Preventing Food Allergy—Is It Possible?

Contradiction

I'd agree that there's a contradiction in information. "Exposure helps prevent future allergies" (which I agree with and understand,) yet you're at the same time advised to wait to introduce those same foods to your child.

My grandparents never followed such a restriction on their kids and my mom looked at me funny when I told her what the pediatrician told me to do concerning feeding my first little one. I made the choice to allow my child to eat what they could based on chewing/swallowing ability, not allergenic concerns, and not one of my three kids have a single food allergy. I let my kids be kids and didn't keep them constantly sanitized. I watched many mothers run themselves ragged chasing down their kids with sanitizing hand solutions and wipes, fretting over dirt and refusing them access to peanut butter because they 'might' become allergic. :(

No history of asthma in this family, no allergies, and the kids are rarely ill except for the common cold. I do have an allergy to spruce pollen, but only gained that after moving from the desert southwest where such trees are almost unheard of, to an area of forests and wet weather. I suspect if I'd grown up around spruce trees, I'd suffer no reaction whatsoever.

I really feel society has swung way too far in its paranoia over germs.

recommendations

So even though much of the article seems to suggest that unless there is a high genetic risk of allergy, limiting exposure actually may contribute to the development of allergies, the recommendations are repeated to wait until age 2 for eggs and age 3 for peanuts. I don't get it.

low-allergenic formulas

Note that a better phrasing would be "specialty, low-allergenic formulas" as the usual formulas are NOT low-allergenic. It makes sense that breastfeeding would help as you'll get low doses of lots of different flavors and foods as mother eats an array of edibles.