In a message dated 1/12/00 10:01:35 PM Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Did this effect your children? >>
Elaine, it did not affect my children in any negative way. Perhaps chew toys
cover the same motor development skills. Be careful though, I just saw on TV
that the soft chew toys give off some substance detrimental to the liver or
something like that. My latest eater (1 year) refused to even try solids till
then, yet she is my most coordinated, tactile, integrated child. The fact
that your son WANTS the food is a factor to consider. She didn't want it till
then. My last son indicated very strongly at 3 months he wanted to gnaw on my
apple cores, I finally let him around 4 months. My first son, third child
lived on squash for about 6 months (plus breastfeeding) because that's all he
wanted. Maybe you can find one or two foods that are ok with him and just
limit it to that until his digestion matures enough to handle more. I too had
to watch what I ate because it came through my milk, especially dairy. The
daughter who stopped breathing due to dairy allergy (see archives in my
introduction) never had ingested it directly herself, only through my milk.
So if you do decide to try to restart lactation (which shouldn't be too hard
since it has only been a few months) be careful what you eat as well. A final
note, it is possible to test a baby's allergens/sensitivities through the
mother using applied kinesiology at the chiropractor's office (see archives
under one of my postings, possibly under the email address of
[log in to unmask]) . It is very accurate in my experience and very
non-invasive. Not all chiropractors do it, check around. Carrie