Take care with anything that a potentially sensitive baby ingests, absorbs or swallows. Only use medicines or vitamin supplements if your doctor considers them absolutely essential, and use low-allergen versions where possible. Medicines, such as anti-histamines, can be prescribed in low-sugar syrups without colourants.
Some vitamin supplements are tolerated well by some highly sensitive babies (e.g. Abidec, Seravit, calcium lactate or calcium gluconate) and a paediatrician will be able to give specialist advice. Use only once every four days at first, unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Do not use gripe water. It contains alcohol and some babies react to it. Excessive wind can be due to food sensitivity.
Do not use toothpaste for a baby. Sodium bicarbonate used as a toothpowder is totally satisfactory. YOU can give fluoride in drop form in distilled water. Introduce as advised above.
Babies highly sensitive to plastics can react to plastic dummies. Avoid using these if you suspect them.
For vaccinations, some doctors advise delaying diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio immunisation until the baby is four months old, rather than three months old, to reduce any risk of adverse reaction. The sera prepared for these vaccines are extremely pure and very rarely cause adverse reaction. As an extra precaution, a nurse or doctor should take the baby’s temperature immediately before to ensure that he or she has no fever or other illness.
The measles, mumps, rubella vaccine given at 12 months is based on the embryo of hens, and can sometimes cause problems to babies who are very highly sensitive to eggs. Take your doctor’s advice before the vaccination is done.
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