Our Story -- Transition to Table Foods

To view our story to this point, read here. After my daughter was drinking Nutramigen, I introduced baby food. One new food for four days before trying a new one. Why? Because she reacted to every new food she tried. After day three or four she was fine, but the first couple days we had a breakout all over her face. We classified it as eczema, but I really think she was sensitive to new foods. Sometimes I would give her body a break from new foods. It was an interesting challenge. As a food allergy suffer (I'm allergic to raw fruits and vegetables), I was so concerned with everything she ate and really dreaded feeding her table food. We started snack foods from Gerber and I learned the hard way that you have to really read labels. Around 10 months, I accidentally gave her a snack that had cheese in it. She had a mild case of hives. It did confirm she still had the allergy. It's interesting that Gerber actually doesn't make too many things that are milk-free.

We waited until she turned 1 before we tested her with milk products. I gave her pancakes made with milk and egg. She tolerated it well. I was hopeful when we gave her ice cream we would be free. Nope. My husband fed her the ice cream and I held the Benadryl. Yep, she reacted with hives. So, the next step was to see an allergist. The first one we saw was less than helpful. The second gave us a piece of mind. My main concern was that she wouldn't get enough of the fat and calcium she needs. And what if she was allergic to apples and bananas like I am. The second doctor told us that an allergy to raw fruits and vegetables are not life threatening, so I need not worry. He also said that if she drinks the soy milk and eats a balanced diet, she will be fine.

So I began making her meals. Simple meals: meat, vegetable, fruit, grain. I still keep most items separate because the casseroles usually have a milk base. It took a long time to figure out how to keep her food separate from ours while making "essentially" the same thing. But now I think I have it figured out.

I'll post a menu of meals we eat frequently soon!