FAMP-IT
Food Allergy Management and Prevention
Support Tool for Infants and Toddlers
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For Newborns

Breastfeeding

Why is breastfeeding good for your baby?

Human milk has a lot of important nutrients. Colostrum, the first milk that comes out after giving birth, helps to protect your baby, as it is rich in antibodies. This can help build their immune system.

Additionally, breastmilk also:

If you cannot or choose not to breastfeed, support is available to help you find the best infant formulas. Reach out to your healthcare team for guidance.

What should the mother’s diet be when breastfeeding?

Energy, protein, and other essential nutrients that make up breast milk come from what the mother eats. It is important for women who are breastfeeding to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and stay hydrated.

It’s best if mothers can eat a variety of foods while pregnant and breastfeeding. If mom is not allergic to any foods, then keeping the common food allergens in the diet is great.

Good handwashing habits are important for managing food allergies. Always wash hands before and after the following:

Just because a child has a food allergy does not mean the mother has to stop breastfeeding.

Dot phrases modified from PDF found at: https://famp-it.org/wp-content/uploads/Breastfeeding-Education-Pediatrician.pdf

Additional Resources

Use the QR code below or click on the hyperlink to watch a video, Preventing Food Allergies — What You and Your Family Can Do in the First Several Months, with simple tips on what you can do in the early months of your baby’s life to help prevent food allergies.

vimeopro.com/user22732304/preventing-food-allergies

QR code for video

Visit fampitfamily.org for detailed resources on Early Introduction, Food Allergy Management, and more.

Introducing Complementary Foods

What are the current recommendations for complementary feeding and food allergens?

Waiting to introduce common food allergens to your child may increase the chance of food allergies, especially if they have eczema or a previously diagnosed food allergy.

The common food allergens are:

Begin complementary feeding (giving solids while breastmilk or infant formula are still the main food source) around 6 months, and as early as 4 months to 6 months, if your child is developmentally ready.

The common food allergens should be introduced at the same time as complementary foods.

Between ages 0-4 months: Exclusive breastmilk and/or formula feeding

Between 4-6 months: When your child is ready, start to introduce complementary foods

Healthy Dietary Patterns in Your Baby’s First Year of Life

Give:

Limit:

Avoid:

Introducing your child to the 9 major allergens:

The 9 major potentially allergenic foods should be introduced as complementary foods. There is evidence that introducing peanut-containing foods in an infant’s first year of life can reduce the risk that s/he will develop a peanut allergy There is no evidence that delaying introduction of allergenic foods beyond 6 months prevents food allergy.

  1. Dairy
  2. Egg
  3. Peanuts
  4. Tree Nutrs
  5. Soy
  6. Wheat
  7. Fish
  8. Shellfish
  9. Sesame

Dot phrases modified from PDF found at: https://famp-it.org/wp-content/uploads/aap-statement-FAMPIT_Nutrition-Education_less12mo.pdf

Early Food Introduction
Skincare and Eczema Management
IgE Mediated
Food Allergy
Non-IgE Mediated
Food Allergy

Early Intro News

New Pediatrics Study Highlights Real-World Success of Early Allergen Introduction

  • Evidence in action: A large, multistate study by Dr. Gabryszewski and colleagues in Pediatrics suggests that adoption of early introduction practices may be improving real-world outcomes.
  • Early introduction works: Following national guidelines recommending the early introduction of peanut-containing foods, researchers observed a 43% reduction in peanut allergy and a 36% reduction in overall food allergies.
  • Clinical takeaway: Incorporate early allergen introduction planning into every infant nutrition conversation. Aim to introduce complementary foods, including allergens, ideally between 4 and 6 months of age, once developmentally ready.
  • Educational support: Access tools and resources within the FAMP-IT Food Allergy Prevention Toolkit to guide families and clinicians through safe, evidence-based early feeding practices.
  • Learn more: Listen to the HealthyChildren.org Podcast, Episode 39 — “Can eczema predict allergies to foods like peanuts? Tips for introducing foods to babies.” HealthyChildren.org Podcast Episode 39

These findings underscore the continued need to educate and support families and clinicians in making early allergen introduction a routine, positive part of infant feeding.

FAMP-IT Office Hours – Approaching early introduction of allergens with families

Questions about the latest practice parameters for anaphylaxis and allergy management?

The FAMP-IT team, led by pediatric allergist Dr. Mike Pistiner, is now offering live Office Hours sessions where you can ask your burning questions and get additional guidance on the topics that matter most to you and your team. Check out our Office Hours page for more information and scheduling options.

Article – Access to care, and education may improve the early introduction of allergens into infant diets

“Barriers to early introductions of allergens are varied and include issues of access to care and access to information,… Access to information, eg, the importance of early allergen introduction, can be impacted by factors that relate to the individual family and their care team, including their primary care clinician and the available allergy specialist…Misinformation or a lack of understanding of current recommendations among the members of this coordinated care team will compromise effective shared decision making, effective use of time and available resources for food allergy prevention….  But when the partners on this coordinated care team all share a role-specific awareness about available guidelines for early introduction, a family- and patient-centered approach that works with available resources can be successfully implemented.”

Perspective from Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc

→ Access the original article from Healio @GoHealio

Article – About the LEAP Trio Study

‘Feeding children peanut products regularly from infancy to age 5 years reduced the rate of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71%, even when the children ate or avoided peanut products as desired for many years. These new findings, from a study sponsored and co-funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), provide conclusive evidence that achieving long-term prevention of peanut allergy is possible through early allergen consumption.‘

→ From a National Institutes of Health news release.  Read the complete summary.

→ Access the original article from NEJM Evidence.

Tell me more

If you would like to learn more about FAMP-IT and the team behind this decision tool, drop us a note. Feel free to contact: svyap@mgh.harvard.edu

© 2026 MassGeneral Hospital for Children Food Allergy Center. All rights reserved.