With food allergies now affecting one in 10 Australian babies, health experts are urging parents to introduce common allergy-causing foods early, and keep them in their child’s diet, to help reduce the risk of developing allergies.
To help families put the latest advice into practice, the National Allergy Council has launched a free online tool, the Food Follower App, designed to guide parents through introducing allergy-causing foods and tracking them over time.
The free digital tool helps parents introduce common allergy-causing foods in age-appropriate forms and keep them in their baby’s diet over time – an approach shown to reduce the risk of developing food allergies.
Research shows introducing foods such as peanut and well-cooked egg soon after a baby has started eating solid foods can help reduce the chance of them developing a food allergy to these foods.
Recently updated food allergy prevention guidelines for infant feeding by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), reinforced the importance of introducing these foods early and, if tolerated, continuing to include them in a child’s diet at least once a week.
CEO of the National Allergy Council, Dr Sandra Vale, said while awareness has improved, many parents are still unsure how to put that advice into practice.
“Parents are hearing that introducing these foods matters, but many are unsure of when and how to do this or what to do next,” she said.
“The Food Follower App turns that evidence into something practical, helping parents introduce the common allergy causing foods and continue offering them regularly.”
Paediatric clinical immunology and allergy specialist, Dr Preeti Joshi, said prevention starts early, but consistency is key.
“It is not just about offering a food once. To help reduce the risk of food allergy, these foods should be included around once a week, once they are tolerated. That is where many families find it challenging, and where tools like this can help,” Dr Joshi said.
The Food Follower App helps parents track which common allergy causing foods have been introduced and sends reminders and links to practical food ideas to help continue offering these foods at least once a week.
The online app can be personalised based on a baby’s age and family eating habits, and allows families to log feeding progress, including notes on reactions.
Records can also be shared with partners, carers and health professionals, helping maintain consistency across different care settings.
For Emma Williams, the advice became especially important after her seven-month-old son reacted to egg.
The experience left her anxious about introducing other foods and unsure what to do next.
“When your baby’s had a reaction, you’re scared about introducing anything else,” she said.
“When you’re introducing new foods, it’s important that everyone knows what’s been tried and what needs to be offered regularly,” she said.
“Having that information in one place would make it much easier for parents, grandparents and other carers to stay on the same page and feel confident they’re following the latest advice.”
For more information or to access the free online Food Follower App, visit the Nip allergies in the Bub website: preventallergies.org.au