Don't delay giving your baby peanuts, eggs and milk

Delaying giving babies potentially allergenic foods such as milk, egg or peanuts could be doing them more harm than good, experts warn.

New research suggests avoiding these foods until after they turn one increases their chance of developing a food allergy.

Infants who were not fed milk in their first year were nearly four times as likely to become sensitive to it at age one. The risk was double for egg or peanuts, a Canadian study discovered.

The number of children with allergies in the UK is reaching epidemic levels in the UK – with one in 50 schoolchildren suffering from the allergy.

At present, the NHS advises delaying the introduction of eggs and peanut products such as peanut butter until six months of age, with the intention of preventing allergies.

But the scientists writing in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology suggest this may be leading to an increase in allergies, and children should be exposed to peanuts, eggs and cow’s milk earlier – between four to six months.

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