Eczema and starting solids: are certain foods better than others?

Parents of babies who have eczema might be wondering if certain foods are better for their skin when starting solids. 

In our latest Facebook Live chat, we talked to Dr Kyla, a paediatric dietician and founder of Baby Mealtimes. Dr Kyla says there aren’t any foods that should be avoided, but she has some advice when it comes to introducing the nine food allergens.

“What I would want for your baby who has eczema is that the eczema is 100% under control, particularly before you introduce the food allergens. 

“Because what we know is that for babies with eczema, that skin permeability is increased. So when they have that broken, itchy and dry skin, if food proteins can pass through that, they actually have an increased risk of developing a food allergy.”

Watch the full interview with Dr Kyla below:

The 9 allergens

Dr Kyla says these are the nine food allergens that should be carefully introduced into your baby’s diet.

1. peanuts 
2. egg
3. cow’s milk or dairy kind of products 
4. soy
5. Sesame
6. fish 
7. shellfish
8. other nuts 
9. wheat. 

“They’re the ones that are most likely to cause an allergic response,” says Dr Kyla. “So ideally we want to introduce those foods before the age of 12 months to do everything that we can to prevent a food allergy developing. And that’s the best evidence that we’ve got now; it’s about the timing.”

Once your baby’s eczema is under control, you can introduce foods as normal.

“You just don’t want to do it if they have an eczema flare on their face because it increases the risk,” Dr Kyla reiterates.

“And even if food seems to cause a flare in eczema, we don’t want to stop offering it unless your baby is showing an allergic reaction. 

“If we keep offering those foods when it’s just eczema related, we’re increasing their tolerance, but that’s a complex topic.” 

For parents who want to know more about eczema, Dr Kyla runs a seminar once a month. Visit the Baby Mealtimes website for more information.