capacity to become sensitised to some allergen at some time. The stronger the family history of allergy, the greater the risk and the earlier the infant is likely to show symptoms. The likelihood that a child will develop an allergy depends on both genetic and environmental factors. Children must be exposed to a potential allergen to become sensitised. Once this sensitivity is established, it can take very little contact with the allergen to cause a reaction and the child is also at risk of becoming allergic to other allergens. There are some simple but very important steps you can take to, either prevent the development of allergies or at least reduce the potential severity of reactions. How can I prevent my child from developing allergies? During pregnancy Genetic factors are givens and out of your control. However, you do have some control over the exposure your baby has to allergens that can set off allergies in a child who is more likely to suffer from these conditions because of his or her genetic programming. There is now good evidence that sensitisation to allergens occurs "in utero" or during pregnancy, and that it can start as early as 22 weeks. There is also some evidence that reducing the number of times a women suffers from allergic reactions while she is pregnant can help reduce the chances of the baby becoming allergic. If a woman is reacting to allergens during pregnancy there is a high chance it will affect the baby and