Why is weaning so important?
Weaning is an important time for families as it provides the ideal opportunity to introduce the infant to a variety of new tastes and textures. These early experiences have a strong effect on later eating habits as infants who miss important flavour and texture milestones may become faddy or difficult feeders in childhood and this may persist into adulthood. This means that obtaining a varied and balanced nutritional intake will be more difficult.
Why do parents of cows’ milk allergic infants find weaning so difficult?
Introduction of solid foods can be daunting for most, but for parents dealing with a cows’ milk allergic infant, this is potentially an even more challenging experience. Traditionally, mothers start weaning with baby rice, fruit and vegetables, followed shortly by fromage frais and yogurt. Finger foods such as bread sticks or toast fingers served with soft cheese are also popular weaning foods. Many of these foods , as well as other favourites such as broccoli in a cheese sauce cannot be given to cows’ milk allergic infants and should be avoided.
The most difficult question that remains however is at what point other foods that commonly cause allergies, such as egg, fish, soya, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts, can be safely introduced. Parents are understandably cautious when it comes to feeding their baby these foods.
Weaning is further complicated by additional restrictions on the use of soya milk (shouldn’t be used until 6 months of age) and rice milk (shouldn’t be used until 4.5 years) based products for all infants in the UK.