Argh! Have I hurt the insides of my DS....???!!!

[Confusedmum23]

Hi,
My DS is 6.5 months old and we started weaning him when he was 18 weeks due to his reflux. I have been very very careful in introducing foods to him as he has bee diagnosed with multiple food protein allergies. But last week, almost 11 weeks into weaning, I offered him some fresh organic strawberries to chew and suck on as well as mash them with avocados and his morning porridge (instead of using Ella's Kitchen apple & strawberry which he likes very much and which I have been using to make dessert smoothies for him after his main meals). Then a friend mentioned that strawberries are a major no-no for babies below 1 year! I googled and that is said almost everywhere! Thing is, he seems to love strawberries and I have not observed anything too wrong with him, though he has always had some ongoing eczema (his food protein allergies) and dribble rash (teething). So I read that I might have hurt his gut, intestines, etc.!!!! Argh!!!!
And last week I made some baby food using orange juice with chicken / salmon following AK's recipes. Apparently oranges are no-no too! But why is it that they say when baby is constipated offer orange juice????? Should I throw those cooked foods away????

My DS is 7.5 months old. He has had both strawberries and oranges - I didn't realise he couldn't!

I'm scared too now! Dh is always giving my 6month old ds them to suck on with his pudding!

For goodness sake stop worrying, be thankful your babies will eat anything other than yoghurt,

Pretty much the only things you shouldn't give under 1 are foods with a high salt content, honey, uncooked meats, runny egg, pate, whole nuts or blue cheese.

I'm sure someone will be along with a few more, but it's generally not the kind of thing you would give wee ones anyway.

If you have a baby with food allergies and intolerances it is likely that their gut is more sensitive than average so while the majority of babies are fine with strawberries and cirtus, you may be better off to delay them a little. Also with ongoing eczema, it is quite possible that there are some further food intolerances going on. Lucy Burney's Optimum Nutrition for babies and Toddlers gives a good list of what food to delay until what age. It is slightly out of date with regards to BLW but good on the exclusion list, nutrition, allergy alternatives and supplements.

Don't just randomly google any page to tell you what's ok or not! Anyone can write on websites. You don't normally just believe anything people tell you, isn't it? Just because it's written doesn't make it more authoritative. Like you say even Annabel Karmel does oranges and strawberries in her weaning plan. This means many mums would have used it on their children.

Have a look at what the NHS says about this (ie it doesn't say tomatoes and citrus are off)

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-baby.aspx

There's a link to symptons of food allergies. If you don't see anything wrong with your DS after eating the oranges, it's ok then, isn't it?

I think the problem with citrus and strawberries is actually eczema. I see DD sometimes get a bit red around her mouth when I give her a segment to eat. But she looks fine if it's a cherry tomato (which she doesn't smear on her face) or if it's tomato sauce.

My 9mo DS has strawberries practically every day. I had no clue they weren't meant to get them.

I put them in bloody everything!

I have never heard that you shouldn't give babies pate or blue cheese - isn't that pregnant women?

Basically you can give them anything, cook eggs and meat thoroughly though. Avoid salt, anything that is a choking hazard and honey.

Hey thanks all! Feeling slightly more relieved re the strawberries and the wellbeing of his insides, though some of you are right to say I should watch the eczema. If strawberries are really also a problem for my DS, I will be really gutted as that poor little boy is already having such a restricted diet due to his suspected food allergies and strawberries is the first thing in 11 weeks of weaning that I can say he does like very much! As mentioned he would eat them fresh, or mash in his avocados or soy yoghurt, and even morning porridge (which he used to just refuse to eat). Even when he was crying due to teething at mealtimes, he would not not eat the strawberries! Well only started giving him strawberries last Thursday and Friday and the plaice cooked with orange juice for dinner for the past two evenings. His eczema does not seem to have worsened. I am ruling the 3-day rule when it comes to introducing foods to him too. BTW not doing BLW - can't deal with the mess... This weaning business is such a minefield!

Also, he is teething, and suffers from reflux, and think he is also coming down with a cold as his little nose is all bunged up! So he is throwing up quite a bit - can't tell if it is due to reflux, teething, cold, or food allergy!

Oops my 7mo has had strawberries pretty much every day over Wimbledon he is mad on them