I suffer from hayfever and have heard this could mean my newborn baby could be more susceptible to food allergies. Is this true? Can you also tell me which foods may trigger allergies and how I can go about reducing the likelihood of may baby suffering any problems?

Studies show that children of parents with hayfever may be slightly more susceptible but don't worry as only a very small number of children suffer from an allergy to certain types of foods and many that do grow out of them by the age of three. If you are worried about allergies, one of the most effective causes of action you can take is to breast feed for at least 6 months, longer if possible, as this helps to provide the child with protective antibodies.

There are a number of foods that are known to trigger allergies and intolerances in some susceptible children. The common allergenic foods include peanuts, nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, fish and shellfish. These should never be fed to children under 6 months. If there is any family history of allergies introduce foods from the list above singly and make sure you observe your child closely for several days as some symptoms occur immediately after eating whilst others may not present themselves for several hours, even days afterwards. It is also a good idea to introduce new foods at breakfast or lunch time instead of in the evening so that if your baby does suffer a reaction to the food it does not happen during the night. Common symptoms of a food allergy include, sickness, diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, rashes (sometimes around the mouth), tingling of the mouth and throat or eczema. If you observe any of these symptoms after your child eats a certain food always talk to your doctor or health visitor.