Aspies For Freedom

Hi chamoisee  :grin:  Great to see you here.
In that situation I would say breastfeeding would really be important if that was possible (of course it is important for every child).

My son loved looking at detailed brightly coloured pictures from birth, he would be very attracted to them and stare at them.

Some autistic children want much less stimulus, whereas some want constant physical contact and get very fractious without it.
In that situation a baby sling is very good, so that you can carry on most activities and the baby is snug and secure. :smile:

I wasn't sure whether to ask, but are you expecting?

I breastfed my children too, I think its so important, have you heard of Baby Milk Action? I really support their work too.

I'm in favor of reading to babies at a very early age and giving them plenty of books as well as toys.  Books can be calming for a baby who tends to be hyper and easily overstimulated, and reading to a baby can help the baby to understand that pictures, text, and speech are all used for expressing ideas.

Congratulations!!!! When is it due? :smile:

Rocking the baby, singing lullabies, lots of soft music and soft lighting (no overhead lights) would be important to me, as well as what the others have suggested. And don't dress the baby or cover him too warmly, I just hate to see all those sweaty babies! When I am too warm I feel like I am suffocating and get claustrophobic, so I always made very sure my kids were just the right temperature and wore things right for the weather.

breast feeding,  carrying in sling,  quiet environment,  reading, soft light/music    -   all good.  I agree


I think allergies can make any condition worse.  Avoid babies under two years old from getting any soy products, peanuts, nuts, honey, chocolate, eggs, dairy, citrus fruits.  Avoid chemical cleaning products and food additives: color and preservatives, insecticids, sunscreens or other chemicals.  

My sister and her husband both have allergies on both sides of the family.  Only one kid has food allergies (because she accidently got dairy products too early)  The rest don't.   My sister uses natural cleaning products, doesn't use processed foods or white sugar.  She cooks and bakes everything from scratch.

Good advice.  The nightshade vegetables (tomato & potato) can cause problems too.  When my daughter was about 8 months old, she begged for pizza by pointing to it and saying "Get."  I didn't give her any, but her brother sneaked her a piece while I wasn't looking.  The tomato sauce made her break out in an awful rash.  She outgrew this sensitivity by the time she was two years old.

"Avoid babies under two years old from getting any soy products, peanuts, nuts, honey, chocolate, eggs, dairy, citrus fruits."

I have to totally disagree with that. It used to be said that babies under 2 should not be exposed to peanuts, but now it is thought to have made the problem of allergic reactions worse.
An exposure after 6 months of age is reasonable and tasting different foods in small amounts is a better way to let a child gradually get used to all food groups, tastes and textures.
As Bonnie said if an allergic reaction is seen, it may be outgrown in time anyway.

I haven't seen anything about allergic reactions being worse if the first exposure happens at a later age.  Can you post a link, Amy?

Yes, I will try and find one. In the UK the advice used to be wait until later, sometimes as late as 5 years old, and that advice has changed. I have seen it specifically about peanuts.

But regarding food phobias, and problems with texture of food, it is recommended that babies try different tastes and textures as that information is stored in the brain, and unpopular tastes for kids, such as sprouts, can be changed if a child has had gradual tastes of that food.

Actually I also saw in a child health magazine recently that while mothers had been advised to avoid peanuts while pregnant and breastfeeding, that advice has also been withdrawn.

I have found this article with part of the information, but it doesn't have the updated info on peanuts.

"Is it safe for my baby to have nuts and nut products?

Tanya Wright:   The government recommends that women who have a family history of allergic disease (or who have a partner who does) should avoid peanuts and peanut products while pregnant and breastfeeding to reduce the risk of their baby developing a peanut allergy. Allergic diseases include asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergies. It also recommends that babies from families with a history of allergic disease stay on a peanut-free diet until the age of three years.

If you have a family history of allergic disease, you may also choose to exclude all nuts from your baby's diet, not just peanuts. The reason for this is that, if a child is allergic to peanuts, they are often also allergic to some other nuts. This is because the proteins found in peanuts and other nuts have a very similar structure.

If you have no family history of allergic disease, these recommendations do not apply and peanuts can be included in both your own and your baby's diet. In fact, peanut butter can be a useful weaning food. It is highly nutritious, and a food source of protein, particularly for vegetarian and vegan babies. Try your baby on it from six months of age.

The government does not recommend excluding any other foods from expectant and nursing mums' or babies' diets in order to avoid allergies.


http://www.babycentre.co.uk/expert/557901.html

Thanks Amy.   :smile:   When my children were babies, I avoided feeding them common allergy-causing foods because I had a very bad reaction to peanut butter as a baby and never did entirely outgrow the allergy.  Several people in my family have allergic conditions.

I'm sure you're right that children are less picky about eating if they are taught to eat a variety of foods at a young age, and I agree that it's not likely to cause problems for kids who have no family history of allergies.

I know I'm not a parent, but I remembered something from my Child Development course about new foods for babies:
Introduce one at a time so you can tell *which* one is causing a reaction if the baby has a reaction.

I would want my kid to have the possibilities I did not.

I would be furious and disappointed and in utter disbelief.


Then again I had a vasectomy 7 years ago so................