. He admitted that she was once of his healthiest patients. By five years her weight crept up to 25% due to exposure to junk food. She is now at 50% and is slender and athletic.

Did it work? Who knows?

We have a 99% gluten-free house. I make her two gluten things and use dedicated kitchenware: noodles and Cherrios. All other gluten items are pre-packaged and eaten outside of the house (school or patio). This just makes it easier on me. Hubby and I are happy.

Whatever you decide to do will be right. Rearing children is not easy. You just have to do what works for you as a family and have fun!

[HappyMom623]

She is already in daycare but still only having formula while there.

 

She already has been determined to have a diary intolerance and has been on soy formula since she was about 3 weeks old.

 

Thanks guys! I guess i'll do some more research!