Allergies & Cures

A few years ago, there was an excellent movie that came out called "The Usual Suspects".  The plot involved a hideous crime that caused authorities to round up the types of criminal types who would commit such a crime to try to solve the murders that occurred.  Well, when it comes to the hideous crime of infant allergies and the suffering it can bring upon your baby, most mom and dads will become just as diligent to round up the usual suspects to isolate the types of things that could be in the home that could cause their baby to suffer with allergy symptoms.

As a parent of an allergic child, if you don't understand yet what is causing that allergic reaction, finding the culprit is a top priority in your life.  There are literally thousands of allergies known to man and when you realize that something in your home or in the lifestyle of your baby is creating an allergic reaction nightmare, everything the baby comes in contact with comes under suspicion.  This is no way to live.  So let's take a moment and call out the "usual suspects".  By targeting the areas of your home that have the greatest potential for causing an infant allergy, you have a much greater likelihood of finding the guilty allergen and banishing it from your home and from the life of your baby.

Start in the Kitchen

Infant food allergies are a represent a large percentage of the kinds of allergies that can become a problem for your baby.  But we have enough information that you don't have to become suspicious of every item your baby consumes.  There are specific food groups that represent the majority of baby food allergies for you to focus on.  Those include milk, eggs, peanuts, soy and fish. 

Sometimes bananas and formula can cause allergies but in most cases, if the formula you give your child is causing an allergic reaction, it is because one specific ingredient that can be eliminated from the diet.  Your baby's pediatrician can be of tremendous help in finding the baby allergy culprit lurking in the kitchen.

Now on to the Bedroom

The baby's room is a good place to look closely at ways that allergens can get very close to your little one.  Dust mites can take up residence in sheets, mattresses, pillowcases and even beloved stuffed animals, particularly the ones that were handed down from mom or grandma and that might have come to the infant from a storage place in the attic.  So look at the nursery for ways to eliminate any home for dust mites that can be a major source of problems for an allergic baby.

Soft Underfoot May Mean an Allergy Haven

Those carpets in the baby's room, the bathrooms or the family areas can also be a significant repository of allergens that can set off infant allergies.  The fabric of those carpets can hold mold, pollen brought in on shoes and dust mites as well.  While it is not always possible to pull every stitch of carpet out of the home, an aggressive cleaning schedule including routine visits from the steam cleaning service you like can go a long way from eliminating the carpets in your home from the suspects list for infant allergy causes.

Is it Really Good for the Baby?

If your infant begins to show signs of allergic reactions to something in her life, you should not rule out the medicines that the child might be taking for other health issues.  There are a number of antibiotics including penicillin that are known infant allergens.  Its best to find out about the ingredients of any medicine you bring into the home for your child so you know if there are potential sources of infant allergy problems hidden in that medication.  Your baby's doctor is a perfect source of information on how to keep what is supposed to be good for the baby turn into a major allergy problem.

Don't Leave Out the Family Dog or Cat.

Like people, pets that live with you shed skin and leave flakes of their dead skin in the carpets or anywhere they sleep.  Your baby could come in contact with this potential allergen when just holding a new kitten or playing with the dog that everyone loves so much.  Of course, your pet is not intentionally causing the baby to be sick.  But your pets have no control over what they bring to the house from outdoors in their fur including dust, fleas, pollen or other microscopic living things that can create a significant allergy problem for your baby.

Knowing the areas of the home and where in the lifestyle of your new baby to look for the usual suspects that could be causing allergy problems in your baby's life.  In fact, we know enough about these likely allergy sources that it is smart to take a look at reducing the number of potential allergy causes in your home before the baby comes home to live with you.  By knowing where to look and how to reduce or eliminate the potential for infant allergies, you are taking one more step closer to a happy and healthy infancy for your child.