3 Mo Old Son Has Food Allergies

I used hydrocortisone very minimally only on the worst flare-ups for my son, but sometimes, even if I put lotion on him 5 times a day it just wouldn't go away and itched like crazy. I know eucerin is the standard lotion peds tell you to use but try lotion shopping too... I've tried close to ten brands probably. As for the diet, you may want to consider an elimination diet. It's hard, really hard (try eating turkey, rice, potatoes, and pears for a week) but it's well worth it. I did a total elimination diet for my son and he was a completely different baby once I got rid of the offending foods (behavior, sleep, skin, poop... everything was affected). If you find the offending food it's best to COMPLETELY eliminate it or you are constantly exposing your baby to small threats and that will significantly lower his chances of outgrowing it. Testing, from what I've read and been told is not reliable until AT LEAST 12 months. Even then they don't totally believe it. My son was tested at 2 yrs and they told me even then not to go by it but go by his symptoms. Elimination and challenge of the offending food is the gold standard, not blood testing. Dr. Sears has some good info on doing an elimination diet. If you do it, be prepared to lose weight. I was 138lbs preprego, gained 42lbs and went down to 115lbs because of the elimination diet. Good luck. It's a long frustrating road. FYI, my peds (2 different practices) have not been any help on this matter, maybe yours will be. Also, proteins can take up to 2-3 weeks to get out of your system and another 1-2 weeks to get out of your son, so eating just a little bit of the offending food and then supplementing won't save him the agony, just lessen it.

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Hey there-
I have a 4 month old son, breasting feeding as well. He too has these flare-ups over his body. His cheeks are the worst. We got to the point we thought it was causing him to lose sleep and it seemed he was scratching at it. We took him to the dr. and they gave him Hydrocortisone and this other prescription cream. He is a new child now. Skin is beautiful and he is getting much better sleep. I hear ya about the medicine, but my son was no good without it. I'm doing the best I can breast-feeding. Not so sure I can adjust the diet much more. Please feel free to email me again- maybe we can tag-team this dilemma.

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L.,
I was in your same boat about 4-5 months ago. My daughter has ezcema and hers would flare up when I ate dairy products. Everything seems to have milk and eggs in it too!!

She got to the point where she was miserable. She would scratch her itches until they bled, which just started a bad cycle. After seeing her ped. and a dermatologist, we started using a generic Valisone cream (which is a steroid cream). I'm not a huge fan of having to use it, but it takes care of her flare ups, then we use a combination of Eletone (non-steroidal), Aquaphor (to keep her skin moist) and a cool mist humidifier to help with the dry air.

And I have been told that the allergists don't like to see children until they are around 5 or 6 years old.

Good luck! I hope your litte man feels better!

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The only thing that I have to add that is not similar to the other emails is that the type of cream that you are using makes a big difference. Both of my sons have terrible eczema, and we were just at the pediatrician yesterday. We were using hydrocortisone, Aveeno and Eucerin on my 6 month old for rashes, and the doctor suggested that we switch to Curel. Since we have switched (it's only been a little over a day) I have noted a huge difference. She said that most creams contain lanolin to block out moisture/wetness, and many people react to this, as it is similar to what is found in wool and makes it hard for many people to wear wool sweaters. She thought my son might be reacting to the use of lanolin, and I think she was right. He had terrible flare ups on his cheeks, and also in the creases of his legs and arms. I used the Curel after his bath last night, and I have noticed a huge improvement in all of his rashes. Good luck- I hope you find something that works for you in all these great suggestions.

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Wow, exact same situation for me when I was nursing my 4th baby - she has a slew of food allergies, which we found out through skin testing at Woodlands Healing and Research Center in Quakertown, PA (worth the drive!). She's now 5, but when she was a baby she would get the worst rashes, and I went off of dairy, wheat, you name it, but I could never stick to the diet (I feel terrible!) But interestingly enough, I ended up having myself tested, and I have a gluten (wheat) and dairy allergy pretty severely, and have been off of gluten now for 18 months, and off of dairy for almost 3 weeks - the dairy started to give me eczema on my face!

I wish you the best - there is an epidemic number of kids w/ allergies nowadays. The more you can do now for him the better, and breastfeeding is a huge way of helping, even if you don't have the perfect elimiation diet going on. Whole Foods, Trader joes, Giant, Super Fresh, etc have isles of gluten free foods, and they almost always have rice flours that taste almost like the real thing for baking. Don't forget that you can eat chips & guacamole, rice w/ spagetti sauce, eggs, nuts, chicken, salad, tuna salad on lettuce leaves, soups, gluten free waffles & breads (way better toasted!). Once you really start to find the foods you need, you will become accustomed to having them around and not feel like you're starving.

Best wishes,

Meg in Jenkintown

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Hi L.. My son had a severe case of eczema (which sounds similar to Brayden's) since he was very young. We had him tested for food allergies at around 4 months. All of the food came up negative, but it did turn out that he was allergic to our dog. Do you have any pets? It sounds like it could be an environmental allergy. Has he had any diarrhea at all? My son has been lubed up with a prescription moisterizer that contains 1% hydrocortisone since he was 4 months old (he is now 13 months) with no side effects at all. If this continues, I would contact a pediatric allergist. We go to CHOP in King of Prussia (Dr. Palowski) and he is great. Also, I happen to have Celiac Disease (allergy to wheat, rye, barley and oats) so if it turns out that your son is allergic to wheat, I would be happy to help you out with your diet. Feel free to email me directly if you have any other questions since I have pretty much been through everything you are referring to.

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Keep breastfeeding!! Don't take the chance that he may be allergic to many formulas! Secondly, it is great that you are keeping a food allergy journal and eliminating wheat. What he/you are probably allergic to is the gluten. There are many gluten intolerant people out there (my sister for one) who have completely changed their diet. To make this a quick response to you, do an internet search on a "gluten free diet" to find out exactly what gluten is and what does and does not contain gluten. There are many wonderful grains that do not contain gluten and cookbooks for those who are gluten intolerant. Whole Foods actually has an entire gluten free section. Still keep a food journal after eliminating gluten just to be sure you are eliminating the right food. All the best!

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Sorry to hear about the eczema - both of my girls had the same thing. I didn't figure out it was food related with my first until she was 6 months old and her eczema was horrible. With my second, who is now 15 months, I was on the lookout early and figured out at 2 months that peanuts and eggs were the worst for her. I also ended up eliminating wheat which got rid of a green poop issue she was having. I stayed off of all of those until she was 8 months and we got her allergy tested (I think they can do as young as 6 months). Strange thing was she only came out positive as allergic to milk - the one thing I was still eating that she didn't seem to react to. So, since then I've gone back on wheat and eggs (she broke out a little for about a week and then seemed to get over it) but I'm still off of all nuts and now off dairy as well. I also don't give her straight eggs but she seems OK with small amounts of eggs in baked goods.

I've since read that the majority of eczema in newborns is egg and/or dairy related, so I would try those 2 first. It is definitely hard (and expensive!) depending on what you end up eliminating, but it can be done and I really think that my youngest has been so much better off skin-wise because I started the elimination early. My theory is that their immune systems can't handle the dairy/eggs/wheat at the young ages and if you stay off of them until they are older, they can handle it better when you finally introduce it.

As for the hydrocortisone - definitely use it, even on the face. We were also afraid to use it with my oldest but the raging eczema can cause way more damage (infections, scarring) than the cream. I finally started using it as soon as I saw it starting and it went away more quickly and never got out of control. We also use the Elocon steroid cream - again, if you use it early, you don't end up using nearly as much. My oldest daughter's face was her worst spot for a long time and we had to use the steroid very often there which I know they warn against. However, she didn't experience any thinning of the skin or other side effects. Aquaphor is also the best thing we've found - we put it on both girls every day.

One other thing we've tried is probiotics - also expensive, but they are supposed to help eczema, among other things. I can't say I've seen any marked improvement in their skin, but I'm not sure how long it takes to see the effects.

As for food - get some Ener-G egg replacer if you go off of eggs, it works pretty well in baking. Corn tortillas are good to have if you're off of wheat. The rice pastas are pretty good - rice bread is horrible. I used flour and a cookbook from www.foodallergygourmet.com to make decent bread and other baked goods. Earth Balance is a great butter substitute if you can have soy - works in baking too. (some things I read said that soy oil and lecithin should be OK for soy sensitive people, but everyone is different). Van's frozen waffles have good wheat/dairy/egg free versions.

Sorry for the long message - it's just a subject I'm painfully familiar with - hope you find something that works and feel free to ask more questions.

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Hi L.,

I've been there! The best thing to do is to eliminate the allergins from your diet and to keep breastfeeding. Don't get him tested yet because most likely he will outgrow it and the tests are very painful...lots of needles...that most likely isn't worth it right now. I had to do the total elimination diet for weeks...no soy, dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, dairy, shellfish...until I figured out the triggers (dairy and soy). When my daughter turned 6 months she was able to tolerate everything. There are plenty of nonsoy, non wheat foods on the market. Soy lecithin is almost always ok for those who are allergic to soy. Gluten free foods are so popular now you can find good tasting bread (Knnicknick, Food for Life) and pasta (try Tinkyada) made from rice flour. Annie's makes a rice mac and cheese (light blue box). For other grains eat Quinoa. Lundberg rice chips and almost any tortilla chips are ok, Pamela's cookies, Cherrybrook's gluten free mixes are excellent. Cereals: Envirokids cereals, oatmeal. Energy bars: Lara Bars, Kind Bars. If you like ethnic foods make Thai noodle bowls (rice noodles, veggies, shrimp or chicken in a veggie broth, coconut milk, and curry base). Many Indian foods are also ok and you can eat tacos with corn tortillas. If you need more advice on ingredients just email me directly.

I lost my pregnancy weight very quickly because of the allergin diet! But most likely my daughter won't have food allergies. Just stick with your elimination diet and most likely it will be over soon. Good luck!

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My son had an almost identical skin problem at that age due to a cow's milk allergy. We found that eucerin worked great, just make sure you get the kind in a tub (it's thicker), and smear it all over him after his bath. We also switched to perfume free detergent and fabric softener, and to dove bar soap to wash him. Even baby body wash can be a tribulation for him right now - his skin is most likely very sensitive.

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There are a lot of gluten free foods now and soy is a major allergen. I would also consider holding off on dairy since they seem to go hand in hand. You may want to consider slowing sown your vaccine schedule since allergies are an immune response and vaccine have a huge impact on the immune system.

Go to a good health food store and check out their gluten free lines. Trader Joes also has gluten and soy products. You are doing the right thing for your baby. Formula will not make this better.

D.

____@____.com

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Hi L.. Are you sure it is food allergies? Ezcema can be caused by other things that come in contact with his skin. I would suggest changes the type of laundry detergent and body wash you are using to a more natural product and see if that helps. Both my son and husband had sensitive skin and we started using Melaleuca's natural products and lotions and it has made a huge difference. If you would like more information on Melaleuca, email me at ____@____.com

Make it a great day!

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Hi,

First, allergies change drastically over time. At 6 months a child may be allergic to something and then not at nine months. So I'm not sure allergy testing is the way to go.

You are right as far as the importance of diet. I would not recommend you eat ANY processed food. Check out Wegmans in Warrington or Allentown. They have about 5 aisles of "health foods" that aren't as processed, including an entire section of TINKYADA pasta which is made from brown rice and quite exceptional (you can serve it to guests and they'll never know - I promise).

You're right - constant salads get boring. Check out the cookbook Nourishing Traditions. After 15 yeras of "health eating" i wouldn't encourage doing the whole grain veggie thing to the exclusion of other whole foods, unless you are doing the elimination diet. But I've found Nourishing Traditions to be the all around best way to eat, it includes all those comfort foods and dispels a lot of the myths about the modern "health" foods. This aside it still encourages organics, grass fed and organic meats, etc.

Good lcuk to you. Your child will probably outgrow this. Definitely check out the detergents. But excema (I was plagued with it as a child) is also hormonal, and sometimes caused by heat and overwashing. Make sure to use only gentle soaps - vegetable glycerin and camomile. I would stay away form steroid/cortisones unless it is an emergency. They wear the skin thin and since it is on your baby's face, you might not want to do that.

Good luck!

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hi L.,

i had similar problems with my kids. they reacted to milk, soy, and chocolate (found that out after a horrid Easter weekend) as far as your diet, i say try everything till you find what you like. i ate cereal with yogurt and that seemed to be fine.

my other suggestion is to see if he's reacting to your laundry detergent, on his clothes or yours, since his cheeks would be rubbing against your shirt. maybe wash all his things AND yours in dreft?

J.

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L.,

We're a "try natural first" family as well and also dealt with allergies and skin issues.

You can do a google search for a lab that does blood work for food sensitivities/allergies. A regular allergist will only test for flat out allergies, not sensitivities. You will probably need a naturopathic doctor to help you out, and you may want to look into NAET a safe, natural alternative to manage allergies which I can personally attest to as effective for both myself and my child.

The best thing I found to calm down eczema is emu oil. Jojoba oil or coconut oil are also helpful. Just get 100% organic oils, and make sure you use a natural baby wash, no parabens, no fragrance, no proplyne glycol, and no "hydrolyzed milk protein" (or wheat or soy protein)-which are just "natural" sounding terms for what amounts to MSG. Also watch for sorbitol, malitol, xylitol in body care/food products. Those are artificial sweeteners that also can cause skin issues and allergies - I was shocked to discover sorbitol in many creams, lotions, etc. and when I eliminated all body care products with it I was amazed at the difference - no more skin issues.
The other thing we've had to do is eliminate some laundry products. Nothing scented. No dryer sheets even the unscented ones - just dryer balls. We recently switched to natural cleaning products only - vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, etc. THAT was the final piece for us with all the allergies, including my husband's chronic sinus issues.

It takes time to figure out what is causing the eczema and often it is not just ONE thing, but a combination.

Google gluten free/casein free diets and you will find many ideas of what you can eat. My son had a dairy/casein allergy and I know how difficult it can be.

Congrats on your son! Hang in there, you'll figure it all out. Just take one step at a time, find supportive moms to be by your side, and go easy on yourself. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to love your kid and follow your heart.

L.

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Hi L.,

Eczema is common in babies, although it is also a precusor to allergies. That said, hydrocortisone is safe for babies. Your doctor (and mine) would not have recommended it if it wasn't. No doc is going to take on that liability!

They don't normally test children under 2, I believe, in part because the tests are so miserable and in part because if they react to everything they are tested for it can be dangerous.

What has worked great for my daughter's eczema is a combination of cortisone and Gentle Naturals Baby Eczema Cream. The Gentle Naturals is branded under the Disney name, and you can find it at Target and most drug stores with the baby stuff (diaper creams, etc.) I combine a small amount of cortisone with the cream (usually on the back of my hand) and then apply to the infected areas. I usually see improvement in a day or two.

Good luck,

C.

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I can tell you that my nephew is 6 mos old and he has had similar problems with rashes since he was born. My sister also was told by the doctor to use hydrocortizone. It didn't work at all. She switched to the eucerin calming cream and aquaphor and he has improved so much. She also only bathes him every other day and uses a soap made by aquaphor that doesn't contain alcohol. Are you entirely sure that the rash is caused by something you are eating? Have you been using a different detergent or fabric softener?

If you go to www.recipezaar.com you can find some really great recipes that you can make in bulk and freeze so that you have meals that are wheat/soy free but convenient.

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