Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Introducing Babies To Gluten

HiDee

Recommended Posts

HiDee Rookie
HiDee
Posted

I'm sure many of you have heard of the recent research that they did on kids with an increased (genetic) risk of getting celiac disease and their findings that introducing gluten between the ages of 4 and 6 months decreases the risk of getting the disease but introducing it before or after that window increases the risk of getting it. My husband and I are gluten intolerant (enterolab testing, no biopsies or anything) and our house is gluten free. Our 2 year old has never had gluten because we didn't want her to have any problems (especially since she has the double risk given both of our sensitivities) but now I'm wondering if we should have let her have it. And my main concern is whether we should give it to our 6 month old right now before he's out of "the window."

Another concern is this whole AAP recommendation to exclusively breast feed for 6 months which puts them almost entirely out of the window at food introduction time. Also what about all the recommendations to not introduce any of the major allergens until one year old? Why all this conflicting information and how am I supposed to make any sense of it? If I do introduce gluten to my baby should I keep letting him have it or just introduce it a few times now to supposedly lower his risk of getting celiac and then keep him on the diet the rest of us are on? And should I keep my 2 year old gluten free still or do a challenge and see whether it actually affects her? I would still keep my home gluten free but it would be nice to not feel the need to police everything that enters her mouth at friends' houses or other places. So many questions and if anyone has any thoughts or experiences with this type of situation, I'd appreciate any input!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


teacherwheart Apprentice
teacherwheart
Posted
I'm sure many of you have heard of the recent research that they did on kids with an increased (genetic) risk of getting celiac disease and their findings that introducing gluten between the ages of 4 and 6 months decreases the risk of getting the disease but introducing it before or after that window increases the risk of getting it. My husband and I are gluten intolerant (enterolab testing, no biopsies or anything) and our house is gluten free. Our 2 year old has never had gluten because we didn't want her to have any problems (especially since she has the double risk given both of our sensitivities) but now I'm wondering if we should have let her have it. And my main concern is whether we should give it to our 6 month old right now before he's out of "the window."

Another concern is this whole AAP recommendation to exclusively breast feed for 6 months which puts them almost entirely out of the window at food introduction time. Also what about all the recommendations to not introduce any of the major allergens until one year old? Why all this conflicting information and how am I supposed to make any sense of it? If I do introduce gluten to my baby should I keep letting him have it or just introduce it a few times now to supposedly lower his risk of getting celiac and then keep him on the diet the rest of us are on? And should I keep my 2 year old gluten free still or do a challenge and see whether it actually affects her? I would still keep my home gluten free but it would be nice to not feel the need to police everything that enters her mouth at friends' houses or other places. So many questions and if anyone has any thoughts or experiences with this type of situation, I'd appreciate any input!

From experience with 2 kids exactly the same age as yours I gave my baby (now almost 8 months) gluten at 4 1/2 months old and continue to give it to him while breasfeeding too. I did hear about that window and my pediatriacian also mentioned to give gluten while still breasfeeding so I would give gluten to the 6 month old now while you are still breasfeeding. She said as did the research that giving gluten while breasfeeding diminishes the likelihood of getting celiac. Hope that helps.

Oh and I would keep giving it to if he has no rection thats what I am doing, although it is tough with my 2 year old I just constantly expalian to him that he cant have the cheerios or the bread that his baby brother has becuase of the gluten in it. He totally gets it and is very careful not to go near it or eat it. While my house is almost gluten free (both my 2 year old and I have celeiac) my husband still has bread, cereal and pasta occasionally a store bought dessert. I want my baby to have gluten so I can eventually see if he has celieac too. Does that make sense? I would want to see if the 2 year old has issues with celiac too but thats just me. I would want ot know for sure. Have you spoken with a GI doctor? My sons GI said its always best for parents of kids to know for sure if their child has issues with gluten thats why I will continue to give my little one it.

Mother of Jibril Enthusiast
Mother of Jibril
Posted

Do you have any links to articles about this?

Biologically, I just cannot imagine why there should be a certain "window of opportunity" to introduce gluten. That's not how hypersensitivity disorders work.

Plus... who were the people that waited until after 6 months to introduce gluten? Probably the ones with a family history of hypersensitivity! My son was two months old when we figured out that he's extremely sensitive to casein. Once I took it out of MY diet he returned to normal (no more colic, projectile vomiting, or diarrhea with streaks of blood). We thought it was better to wait on solid foods until at least six months and our pediatrician agreed. I've never given him gluten and I don't plan to anytime in the near future.

Based on my genes, I know 100% for certain that my son has inherited at least one gluten-sensitive gene. Why wait for damage to occur? Just my perspective ;)

HiDee Rookie
HiDee
Posted
  • Author
Do you have any links to articles about this?

Here is a link to the journal article of the original study. I don't know if any follow up studies have been done to confirm their findings.

Open Original Shared Link

Here are a few other articles summing up their findings.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

I only just started my baby on rice cereal when he turned 6 months and he's now had a few vegetables also. Since none of the rest of us eat gluten, I'm leaning towards not giving it to him at all. The problem of introducing it now would be in the difficulty of ascertaining any potential problems that he might have that aren't extremely apparent. Because gluten reactions seem to be different for everyone and not always stomach or bowel related I'm a little wary of giving it to him now. And for that matter, I'm still wary of giving it to my toddler as well. But I'm still not convinced either way... :wacko:

Any one else have any thoughts??

shayesmom Rookie
shayesmom
Posted
Any one else have any thoughts??

Personally, I take a lot of these studies with a grain of salt. It's one thing to be able to determine the presence of gliadin in breastmilk within x amount of hours after ingestion. It's quite another to ascertain the risk of developing celiac disease when feeding gluten to 6 month old children. There is no mention of where these children now stand as far as being diagnosed with celiac. The participants in the study could be followed up on in a decade only to find that the complete opposite is true.

If I were to do it all over again with my child, I would wait until the age of 2 to introduce gluten. Why? Because research indicates that children don't produce amylase (the enzyme to break down gluten and other grains) until their first molars come in. So to me, introducing grains before that adds a decent amount of strain to the digestive system. And it seems to me that an inherent deficiency in enzymes is part of the celiac problem. I also think that an older child has potentially less risk for developing serious malnutrition issues if they wait a bit longer on eating gluten.

Plus, there really seems to be a problem with accurate diagnosis of celiac disease in infants and toddlers. To me....this is a major confounding factor in studies such as this.

HiDee Rookie
HiDee
Posted
  • Author
If I were to do it all over again with my child, I would wait until the age of 2 to introduce gluten. Why? Because research indicates that children don't produce amylase (the enzyme to break down gluten and other grains) until their first molars come in.

That's really interesting, I didn't know that. I wonder why they recommend rice cereal and other grains as babies first foods? I'd be interested in reading those studies. Thanks for your reply.

Kibbie Contributor
Kibbie
Posted

There is a new study out that took children who had 1st degree relatives with Celiac disease and introduced 1/2 of them to gluten at 4-6 months just as recommended and the other kids were not introduced to gluten until after their 1st birthday.

Some of the kids that were introduced to gluten at 4-6 months have developed Celiac Disease

100% of those who waited have not yet developed Celiac Disease.

So it looks like delaying introduction will at least delay the onset of Celiac Disese and may even prevent it (but the jury is still out on that the study is new and needs years more to come up with those answers).

As for me I have a 4 month old and I am not going to introduce gluten at all. We are gluten free at home and I don't plan on making special stuff just for him.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


shayesmom Rookie
shayesmom
Posted
That's really interesting, I didn't know that. I wonder why they recommend rice cereal and other grains as babies first foods? I'd be interested in reading those studies. Thanks for your reply.

It's been a while since I went through the studies. Some of the information is mentioned here: Open Original Shared Link. You can then backtrack from the article and find the information from there.

And not all countries recommend cereal as a first food. Other cultures introduce meat first, or veggies. Some do fruits. It all depends on the culture. What's interesting is that the cultures who do introduce cereals first are also the ones with the higher rates of Celiac. Is it truly genetic? Are other countries just not screening for it? Or are they avoiding the problem by not introducing the food until later? I think those questions need to be answered before any definitive answers are given to new parents on this.

  • 2 weeks later...
alamaz Collaborator
alamaz
Posted

This topic is of great interest to me as I have a 10 month old. Today I found out he had been given a few Cheerios but that's the only gluten he's ever had. I do not plan on giving him gluten until it becomes an issue. We are a gluten-free house. He also has very limited grains. A few gluten-free "cheerios" here and there but he's never had rice cereal or anything of the sorts.

My friend who is from India said the typical first food there is a cereal gruel made from.....wheat. And she said there are virtually no wheat allergies in India. So who knows.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,984
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    volivier
    Newest Member
    volivier
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Outgrow celiac?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      @Riley., Welcome to the forum.   It was once believed that Celiac Disease was only a childhood disease and it can be outgrown.  That was before 1951, before gluten was discovered to be cause of Celiac Disease, also called Infantilism.  Back then Cileac Disease was thought to be only a gastro intestinal disease, once you  "outgrew" the colicky phase, you were cured. You were so lucky to be diagnosed at 5 years old so your developing years were normal.  Gluten can affect multiple systems.  The nervous system, your intellegence. The muscules, skeleton. It can cause neurological issues like brain fog, anxiety, and peripheral neuropathy.  It can cause joint pain, muscle weakness, and skin rashes. Epilepsy is 1.8 times more prevalent in patients with celiac disease, compared to the general population. Because through malabsorption and food avoidances, it causes vitamin D and numerouus other essential nutrient deficiencies, it allows allergies, infections, poor growth, stuffy sinuses and eustacian tubes. There is even a catagory of celiac disease called "Silent Celiac".  Any symptoms are explained away as this, that or the other thing. Gluten is one of the most addictive substances we consume.  Activating the Opiod receptors in our cells, it can numb us to the damage that it, and other foods are causing.  It has become socially acceptable to eat foods that make us feel sick.  "There's a pill for that".   It is generally accepted that n fact you are weird if you don't. The hardest part is that if you don't eat gluten you will feel great and think why not.  But slowly it will effect you, you'll be diagnosed with real diseases that you don't have. You'll be more susseptable to other autoimmune diseases.  As you read through the posts here, notice how many are finally dianosed, after years of suffering at older ages.  Is it worth it? I think not. Perhaps this book will help:  Here is a list of possible symptoms:   
    • Riley.
      Outgrow celiac?

      By Riley. · Posted

      Hi! Im Riley, 18 years old and have been diagnosed for 13 years.. the testing started bc I stopped growing and didn’t gain any weight and was really small and thin for my age.  I got diagnosed when I was 5 and have been living gluten free since, in elementary and middle school it was hard for me and I kept contaminating myself bc I wanted to fit in with my friends so so badly. I ate gluten secretly at school and mostly regretted it 30 minutes later.  I’ve had symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, headaches, stomachaches, threw up a lot and was really emotional.  In 2022 I really started working on myself and tried to stay gluten free and if I did eat gluten I wouldn’t tell anyone and suffer in silence.  Last year in July I begged my mom to let me „cheat“ one day bc I just wanted to fit in… I ate a lot of different stuff, all the stuff I missed out on in my childhood like nuggets, pizza and all that.. I didn’t have symptoms that day and was doing really fine My mom and I wanted to test how far we can go and said we would test it for 12 weeks to get my blood taken after to see if I’m doing good or if symptoms start showing  As a now 18 year old girl who finally gained a normal weight and doesn’t get symptoms I’m to scared to get tested/my blood taken cuz I finally found comfort in food and it got so much easier for me and my family.  A year and 4 months later i still didn’t get any symptoms and have been eating gluten daily.  I’m scared to get tested/my blood taken cuz what if I’m actually not fine and have to go back to eating gluten free. Any tips to get over that fear and „suck it up“ cuz I know I could seriously damage my body… sorry if I seem like a idiot here… just don’t really know what to do :,)
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      There is much helpful 'truth' posted on this forum. Truths about Celiac Disease are based on scientific research and people's experience. Celiac disease is inherited. There are 2 main Celiac 'genes' but they are variations of one gene called HLa - DQ What is inherited when a person inherits one or both of the DQ2 or the DQ8 is a predisposition to develop celiac disease after exposure to a environmental trigger. These 2 versions of the DQ gene are useful in diagnosing  celiac disease but there are about 25 other genes that are known to influence celiac disease so this food intolerance is a multigenic autoimmune disease. So with so many genes involved and each person inheriting a different array of these other genes one person's symptoms may be different than another's symptoms.  so many of these other genes.  I don't think that much research on these other genes as yet. So first I wrote something that seem to tie together celiac disease and migraines.  Then you posted that you had migraines and since you went gluten free they only come back when you are glutened. Then Scott showed an article that reported no connection between migraines and celiac disease, Then Trents wrote that it was possible that celiacs had more migraines  and some believed there was a causal effect. You are each telling the truth as you know it or experienced it.   
    • tiffanygosci
      Aldi Pueblo Lindo Yellow Corn Tortillas

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      Another annoying thing about trying to figure this Celiac life out is reading all of the labels and considering every choice. I shop at Aldi every week and have been for years. I was just officially diagnosed Celiac a couple weeks ago this October after my endoscopy. I've been encouraged by my local Aldi in that they have a lot of gluten free products and clearly labeled foods. I usually buy Milagro corn tortillas because they are cheap and are certified. However, I bought a package of Aldi's Pueblo Lindo Yellow Corn Tortillas without looking too closely (I was assuming they were fine... assuming never gets us anywhere good lol) it doesn't list any wheat products and doesn't say it was processed in a facility with wheat. It has a label that it's lactose free (hello, what?? When has dairy ever been in a tortilla?) Just, ugh. If they can add that label then why can't they just say something is gluten free or not? I did eat some of the tortillas and didn't notice any symptoms but I'm just not sure if it's safe. So I'll probably have to let my family eat them and stick with Milagro. There is way too much uncertainty with this but I guess you just have to stick with the clearly labeled products? I am still learning!
    • tiffanygosci
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      Thank you all for sharing your experiences! And I am very thankful for that Thanksgiving article, Scott! I will look into it more as I plan my little dinner to bring with on the Holiday I'm also glad a lot of research has been done for Celiac. There's still a lot to learn and discover. And everyone has different symptoms. For me, I get a bad headache right away after eating gluten. Reoccurring migraines and visual disturbances were actually what got my PCP to order a Celiac Panel. I'm glad he did! I feel like when the inflammation hits my body it targets my head, gut, and lower back. I'm still figuring things out but that's what I've noticed after eating gluten! I have been eating gluten-free for almost two months now and haven't had such severe symptoms. I ate a couple accidents along the way but I'm doing a lot better
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.