What's up with peanut alergies these days.
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Ilíon wrote:
What's up is just yet another Yuppie "I'm so special" hysteria/fad.
I hope so because that's curable.
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
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The peanut thing is very common now, and I've asked the same question. I believe the kids that have it, can die from the tiniest bit of peanut, here kids can't even take chocolate to school if it was 'made on the same equipment as peanuts'. The fact that people print that, means the thing is widespread, although, as you say, it appear to me to be new. I guess it's easier to accidentally get some peanut, than to accidentally get some milk ( unless it affects him if it's in chocolate ), and it's possible ( you don't say ) that his allergy is not as life threatening as we're told the peanut thing is, but if it was me, I'd be saying, if you won't respect my child's life threatening condition, why would I not smear him in peanut butter every day before sending him to school ?
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
Christian Graus wrote:
I guess it's easier to accidentally get some peanut, than to accidentally get some milk
You'll have to forgive me if I am wrong but I thought they served milk at school in those little cartons. At least that's what I remember.
Christian Graus wrote:
unless it affects him if it's in chocolate
We haven't had that problem. But, we tend to stick to dark chocolate anyway.
Christian Graus wrote:
and it's possible ( you don't say ) that his allergy is not as life threatening as we're told the peanut thing is
It doesn't hit him as fast as I've been told it hits the kids that are allergic to peanuts but he has difficulty breathing when he drinks cow milk. And, if we don't treat him, it gets worse as time progresses.
Christian Graus wrote:
but if it was me, I'd be saying, if you won't respect my child's life threatening condition, why would I not smear him in peanut butter every day before sending him to school ?
My initial reaction was similar. But, I just calmed myself down and the boy and I went to the library to see a puppet show. It's hard to stay mad during something like that. :)
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
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Christian Graus wrote:
I guess it's easier to accidentally get some peanut, than to accidentally get some milk
You'll have to forgive me if I am wrong but I thought they served milk at school in those little cartons. At least that's what I remember.
Christian Graus wrote:
unless it affects him if it's in chocolate
We haven't had that problem. But, we tend to stick to dark chocolate anyway.
Christian Graus wrote:
and it's possible ( you don't say ) that his allergy is not as life threatening as we're told the peanut thing is
It doesn't hit him as fast as I've been told it hits the kids that are allergic to peanuts but he has difficulty breathing when he drinks cow milk. And, if we don't treat him, it gets worse as time progresses.
Christian Graus wrote:
but if it was me, I'd be saying, if you won't respect my child's life threatening condition, why would I not smear him in peanut butter every day before sending him to school ?
My initial reaction was similar. But, I just calmed myself down and the boy and I went to the library to see a puppet show. It's hard to stay mad during something like that. :)
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
Chris Austin wrote:
You'll have to forgive me if I am wrong but I thought they served milk at school in those little cartons. At least that's what I remember.
The point, I believe, is that the child knows not to eat nuts, or drink milk, BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them. As I said, I don't know the specifics, I was thinking out loud, and he may well be as affected by, say, cows milk in chocolate. If he is, I'd not hesitate to raise hell about it. And that not being the case would not guarantee I wouldn't do it anyhow.
Chris Austin wrote:
But, we tend to stick to dark chocolate anyway.
*grin* me, too.
Chris Austin wrote:
It's hard to stay mad during something like that
Yes, the other thing to remember is that you get to blow your fuse, but he will pay the price. If there's a genuine difference ( i.e. if it doesn't hit him as fast and therefore he has time to feel it coming on and get help ), then perhaps there's a reason for the discrepancy, or at least a reason to drop it rather than have him stuck in the middle of a war on the school.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
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Chris Austin wrote:
You'll have to forgive me if I am wrong but I thought they served milk at school in those little cartons. At least that's what I remember.
The point, I believe, is that the child knows not to eat nuts, or drink milk, BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them. As I said, I don't know the specifics, I was thinking out loud, and he may well be as affected by, say, cows milk in chocolate. If he is, I'd not hesitate to raise hell about it. And that not being the case would not guarantee I wouldn't do it anyhow.
Chris Austin wrote:
But, we tend to stick to dark chocolate anyway.
*grin* me, too.
Chris Austin wrote:
It's hard to stay mad during something like that
Yes, the other thing to remember is that you get to blow your fuse, but he will pay the price. If there's a genuine difference ( i.e. if it doesn't hit him as fast and therefore he has time to feel it coming on and get help ), then perhaps there's a reason for the discrepancy, or at least a reason to drop it rather than have him stuck in the middle of a war on the school.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
Christian Graus wrote:
BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them.
I believe that "milk solids" show up in products where you might not expect them to be. A tiny ray of sunshine in this: I heard this morning that the first successful trials of a desensitization process were deemed very successful. The test subjects started off by ingesting a micro-liter of peanut dust and gradually worked their way up to eating large amounts. They expect it to be approved and on the market in a couple of years.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
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Christian Graus wrote:
BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them.
I believe that "milk solids" show up in products where you might not expect them to be. A tiny ray of sunshine in this: I heard this morning that the first successful trials of a desensitization process were deemed very successful. The test subjects started off by ingesting a micro-liter of peanut dust and gradually worked their way up to eating large amounts. They expect it to be approved and on the market in a couple of years.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
Oakman wrote:
I believe that "milk solids" show up in products where you might not expect them to be.
Absolutely, that's why I asked if he's affected by this the same way the peanut guys are.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
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Chris Austin wrote:
You'll have to forgive me if I am wrong but I thought they served milk at school in those little cartons. At least that's what I remember.
The point, I believe, is that the child knows not to eat nuts, or drink milk, BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them. As I said, I don't know the specifics, I was thinking out loud, and he may well be as affected by, say, cows milk in chocolate. If he is, I'd not hesitate to raise hell about it. And that not being the case would not guarantee I wouldn't do it anyhow.
Chris Austin wrote:
But, we tend to stick to dark chocolate anyway.
*grin* me, too.
Chris Austin wrote:
It's hard to stay mad during something like that
Yes, the other thing to remember is that you get to blow your fuse, but he will pay the price. If there's a genuine difference ( i.e. if it doesn't hit him as fast and therefore he has time to feel it coming on and get help ), then perhaps there's a reason for the discrepancy, or at least a reason to drop it rather than have him stuck in the middle of a war on the school.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
Christian Graus wrote:
The point, I believe, is that the child knows not to eat nuts, or drink milk, BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them. As I said, I don't know the specifics, I was thinking out loud, and he may well be as affected by, say, cows milk in chocolate. If he is, I'd not hesitate to raise hell about it. And that not being the case would not guarantee I wouldn't do it anyhow.
Sorry. I was trying to be a bit ironical. I think we can cope with my son's issue a bit easier than the peanut people since milk in most cooked foods doesn't seem to have the same effects. More than anything, I am really curious about what has caused this 'outbreak' of peanut allergies. Since I haven't seen any historical data I still wonder about the root cause or if the percentage of the population with issues is the same in percentage but just louder and better at threatening law suits.
Christian Graus wrote:
Yes, the other thing to remember is that you get to blow your fuse, but he will pay the price.
Oh yeah, I try really hard around him. I made sure I listened to the mellow stuff later.
Christian Graus wrote:
( i.e. if it doesn't hit him as fast and therefore he has time to feel it coming on and get help )
Spot on.
Christian Graus wrote:
at least a reason to drop it rather than have him stuck in the middle of a war on the school.
Yeah, I went through too many silly wars with my dad fighting the system just for the sake of it.
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
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Christian Graus wrote:
BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them.
I believe that "milk solids" show up in products where you might not expect them to be. A tiny ray of sunshine in this: I heard this morning that the first successful trials of a desensitization process were deemed very successful. The test subjects started off by ingesting a micro-liter of peanut dust and gradually worked their way up to eating large amounts. They expect it to be approved and on the market in a couple of years.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
Oakman wrote:
A tiny ray of sunshine in this: I heard this morning that the first successful trials of a desensitization process were deemed very successful. The test subjects started off by ingesting a micro-liter of peanut dust and gradually worked their way up to eating large amounts. They expect it to be approved and on the market in a couple of years.
Very interesting. Have you come across anything that attempts to explain the seeming increase in peanut allergies?
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
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So, My son is extremely allergic to cow's milk (It's far worse than lactose intolerance). But, we don't force others to modify their diet around him. Even at three, he knows he is not supposed to drink cow's milk and he knows to ask anybody that gives him milk if it is cow milk. However, when I sat down with a preschool headmaster this morning she made it very clear that he is not to ever bring a lunch that includes anything to do with peanuts. I thought sure, I can deal with that even though my boy loves a "PB&J sammich". So, I asked if they would make sure that he enjoys the same level of quarantine around cow milk. She looked at me like I was crazy and simply said 'no'. Needless to say, it upsets me that my child's allergy is not deemed as important as those with a peanut allergy even though he suffers nearly the same symptoms. My personal feelings aside, when did so many kids start becoming allergic to peanuts? I am not that old and I don't remember it being something we had to be paranoid about when I was in school. Has our diet of processed foods and mass produced meat caused this? Or, is it just another case inconveniencing everybody to appease a few whiners?
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
As the farther of a seven month old I've been interested in the same topic. The official advice here in Oz is that introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies. In the last few months a study was released that came to the opposite conclusion - that waiting too long to introduce solid food is associated with food allergies. We started at 4 months because he is a massive little fella (in the 100th percentile for height, 90th for weight) and breast milk alone was not satisfying him. There is another school of thought that links the increase in early childhood vaccinations with (amongst just about everything else) food allergies. I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies. We were advised that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they have been linked with childhood allergies. I asked the doctor if avoiding certain foods like peanuts during pregnancy could cause allergies as that seemed logical to me (ie the opposite of the advice). She said that no one really knew as it would be unethical to attempt a study. My personal thought is that no one really knows what causes these severe allergies and everyone with a chip on their shoulder about particular parenting methods has attempted to draw a connection between allergies and their area of interest. I see a similar thing with Autism, not breastfeeding causes it, vaccinations cause it, eating X causes it, not eating X causes it etc etc There is also a defined distinction[^] between an allergy and an intolerance yet most people only use the term allergy
modified on Monday, March 16, 2009 8:40 PM
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Christian Graus wrote:
The point, I believe, is that the child knows not to eat nuts, or drink milk, BUT, in theory, all sorts of foods can have traces of peanut in them. As I said, I don't know the specifics, I was thinking out loud, and he may well be as affected by, say, cows milk in chocolate. If he is, I'd not hesitate to raise hell about it. And that not being the case would not guarantee I wouldn't do it anyhow.
Sorry. I was trying to be a bit ironical. I think we can cope with my son's issue a bit easier than the peanut people since milk in most cooked foods doesn't seem to have the same effects. More than anything, I am really curious about what has caused this 'outbreak' of peanut allergies. Since I haven't seen any historical data I still wonder about the root cause or if the percentage of the population with issues is the same in percentage but just louder and better at threatening law suits.
Christian Graus wrote:
Yes, the other thing to remember is that you get to blow your fuse, but he will pay the price.
Oh yeah, I try really hard around him. I made sure I listened to the mellow stuff later.
Christian Graus wrote:
( i.e. if it doesn't hit him as fast and therefore he has time to feel it coming on and get help )
Spot on.
Christian Graus wrote:
at least a reason to drop it rather than have him stuck in the middle of a war on the school.
Yeah, I went through too many silly wars with my dad fighting the system just for the sake of it.
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
Chris Austin wrote:
Sorry. I was trying to be a bit ironica
OK, that's cool. I was worried I might offend you, it IS an issue that affects your son's health, after all.
Chris Austin wrote:
More than anything, I am really curious about what has caused this 'outbreak' of peanut allergie
It's happening in Oz, too. I'm very interested, please do post if you find out anything.
Chris Austin wrote:
Yeah, I went through too many silly wars with my dad fighting the system just for the sake of it.
Exactly. I could easily find it in myself to be that way, but I always try to think if it will make my kid better off, or not.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
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As the farther of a seven month old I've been interested in the same topic. The official advice here in Oz is that introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies. In the last few months a study was released that came to the opposite conclusion - that waiting too long to introduce solid food is associated with food allergies. We started at 4 months because he is a massive little fella (in the 100th percentile for height, 90th for weight) and breast milk alone was not satisfying him. There is another school of thought that links the increase in early childhood vaccinations with (amongst just about everything else) food allergies. I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies. We were advised that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they have been linked with childhood allergies. I asked the doctor if avoiding certain foods like peanuts during pregnancy could cause allergies as that seemed logical to me (ie the opposite of the advice). She said that no one really knew as it would be unethical to attempt a study. My personal thought is that no one really knows what causes these severe allergies and everyone with a chip on their shoulder about particular parenting methods has attempted to draw a connection between allergies and their area of interest. I see a similar thing with Autism, not breastfeeding causes it, vaccinations cause it, eating X causes it, not eating X causes it etc etc There is also a defined distinction[^] between an allergy and an intolerance yet most people only use the term allergy
modified on Monday, March 16, 2009 8:40 PM
Nothing *causes* autism, it's not a disease. GIven how scared women are nowadays of stuff they can't eat when pregnant, I think your theory probably holds some water.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
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As the farther of a seven month old I've been interested in the same topic. The official advice here in Oz is that introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies. In the last few months a study was released that came to the opposite conclusion - that waiting too long to introduce solid food is associated with food allergies. We started at 4 months because he is a massive little fella (in the 100th percentile for height, 90th for weight) and breast milk alone was not satisfying him. There is another school of thought that links the increase in early childhood vaccinations with (amongst just about everything else) food allergies. I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies. We were advised that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they have been linked with childhood allergies. I asked the doctor if avoiding certain foods like peanuts during pregnancy could cause allergies as that seemed logical to me (ie the opposite of the advice). She said that no one really knew as it would be unethical to attempt a study. My personal thought is that no one really knows what causes these severe allergies and everyone with a chip on their shoulder about particular parenting methods has attempted to draw a connection between allergies and their area of interest. I see a similar thing with Autism, not breastfeeding causes it, vaccinations cause it, eating X causes it, not eating X causes it etc etc There is also a defined distinction[^] between an allergy and an intolerance yet most people only use the term allergy
modified on Monday, March 16, 2009 8:40 PM
Josh Gray wrote:
introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies.
My theory is that introducing babies to government bureaucracy early is associated with the increase in food allergies. :laugh:
Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.
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Josh Gray wrote:
introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies.
My theory is that introducing babies to government bureaucracy early is associated with the increase in food allergies. :laugh:
Chaining ourselves to the moral high ground does not make us good guys. Aside from making us easy targets, it merely makes us idiotic prisoners of our own self loathing.
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So, My son is extremely allergic to cow's milk (It's far worse than lactose intolerance). But, we don't force others to modify their diet around him. Even at three, he knows he is not supposed to drink cow's milk and he knows to ask anybody that gives him milk if it is cow milk. However, when I sat down with a preschool headmaster this morning she made it very clear that he is not to ever bring a lunch that includes anything to do with peanuts. I thought sure, I can deal with that even though my boy loves a "PB&J sammich". So, I asked if they would make sure that he enjoys the same level of quarantine around cow milk. She looked at me like I was crazy and simply said 'no'. Needless to say, it upsets me that my child's allergy is not deemed as important as those with a peanut allergy even though he suffers nearly the same symptoms. My personal feelings aside, when did so many kids start becoming allergic to peanuts? I am not that old and I don't remember it being something we had to be paranoid about when I was in school. Has our diet of processed foods and mass produced meat caused this? Or, is it just another case inconveniencing everybody to appease a few whiners?
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
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As the farther of a seven month old I've been interested in the same topic. The official advice here in Oz is that introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies. In the last few months a study was released that came to the opposite conclusion - that waiting too long to introduce solid food is associated with food allergies. We started at 4 months because he is a massive little fella (in the 100th percentile for height, 90th for weight) and breast milk alone was not satisfying him. There is another school of thought that links the increase in early childhood vaccinations with (amongst just about everything else) food allergies. I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies. We were advised that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they have been linked with childhood allergies. I asked the doctor if avoiding certain foods like peanuts during pregnancy could cause allergies as that seemed logical to me (ie the opposite of the advice). She said that no one really knew as it would be unethical to attempt a study. My personal thought is that no one really knows what causes these severe allergies and everyone with a chip on their shoulder about particular parenting methods has attempted to draw a connection between allergies and their area of interest. I see a similar thing with Autism, not breastfeeding causes it, vaccinations cause it, eating X causes it, not eating X causes it etc etc There is also a defined distinction[^] between an allergy and an intolerance yet most people only use the term allergy
modified on Monday, March 16, 2009 8:40 PM
I saw this in a TV report and found it of interest: http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_allergy_nuts.html[^]
John Carson
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I saw this in a TV report and found it of interest: http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_allergy_nuts.html[^]
John Carson
Several times in my early teens I came in contact with poison ivy on camping trips; some of the reactions were extensive and painful. I recall one time practically living in the bathtub and swimming in Calamine lotion for a few days. Yet these days I uproot poison ivy plants with my bare hands ... and eventually go wash up. It seems that if I wash within about 1/2 hour it doesn't bother me much, perhaps one or two small blisters on a finger or two.
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Ilíon wrote:
What's up is just yet another Yuppie "I'm so special" hysteria/fad.
I hope so because that's curable.
Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. --?
Chris Austin wrote:
I hope so because that's curable.
I'm not so sure. Oh, sure, eventually it will not be chic to have a peanut alergy, and then the "incidence" will decline as mysteriously as it grew, and probably more quickly. But that will only mean that an even more trendy alergy has been "discovered."
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Several times in my early teens I came in contact with poison ivy on camping trips; some of the reactions were extensive and painful. I recall one time practically living in the bathtub and swimming in Calamine lotion for a few days. Yet these days I uproot poison ivy plants with my bare hands ... and eventually go wash up. It seems that if I wash within about 1/2 hour it doesn't bother me much, perhaps one or two small blisters on a finger or two.
Yes, I tend to agree with the other poster who said the problem could be over protection, as much as anything.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
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As the farther of a seven month old I've been interested in the same topic. The official advice here in Oz is that introducing babies to solid food early (before 6 months) is thought to be associated with the increase in food allergies. In the last few months a study was released that came to the opposite conclusion - that waiting too long to introduce solid food is associated with food allergies. We started at 4 months because he is a massive little fella (in the 100th percentile for height, 90th for weight) and breast milk alone was not satisfying him. There is another school of thought that links the increase in early childhood vaccinations with (amongst just about everything else) food allergies. I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies. We were advised that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy as they have been linked with childhood allergies. I asked the doctor if avoiding certain foods like peanuts during pregnancy could cause allergies as that seemed logical to me (ie the opposite of the advice). She said that no one really knew as it would be unethical to attempt a study. My personal thought is that no one really knows what causes these severe allergies and everyone with a chip on their shoulder about particular parenting methods has attempted to draw a connection between allergies and their area of interest. I see a similar thing with Autism, not breastfeeding causes it, vaccinations cause it, eating X causes it, not eating X causes it etc etc There is also a defined distinction[^] between an allergy and an intolerance yet most people only use the term allergy
modified on Monday, March 16, 2009 8:40 PM
Josh Gray wrote:
I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies.
I've read that, too. And it makes sense to me. As long as children are breastfed -- apparently that was originally a couple of years in the dawn of civilization - the mother's immune system is helping the child's system learn to tolerate a universe a heck of a lot less tolerable than the womb.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
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Josh Gray wrote:
I've also read that not breastfeeding a child is linked to allergies.
I've read that, too. And it makes sense to me. As long as children are breastfed -- apparently that was originally a couple of years in the dawn of civilization - the mother's immune system is helping the child's system learn to tolerate a universe a heck of a lot less tolerable than the womb.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
Oakman wrote:
I've read that, too. And it makes sense to me. As long as children are breastfed -- apparently that was originally a couple of years in the dawn of civilization - the mother's immune system is helping the child's system learn to tolerate a universe a heck of a lot less tolerable than the womb.
Our experience of parenting a baby is that it's a minefield of conflicting advice and associated guilt. Often the advice given is the result of a personal vendetta against a particular parenting practice as much as it is the result of scientific study. Breastfeeding is probably the best example, 30 odd years ago when we were babies our mothers were encouraged to use formula, we met many midwives who insist that every woman is able to breastfeed and to not do so is tantamount to child abuse. I know of at least one woman who has suffered serious PND as a result of this pressure and being unable to breastfeed her child. The breastfeeding thing is often taken too far now I think. My niece started school last year at five years old and there were kids who were still being breastfeed before bed every night.
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Oakman wrote:
I've read that, too. And it makes sense to me. As long as children are breastfed -- apparently that was originally a couple of years in the dawn of civilization - the mother's immune system is helping the child's system learn to tolerate a universe a heck of a lot less tolerable than the womb.
Our experience of parenting a baby is that it's a minefield of conflicting advice and associated guilt. Often the advice given is the result of a personal vendetta against a particular parenting practice as much as it is the result of scientific study. Breastfeeding is probably the best example, 30 odd years ago when we were babies our mothers were encouraged to use formula, we met many midwives who insist that every woman is able to breastfeed and to not do so is tantamount to child abuse. I know of at least one woman who has suffered serious PND as a result of this pressure and being unable to breastfeed her child. The breastfeeding thing is often taken too far now I think. My niece started school last year at five years old and there were kids who were still being breastfeed before bed every night.
Josh Gray wrote:
five years old and *snip* still being breastfeed before bed every night.
That's just wrong... On the other hand - make sure you are getting some!! ;P Do what you think works best for you guys... yes, breastfeeding is great for the kid's immune system, and the containers breast milk comes in are fun to have around, but at the end of the day, kids will thrive on formula just as well. I remember with our first one, he would NOT sleep on his back or side, only on his stomach. SIDS research suggests always putting your baby to sleep on its side or back, never on its stomach... HOWEVER, given the choice between a sleeping baby with a very mildly increased risk of SIDS, or a baby that screamed the house down and wouldn't sleep, we put him to sleep on his stomach every day. (Although we did buy a SIDS reducing cot mattress - but this was before he was born.)
Knowledge is knowing that the tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in fruit salad!! Booger Mobile - Camp Quality esCarpade 2010