OPINION-BASED INFANT FEEDINg guIDElINES

m edical guidelines are constantly changing and some are even being reversed, as illustrated by a shift in focus from cholesterol numbers to a heart-healthy lifestyle, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation moving from a fixation on maintaining airway and breathing to sustaining circulation. There is no greater example of changing medical advice than what is currently emerging in the allergy field – a shift from avoiding exposure to furry pets (e.g., cats and dogs) to now emphasizing that early-life exposure to pets can be protective against the development of allergy. We review here the changing attitude towards the introduction of highly allergenic foods into the infant diet. It is reasonable to assume that the anatomic, physiologic and metabolic requirements of human infants have not changed significantly during the last century, yet we, the medical community and authorities, are generating and issuing new infant feeding guidelines almost annually. Instructions that were the most updated medical information just years ago are now considered obsolete and possibly harmful. Fortunately, mothers have either ignored most medical advice or infants have survived despite it. However, in some cases, we may be paying for the mistakes.