The idea of the four day rule is to offer the same food item for four days to allow the digestive system to get use to that item before offering another item. Once the four days has past then you're free to offer another food item in conjunction with the previous food item, for four days to watch for any reactions. If a reaction DOES present itself, you will know exactly what food item your child is allergic or sensitive to. If you were to give 5 new foods at once, you wouldn't know which was causing the allergic reaction.
Cynthia has given a great idea when it comes to offering your child a new food over a 4 day period. Her idea is to do the following: (assuming you started the very first food off with cereal [of some sort] and baby is used to this cereal) For the following example we'll call the cereal "brown rice cereal" and the new food "apples".
Day 1: Give 3 parts brown rice cereal and 1 part apples
Day 2: Give 2 parts brown rice cereal and 2 parts apples
Day 3: Give 1 part brown rice cereal and 3 parts apples
Day 4: Give 0 parts brown rice cereal and 4 parts apples
Some Signs of Allergic Reaction:
Hives, swelling, trouble breathing are severe symptoms but other symptoms can occur, such as; eczema, vomiting, diarrhea, ring around the anus, as well as some other symptoms.If you think your child is having an allergic reaction, please consult a health care provider RIGHT AWAY.
