Ready. Set. Food Review

Did you know that 1 in every 13 children are affected by food allergies? Well, I didn’t either. Not until I was introduced to Ready. Set. Food! Product was gifted to me in exchange for my honest review. All information was gathered from the Ready. Set. Food! website. As always, all opinions are my own. Please consult your pediatrician as this is not medical advice.

Ready. Set. Food!

Raising babies can be scary. There are so many things to worry about. And it can seem nearly impossible to fully protect our little ones.

My husband and I both tend to be overly anxious new parents. That is why we are on board with anything that can help protect our little one. We use things like the owlet nightly and have to resist adding our pediatrician to our speed dial. So when our son started eating solid foods around 4 months, we knew food allergies were something we needed to be familiar with and prepared for with our son.

The Facts:

• 1 in 13 children is affected by food allergies.
• 1 out of every 2 children with food allergies has no family history.
• Peanut, egg, and milk are the most common allergens in kids. Representing more than 80% of childhood food allergies.
• Babies are not born with allergies. Food allergies develop over time.
• In March 2019, the AAP updated their recommendations for parents to introduce allergenic foods as
  early as 4 months.

Ready. Set. Food!

This company was founded by doctors who are parents themselves! They work closely with scientists to give parents peace of mind when introducing their little ones to solid foods. Specifically, the main three allergens- eggs, peanuts, and milk.

How It Works

Ready. Set. Food! introduces allergens one at a time through an 11-day process of introduction. It starts with a small dose of milk, then eggs and finally peanuts. Once all three have been introduced, your baby should then continue with the maintenance dose for 6 months, or until your baby is regularly eating these foods themselves 3 times per week.

It is recommended to start introducing Ready. Set. Food! between 4 and 11 months. However, the sooner the better. We only learned about this and started our son at 7 months, but we figured it is better late than never!

How To Use It

When you go to their website, you will want to order stage one and stage two. Stage one will introduce your baby to the three allergens- milk, eggs, and peanuts. As well as the start of the maintenance program. Stage two is strictly maintenance doses and that is what baby will continue on. Ready. Set. Food! recommends 6 months of maintenance. Or until your baby is regularly eating the high allergy food.

We put it in our son’s last bottle of the day. That way we don’t forget to give it and know that it is evenly spaced out. Remember it can be added to either breastmilk, formula or baby food. Any size bottle 2 ounces or more. From one mama to another, I seriously recommend this! Start early and continue for the full six months.

Our Thoughts

We have had many discussions about introducing things such as eggs and peanuts. I mistakenly thought that eating a lot of these while I was pregnant and breastfeeding would help reduce his risk of allergies. But it turns out that hasn’t been proven to help reduce allergens in babies.

We also thought we could just introduce peanut butter before a doctor’s appointment to be safe. While the clinic parking lot could be a safe place to introduce something potentially dangerous. That one-time exposure doesn’t mean baby won’t have an allergic reaction the next time it is introduced.

So when my husband and I first saw Ready. Set. Food! on Shark Tank, we knew we had to try it with our son. I only wish we would have found it sooner! The fact that it can be introduced in breast milk or formula starting at 4 months starts your baby on the right path from a young age. We actually started our son on rice cereal around 4.5 months and homemade baby food right at 6 months. We just recently started Ready. Set. Food! at 7 months.

Now that we have tried it, we are telling all of our friends. It is a simple and affordable way to help protect your little one from a lifetime of potential difficulties with allergies. As a final note, I do want to mention that less than 1% of babies do have an allergic reaction to Ready. Set. Food! Please see their website for more information on this. And always consult with your pediatrician if you have any concerns.