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Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about when (if ever) to introdcue gluten to my new daughter.  I got a very wide variety of responses.  Many were skeptical of the study I mentioned that suggested introducing gluten at 4-6 months.  Apparently it involved only a small number of subjects and did not take into consideration whether the babies were breastfed or not.  Several parents shared what they did with their own kids.  One followed the study based on the advice of her nutritionist and her baby is now 10 months old and seems OK so far.  Several are going to wait until their babies are 1 until they give gluten, b/c then they can be tested for the antibodies (but not earlier than age 1).  One noted that York Labs has a fingerstick test for babies over 1 that are not nursing and I could use that when the baby turns 1.    The main concern with giving gluten to a baby at all seemed to be the inability to tell in some cases whether the baby is having a negative reaction (b/c you can't test that early and symptoms are sometimes hard to see).  One woman said she decided to wait until the baby was 1 based on an article she read about wheat allergies.  So far her child is OK.  Several said I should not give the baby gluten at all ever, and that I would be putting my child at risk by doing so.  One suggested I have a DNA test done now to see if the baby has the gene.  Everyone seemed to agree that I should nurse as long as possible, however there was little agreement re whether gluten I ingest is passed on to the baby through the breastmilk (equal numbers said yes or no).  One or two noted that the key seems to be introdcuing gluten to the baby WHILE I'm still breastfeeding.  They thought that perhaps that was why the study found a slightly higher risk of celiac in babies given gluten after 6 months (most women only breastfeed up to 6 months). One woman decided to not eat gluten herself towards the end of her pregnancy and did not start eating it again until the baby was 4 months old.  She then introduced gluten to the baby at 5-6 months old and the child so far is not celiac at age 2.  Another woman said she did not give her baby gluten until 10 months old and when she did she saw a negative reaction in the baby.  Another person said she researched the issue extensivley and found conflicting advice in the medical journals, with some saying to wait a few years before giving gluten and others saying to give it early.  Most however repeated that it was important to breastfeed as long as possible.  Another interesting response theorized that the reason the study I cited found an increased risk when gluten was ingested after 6 months was, again, because breastfeeding has usually ceased by then, but also b/c the amount of gluten likely to be taken in by the child after 6 months is going to be greater than at 4 or 5 months (they can eat more at one sitting), and perhaps that sort of shocks the system.
Obviously, this is an issue that does not have an easy answer.  I am going to run all of this by my pediatric GI doctor and see what he says.  Thanks again, everyone!

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