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7 Things New Parents Should Know About African-American Babies

For new African-American parents, there are issues that are unique to or more common in Black babies. So in addition to questions like, “Why won’t my baby stop crying?” and “How often should I feed my baby?” you need to know some other stuff about your new bundle of joy. These tips come courtesy of babycenter.com.

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Food allergies

African American children are particularly likely to have food allergies. In fact, Black babies may be three times more likely than non-Black babies to have allergies, according to one study, though researchers aren’t sure why. They suspect there may be a connection to the high prevalence of eczema and asthma in Black children. Ninety percent of allergies in the United States are caused by eggs, milk, peanuts (and other nuts), wheat, soy, fish (such as tuna and salmon), and shellfish (like lobster, shrimp, and crab). For infants, the most common culprits are cow’s milk and soy protein in formula, according to babycenter.com.

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