It's maddening how much advice given to parents throughout the years has not just been a bit lame, it's been actively harmful.
Example: Food allergies.
For years, parents have been warned not to feed babies peanuts and such things until they were 3 years old. And only milk/formula until 6 months old.
When they finally get around to doing randomized trials, it turns out the best way to PREVENT food allergies is to feed babies exciting things at 4 months.
4 months!
Maddening. #dadtoot
Following up to myself - I should have shared the link to the interview that prompted my toot about preventing food allergies in babies.
Citation needed! https://parentdata.org/introducing-allergens/
Also, Emily Oster is amazing. If you're a parent or planning to be one, or just curious about how these things go - hurry up and buy all her books.
@HerraBRE 4 months! Wow. It's wild how so much "expert" advice is based on assumptions not research!
How it's changed over the years too - we were told wait only a year, and only peanuts and eggs were the big concerns. But that was more than 20 years ago.
@HerraBRE That is maddening indeed. Do you have a link to said research?
@hth This is the link I should have included in my toot: https://parentdata.org/introducing-allergens/