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Introducing Gluten To Baby

SGWhiskers

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SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

Since the researchers don't know the answer to this one, I thought you guys might have the best guesses.

I've got celiac. I'm assuming my infant daughter does not. The research shows that ages 4-6 months are the best time to introduce gluten to reduce the incidence of celiac. I've got a gluten free house right now but will introduce gluten to my daughter if there is any chance it might help her avoid triggering the celiac predisposition. I understand there is not a nutritional need for her to have gluten.

How much gluten do you think an infant might need for the preventive effects to kick in?

How often? (daily, weekly?)

How long? (how old before we can go back to a gluten free house again?)

Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

I don't know the answer to your questions but I'm very curious to know where you read this research! Do you have a link to post or can you tell us where you read that?

Sammyj Apprentice
Sammyj
Posted

Why start her on something that is NOT GOOD for her, reaction or not!

Read Dangerous Grains, and find out why not. Science, NOT FDA

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

Dr.Fasano is researching this question. He suggests waiting until age1or so.The research isn't old enough to determine if the longer wait to introduce gluten foods will prevent celiac or if it will only prolong the occurance until the child becomes older..But it is being researched...

For now I guess it is a parental choice.. But my thoughts are I would wait a long time before giving gluten esp. if a parent has celiac. I honestly don't or can't find a reason for needing wheat. There are plenty of other choices...

blessings

mamaw

organicmama Contributor
organicmama
Posted

Our children had immediate IgG reactions to casein and gluten and we didn't do anything but breastmilk until 6 - 7 months old. We had them tested due to ongoing rash issues that showed up as soon as we introduced offending foods. It was not instant, so we couldn't tell exactly which foods.

Everything I've read says to wait until at least 2 yrs old for offending foods if your children are likely to have allergies or intolerances. Early introduction makes allergy/intolerance more likely to occur, not the other way around.

Even though their bloodwork zeroed out, we are now having to remove offending foods all over again a year or two later with behavioral symptoms and eczema resulting. The blood levels were much higher than before. I truly wish I had known and waited until much later. Since ours did not outgrow these issues, they may well be lifelong.

I certainly would not introduce anything until 6 months period. The 4 month piece was added to guidelines more recently, I feel due to complaints from anxious parents more than valid research. Most children still have the tongue-thrust reflex prior to six months, indicating their body is not yet equipped to take in solids.

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted

(Following advice is based on my assumption that you're a first-time mom. If not, just ignore me!) Taking food intolerances/allergies out of the equation, most infants don't need solid food until 6 months. Later works, too. I fed my first child jarred baby food at 4 months, and I wish I hadn't. It was a royal pain, and I honestly don't think it helped her in any way down the line. She turns 13 next month and is my pickiest eater by far!! My next 3, I waited until they could eat table food like mashed bananas and let them go to town. One was 7 months, one 11 months (oral motor coordination problems caused the delay), and one 6 months. Bananas are supposed to be the most similar tasting thing to breastmilk, so it's a good first food.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Since the researchers don't know the answer to this one, I thought you guys might have the best guesses.

I've got celiac. I'm assuming my infant daughter does not. The research shows that ages 4-6 months are the best time to introduce gluten to reduce the incidence of celiac. I've got a gluten free house right now but will introduce gluten to my daughter if there is any chance it might help her avoid triggering the celiac predisposition. I understand there is not a nutritional need for her to have gluten.

How much gluten do you think an infant might need for the preventive effects to kick in?

How often? (daily, weekly?)

How long? (how old before we can go back to a gluten free house again?)

Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

I'll share what we did with my daughter and why. I knew about the 4-6month research, but had no interest in having a grain be one of her first foods. I also don't think that wheat is *bad* for anyone and everyone, and it can be a part of her diet is she is not otherwise sensitive to it.

I don't personally give her anything with gluten in it. The inlaws gave her cheerios when she was a little under one, I don't remember exactly when. My husband occasionally gives her bread or crackers he's having. I'm not so much looking for "preventative", because I don't really think that makes sense with a genetic condition that is an instance of triggering otherwise dormant genes. But I'm not looking to keep foods she would otherwise enjoy sharing with other people.

So, she gets gluten... as often as daddy gives it to her. It's probably a couple days a week at the most, and none in a week at times.

She never had baby cereal - that stuff is really just a cheap filler way of trying to give a baby iron. If you need to give your baby iron (and most breastfed babies do not need it, and you don't want to give your baby too much iron either), then give your baby iron - not a simple carb with an added vitamin. We did baby-led weaning, and her first foods were an apple (sucked on it) and sweet potato oven fries. She eats what we eat, that she's able, and I don't think we tried using a spoon for quite a while, and that has been for things like yogurt and lentil soup.

I would strongly encourage you to look into baby-led weaning. I think it's helped us avoid the "shove too much in your mouth and gag" thing (because she learned about her gag reflex early, and with foods that were so big she was holding them in her hand when she tried this). It's also helped, I think, her take ownership of feeding herself (there's good and bad to this). And it's definitely helped that I don't, generally, cook/make totally separate foods for her.

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