hum. isn't a recipe library with a timer bolted on. The allergen protocol is built on the LEAP trial, the ASCIA NZ guidelines, and twenty years of paediatric immunology research. Here's what that means for your baby — and why the protocol looks the way it does.
Guidance only — not medical advice. For eczema, strong family history, or anything concerning, always consult your GP or paediatrician.
In 2015, Du Toit et al. published the results of the Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial in the New England Journal of Medicine. The finding was startling: children at high risk of peanut allergy who were introduced to peanuts early — before 11 months — had an 80% reduction in peanut allergy by age 5, compared to children who avoided peanuts.
The implication was profound, and it applied beyond peanuts. A generation of parents had been told to delay allergen introduction. The LEAP trial, and the subsequent LEAP-On and EAT studies, showed the opposite was true: early, repeated, systematic exposure is protective.
ASCIA NZ (the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy) updated its guidelines to reflect this evidence. The current NZ recommendation is to introduce the top-9 allergens systematically, starting from around 6 months of age, with observation periods between each new introduction. hum.'s protocol is built on these guidelines — the 72-hour timer is hum.'s own precise implementation of ASCIA's general advice to observe for a few days.
ASCIA NZ advises introducing all top allergens before 12 months, ideally from around 6 months. They don't prescribe a strict numbered sequence — but the evidence and clinical practice point to a clear rationale for prioritisation. hum.'s sequence is informed by that evidence:
Prevalence in NZ: Egg and dairy are introduced first because they're the most common allergens in NZ infants. Peanut follows, informed directly by the LEAP trial's findings. Fish is sequenced before shellfish — not because of cross-reactivity (they have different allergens), but because separating them means any reaction is unambiguous. If you've already cleared fish and then react to shellfish, you know exactly what caused it.
Family history: Following the LEAP trial's high-risk sub-analysis, families with a strong history of a specific allergy should introduce that allergen earlier, not later — counterintuitively, this is more protective. hum. surfaces family-history allergens first in the sequence when you record them during onboarding.
hum. reorders this sequence if you record a family history of specific allergens during onboarding — those foods are introduced first, not last, consistent with LEAP trial evidence for high-risk children.
The hum. allergen engine enforces seven rules, each grounded in ASCIA NZ guidance or LEAP-derived evidence. These aren't preferences — they're hard gates that can't be overridden without logging a reason.
First allergen exposures happen in the morning meal — before noon. You're alert, your GP is open, and a reaction will show up while you can act. hum. never places a first allergen introduction in an evening slot.
ASCIA NZ recommends observing for a few days after each new allergen. hum. enforces this as a precise 72-hour timer — hour-accurate, not calendar-day approximate — because reactions can show up late in the observation window. This is hum.'s implementation of the guideline, not a number stated by ASCIA itself.
You must log an outcome (all clear, mild reaction, or significant reaction) before hum. advances to the next allergen. There is no skip. If a reaction is logged, the allergen is paused and your GP prompt appears.
Once an allergen is cleared, it needs to stay in the rotation — three exposures per week maintains tolerance. hum. schedules these automatically into your weekly plan and nudges you if a cleared allergen hasn't appeared in 5+ days.
hum. sequences fish before shellfish for diagnostic clarity — if a reaction occurs, you know exactly which food caused it. Fish and shellfish have different proteins, but sequencing them separately means any reaction is unambiguous. This gate is not configurable.
Oat porridge is introduced first (oats are biologically gluten-adjacent but tolerated by most). Wheat follows on day 4 of the oat observation window. You must confirm wheat was also introduced before hum. marks gluten as cleared.
Babies need to be established on solid foods before allergen introduction begins. hum. blocks the allergen schedule until day 15 of the solids journey, giving the gut microbiome time to adapt to complementary feeding.
Beyond allergens, hum. follows standard NZ infant food safety guidelines for preparation and storage.
The Prep Day feature helps you batch-cook a week's worth of stage-appropriate meals on Sunday. However, allergen-introduction meals are always freshly prepared on the day — they are never part of Prep Day. A freshly made bowl means you know exactly what's in it and when it was prepared.
Batch-cooked meals should be cooled to room temperature within 2 hours, then refrigerated (≤4°C) for up to 2 days, or frozen immediately for up to 3 months. Reheat once only, to piping hot throughout, then let cool before serving. hum.'s Prep Day prompts follow these guidelines.
Honey can contain Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause infant botulism in babies under 12 months whose immune systems are not yet mature enough to prevent colonisation. hum.'s recipes never include honey for Stage 1–3 (pre-12 months) meals.
Infants' kidneys cannot process adult levels of sodium. hum. recipes use none. The app flags any recipe with a savoury sauce you might modify — season your portion only, after serving baby's bowl.
hum. is a guide — it does not replace clinical judgement. These are the situations where you should stop the plan and call your GP, Plunket nurse, or Healthline 0800 611 116:
Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips or throat, sudden vomiting combined with pale/floppy behaviour, or collapse. Administer adrenaline auto-injector (EpiPen) if prescribed. Do not wait to call.
Widespread hives, vomiting, or persistent crying within 2 hours of a new allergen. Log the reaction in hum. and do not re-introduce that allergen until you've spoken to a clinician.
Babies with moderate-to-severe eczema, or those who have already reacted to a food, should have their allergen introduction supervised by a paediatrician or clinical immunologist before starting the protocol. hum. flags this during onboarding.
Trust your instincts. If your baby seems unwell, is not eating, or you're uncertain about any reaction — call Healthline 0800 611 116 or your GP. hum. shows this number on every allergen observation screen. It is never more than one tap away.
Gagging is normal and protective — choking is silent. A gagging baby is clearing food from the back of their mouth. A choking baby cannot make noise, cannot breathe, and goes pale or blue. St John NZ infant first-aid is built into hum.'s Learn tab and is always accessible from the home screen.
hum. cites every clinical claim, in plain English, inside the app. The primary sources below are the foundation of the allergen protocol. We update the protocol when guidelines change.