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I received quite a few responses.  Thank you everyone!  Most people
recommended not introducing wheat and oats until about 1 ... and watching
carefully for a reaction.

Some of the comments follow below:

I don't think anyone can give you a positive answer.  My grandfather had
Celiac, yet none of his children did.  I am the only grandchild to have
obvious food sensitivities and my son is the only great grandchild to be
Celiac.  Yet, if it was my child, I think I would.  There are debates about
"when" with normal children.  My son was ill since birth.  It was when I
introduced him to grains that he fell off the growth charts.  If you do
though, you are alert to the possible problem and could pull back quickly.
Again, it is up to you.  Whatever you decide, good luck and God bless.

My friend's 3-year old daughter has celiac disease.  She also has a small
baby; he hasn't been tested yet.  She is going to wait until the baby is one
year old before she introduces grains and wheat.  It's better to err on the
safe side.

Apparently, some doctors are routinely recommending that wheat not be
introduced until one year of age, along with other common allergens such as
egg, citrus, walnuts, and so on. When my oldest child was born, we were told
to introduce foods at 3 months and wheat at 6 months. By the time my youngest
was born five years later, we were told to introduce solids at 6 months and
to hold off on wheat until 8 months.

This is in the context of a family with no known food allergies. Our middle
child was diagnosed with celiac at age 3-1/2, but had been symptomatic even
as far back as his nursing days.  Unless there is a strong reason to hurry up
with solids, I'd vote to postpone the grains and common allergens.  No
medical training, and so on. Just my own experience.

Your niece should probably not be introduced to them until she is a year old,
at least not wheat.

I waited with my daughter (now 23 months old) until she was 11 months to
introduce any solid food, on the advice of our pediatrician. At 18 months
old, I gave her oats and after her instant reaction (diarhea and stomach
pain), never gave them to her again. I tried wheat a few weeks after and
didn't see an immediate reaction. She did, after a few weeks, begin to get
the bloated stomach and chronic diarhea so I took her off the wheat as well.

I know this is only one child's story, but we have been told that delaying
the introduction is best with a family w/ any history of food intolerance.
My 8 year old twins and I all have wheat intolerance, not officially
diagnosed celiac.

You may find it interesting to know that in Germany all babies are kept on a
gluten free/wheat free diet until the age of 1 year.  They believe that
introducing gluten/wheat before then is injurious to the child's health.
Since I suffer from CD, I fully believe this approach should be done with
all children.

Because my third grader has celiac, our pediatrician had me wait a year to
introduce wheat and oats to my 2 year old.  He stated that even if they have
the genes, waiting will reduce the likelihood of developing celiac.
Additionally, when a child is older, it is easier to recognize even a slight
reaction.

Information that I have read (I'm a new grandma), states that under
normal circumstances (no family history of CS/allergies, etc.), parents
should wait until at least 12 months to introduce foods that often cause
allergies.  Wheat and egg yolks were the first allergens listed, but I don't
remember the others.  Most pediatricians are recommending that babies do not
receive any food besides milk (preferably breast milk)until age 6 months.

I was wondering the same thing.  I have three children.  My 6 year old
is the diagnosed celiac and I have an 8 month old and haven't given her
anything but rice and gluten free food so far.  Please let me know what
you find out.

I have celiac, but am so far the only one in my family.  My brother and his
wife were very careful with my nephew and gluten.  He did not get introduced
to wheat until he was 9 months old and was monitered very carefully.  He also
has on his record that an aunt has celiac and will be watched for that for
the rest of his life.  I have heard to wait up to a year, but it depends on
the allergist involved.  So far, Kain hasn't had any troubles and is growing
like a weed and gaining weight even while eating wheat - but then, I wasn't
diagnosed until I was 23!  Probably just a good idea to monitor your niece
carefully.

A good general rule (at least when I was raising my babies in the 70's)
is to wait until one year of age to introduce citrus, eggs, cow's milk
and wheat -- and for a child at risk for celiac, other gluten-containing
grains as well.

I kept my second daughter off citrus, eggs, cow's milk and wheat but not
other gluten-containing grains until one year of age; she developed
celiac at around 7-1/2 months and was diagnosed at 1 year.  I was
unaware of the protocol with my first daughter, who does not have
celiac.

I just sent something to the list, from an expert on baby nutrition
speaking on Good Morning America, that said no children should be
introduced to any wheat products prior to one  year old. That would include
oats, since they are all contaminated with wheat. With a suspect celiac
child, I'd sure wait till about three when they could tell you if something
is wrong or they don't feel well after eating it. The  younger it's
introduced to an immature system, I'd suspect that the more likely it is to
cause later problems regarding sensitivity. -vance

My son is 7 months old tomorrow.  I have been a Celiac for 9 years and I am
the only one in my family.  I am also lactose intolerant.  My son has been
eating wheat and oats for 2 months now.  The Canadian Celiac Association
encouraged me to give it to him.  The idea is to treat the child normally and
if there is a problem the first thing you suspect is Celiac Disease.
There is a lot of talk these days about holding back wheat from children
until they are one.  This deals with wheat allergies.  Celiac Disease is an
intolerance.

For what it's worth, our doc suggests waiting until one year old to introduce
wheat.  Apparently there were some studies in Ireland, where a commonly used
infant formula was made from wheat, that suggested very early exposure to
wheat may provoke onseet of celiac.  I'm sorry I don't have a citation
regarding this.  the doctor did not advise about oats.

Thanks again -- Debbie