Every single person on our planet has their own unique genetic makeup. There are billions of us and every single one of us is different from the next; including your baby. Depending on your genes you may end up with special dietary needs due to allergies, or your body not processing things properly. Your baby can face these issues too and it is important to see a proper dietician if you are suspicious of any food allergies. If a food allergy such as lactose intolerance is not identified, it can end up causing your baby unneeded stress and pain.
For many years companies have been stocking shelves with all kinds of different baby formulas to help with various food allergies. You could go into just about any grocery store in Australia and easily purchase a lactose-free formula. The same thing goes for allergies to nuts, allergies to certain proteins like gluten, for example, and even babies who have reflux problems. As a parent, there are some things to consider when addressing any dietary requirements of your child.
Continue reading to discover five things we consider to be important when looking at baby’s special diet.
What Is Going To Hurt My Baby?
Your obvious first step when looking at special dietary requirements is to find out exactly what is going on with your baby. This is going to require a trip to your local physician, and most likely a referral to a qualified paediatric dietician. Some food allergies can be very severe, and even deadly, so you want to take all the precautions you can to keep your little one safe.
What Precautions Do We Take?
Some of these kinds of dietary requirements are as simple as switching from one formula to another. If your child is low on iron, you switch to a different formula that will provide the deficit. A peanut allergy, for example, is not as simple. In some cases, these allergies are so severe that the child cannot even be near nuts, as the airborne spores can be inhaled. All of this depends on the information you gathered when you discovered what dietary requirements you baby has.
Is It Genetic?
One thing concerned parents tend to forget about during their child-raising days is, well, themselves. Regardless of what type of special dietary requirements your child has, there is a chance that it is something that was passed on through one of their parents. Maybe you have never had any issues, but with a child to consider you may want to get yourself tested as well. It couldn’t hurt to find out more about your own health regardless.
Where Do I Shop Now?
There is no need to panic if you find out your child has some special dietary needs, it doesn’t have to be scary. We live in a world where just about everything is accessible any time of day, any day of the week. Companies have been producing foods and formulas to deal with every single dietary need that you could think of and then some. Just do your research beforehand, and if worse comes to worst, you can order formula online.
Remember, You Are Not Alone
You should always keep in mind that anything that you are going through as a new parent has already happened before. You are never alone with raising a child, even one with special dietary needs. There are many other parents available to talk to online and locally that can help get you through tough situations. Take advantage of local groups and online communities for tips and tricks on how to deal with your child’s special dietary requirements.
It Really Isn’t That Hard
When you really look at what special dietary requirements entail, at first it may seem like an uphill battle, but it isn’t that bad. With the amount of information and products available in the modern world, you may need a little more time, patience, and cash flow, but you should be able to handle it. Just follow these suggestions and your special little one will do perfectly fine.