Big decision. What's the first food to give your little?
Because of our little one's eczema, we decided to delay the introduction of solids until after six months. I breastfed exclusively while the moms in our mommy classes gushed about their little ones' food experiences and side-talked concern that my daughter wasn't sleeping through the night because she wasn't getting enough food from just breastmilk. Ahh, the well-intentioned, unsolicited, advice of the mom locker room.
So anyway, the time came when we were ready to start introducing food. We agreed on whole, fresh foods to start over processed rice cereals or other baby porridges. Avocado seemed like a great start, full of healthy fats for her little brain and her ailing skin. Long story short, she loved it. Her little bird mouth flew open and she kicked her feet as she explored this strange new taste. We felt great, she felt great. I felt like being a mom was kind of no big deal. We got this, I thought.
As the days and weeks progressed, our little enjoyed a variety of fruits and vegetables. I took meticulous notes in the early weeks, noting the dates of each puree, our little's reactions, even bowel movements! I had. my list of the main most common allergens and I introduced them in small amounts and kept a careful eye on my little for any sign of an allergic reaction. We did everything right according to our paediatrician.
Fat lot of good it did us.
The eczema got increasingly worse. Our little one suffered infections on her fact that had to be treated with antibiotics and still never cleared up. She was constantly scratching and itchy, crying after baths and at changing time. We were at our wits end, but at least she wasn't allergic to anything. We thought.