Although having a diaper rash is part and parcel of being a baby, when your baby starts solids, the combination of baby food and diaper rash can go hand in hand, as a result of food allergies. But there are things you can do to avoid food allergies.

First, start by introducing a new food to your baby by applying a little bit of the food to her cheek, and wait 20 minutes. If there is no reaction, give 1 teaspoon of the new food and wait four hours. The reaction you are looking for (and hopefully not getting!) is red cheeks, irritability, runny nose, colic, constipation or diarrhea, gas, insomnia or other skin reactions.

Whenever I gave egg to my daughter Hana, her cheeks would go red immediately. As she got older, that went away.

Citrus fruits are very acidic and should also be avoided until your baby is 12-18 months. Other highly allergenic foods are strawberries, peanut butter, cow's milk, eggs, shellfish and soy.

It is important to keep track when you introduce a new baby food and diaper rash can then be observed and connected to the new food that was introduced. You do not need to limit that food forever, just wait six months or so and then try again.

Some of the least allergenic foods for baby are: carrot, broccoli, asparagus, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, turnip, beets, dark leafy greens, pear, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, currents and breastmilk. These are what your baby should eat until 9 months of age.

 

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