In Babyscripts’ continued commitment to provide wraparound care to mothers and address pregnancy care holistically, we are excited to announce our partnership with Ready, Set, Food!, a guided, evidence-based system to help parents follow the new guidelines on early allergen introduction.
At Babyscripts, we’re supporting care that addresses every part of the pregnancy journey, not just clinical symptoms. Clinical outcomes may be the most quantifiable metric, but they are intricately connected to less measurable causes, like access to educational resources. In the US healthcare system, the availability of those resources falls off sharply after childbirth.
It is critical that we address this gap in care at one of the most vulnerable moments in a parent and child’s life. Babyscripts is constantly improving and updating the content in our app to ensure that our users have access to the resources that they need to support a healthy and thriving family.
Ready, Set, Food! offers best in class, expert driven educational tools and resources on food allergies and early allergen introduction. These resources will support the community of families that Babyscripts serves with education on how to implement the latest medical guidelines on early allergen introduction for babies starting at 4 months of age, like the following updated guidelines:
“Peanut and egg should be introduced around 6 months of life, but not before 4 months.”
American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAAI), 2021
Food Allergy Trends: The Rise of Food Allergies
Food allergies among children are rising dramatically. There are many causes for the growing prevalence in the U.S. that may include Vitamin D insufficiency, decreased exposure to germs and allergens, and food allergen avoidance. In total, food allergies now affect as many 1 in 12 children in the United States. Unfortunately, there is no cure for food allergies, which can be severe and potentially life-threatening, in addition to impacting quality of life. Recent research shows that up to 1 in 3 food allergic children are bullied as a direct result of having a food allergy.
Bringing New Research on Early Allergen Introduction Home for Babyscripts Families
Fortunately, new research shows that early introduction of allergenic foods can help give babies healthier outcomes. With this new partnership, Babyscripts has now embedded food allergy education, recommendations, and guidance from Ready, Set, Food!’s team of leading pediatricians and allergists to ensure new parents are informed on the latest research and guidelines on early allergen introduction. These customized educational materials with up-to-date food allergy guidance include:
- Timeline Cards with age-appropriate guidance for key After-Visit Summaries at various, key pregnancy and postpartum milestones
- Resource Catalog - reminders for parents and links to helpful articles on vital topics like eczema care, food allergies, and early allergen introduction.
With these new, expert-driven resources from Ready, Set, Food!, Babyscripts is now equipped with more tools and resources than ever to improve the lives and health of parents and babies in the vulnerable postpartum period.
This partnership is coming on the heels of our participation in the DC AAP Spring Symposium: Building Pediatric Capacity to Address Food Insecurity, where spoke about the role of digital tools in improving access to food education resources. Our customizable content helps providers educate moms about WIC resources and nutrition, which often gets overlooked. At one DC provider site, 28.6% of patients did not know what WIC resources were available to them, and the greatest percentages of mothers rely on online resources to connect them to food resources/WIC information.
We are looking forward to our continued, collective efforts to educate DC moms and moms across the U.S. on the best resources available to give their families the healthy support they need, and help eliminate food insecurity and nutrition access.
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