Allergic Reaction in 11 Month Old

Updated on February 20, 2012
J.S. asks from Erie, PA
13 answers

This past Sunday I gave my 11 month old little girl scrambled eggs and french toast for the first time. Right as she was getting done eating it I noticed her face was getting all red and blotchy around her mouth. I got her up from her chair right away. Over the next few hours after that the rash spread all over her body. Her entire face was red, it was on her legs, arms, back, belly, everywhere. Of course this stuff happens on a Sunday! So I just kept a close eye on her and her breathing and such and by evening it was about 80% gone. By the next morning she was back to normal. I'm guessing that she's probably allergic to either eggs or milk. Anyone have any experience with anything similar? And how would I safely test to see which one it is. I don't want to risk a severe reaction if she does eat one straight but I want to find out what happened.
Thanks!

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R.M.

answers from Topeka on

Surely your 11 month old has had milk in some form during her life? My guess would be that it is the eggs, if this is the first time she has eaten eggs. But I am also sure she has had eggs, ...maybe not straight scrambled eggs...but eggs in a cake mix...eggs in a recipe of some sort.
I would talk to your pediatrician...do some research on egg allergies...and be on your guard. Also talk to your pediatrician about what you should have available to use if she has this type of reaction again. I don't know if she is old enough to be taking liquid benadryl or not but that is a standard antihistamine.
Good luck...you usually have to do a lot of detective work to figure allergies out.

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D.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

This sounds like a pretty severe reaction, and usually reactions get worse with the 2nd and subsequent exposures. Given that, I would not try this on your own. You should talk to the pediatrician, who can refer you to an allergist. The ped should also be able to tell you an appropriate dose of benedryl for your child, in case she's exposed accidentally while you wait for the allergist appointment.

My guess would be that she's allergic to the eggs. But you shouldn't guess, you should have her get a blood test.

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J.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

What did you put in the french toast? Is this the first time that she had eggs or a different brand of milk? If it isn't the first time for either item then she might be allergic to something in the toast, or maybe the bread itself. My cousin had an allergic reaction to some pancakes and it turned out her aunt had put cinnamon in it and that's what kicked it off. I would contact her Dr. or if they have it a nurse line. They may be able to tell you how to do this safely.

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T.F.

answers from New York on

Before giving her eggs or milk again, go to a pediatric allergist and get her blood and skin tests (regular pediatricians are often hopeless about food allergies). The allergist may decide to do a "food challenge" in her/his office to be sure of what she's allergic to. Her next reaction to eggs or milk could be much more serious, that's why you can't risk trying it at home (sounds like you know that already).

Be careful of trying ANY new foods with her, try one food at a time in small amounts. My son has multiple food allergies, he's now 3. I tried blueberries for the 1st time by giving him half of a blueberry, and he got hives on his face.

My pediatrician didn't bother to tell me that we needed an Epi-pen (I found out from a stranger at the park! she had a granddaughter w/food allergies), but that was practically the first thing the pediatric allergist said.

Don't hesitate to call 911 if she has more than one body system involved (e.g. hives and vomiting) and of course if she's having trouble breathing. Minutes count, that's why you need the Epipen.

Look on the website for FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphyactic Network), it's the leading resource for parents on this issue.

Please feel free to contact me if you want.

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J.J.

answers from Allentown on

Well it definitely sounds like a pretty severe allergic reaction. Each reaction can get worse, and having full body rash is really bad as far allergies are concerned. You need to find out asap what she is allergic to. It could be eggs or milk if she has not had them in the past, or if she has only had heat treated milk or eggs(meaning in something like muffins, etc.). Heat treated egg and milk both have a change in the protein and some people who are allergic to egg or milk can tolerate it once it has been heat treated. So even if she had egg or milk as an ingredient, she could still be allergic to either one. Granted it is more likely the egg, since dairy is found in so many things, but if she has never had dairy before then it is very possible it could be the dairy too. Don't experiment your self with this. It could also be something on or in the food she ate. You need to have her avoid all the foods she ate that meal until you see a pediatric allergist, and it would be a really good idea to carry benedryl and at least an epi-pen if not a steroid with you at all times in case it happens again. Allergies are serious and can be life threatening. Many people don't know the risks or the potential for death with food allergies, they are not like seasonal allergies. The good news is that often childhood food allergies can be outgrown. My daughter had multiple food allergies and now she is only allergic to eggs and peanut, and will likely outgrow the egg. She still gets hives from eating egg, but she is only 5 so there is still time to outgrow it and we are hopeful. The peanut will be a lifetime allergy though, so you never know. Get to the ped right away and get a referral to an ped allergist. You need to know what caused this. Also the FAAN website has a lot of good info. We have been members for years and they are a great organization really helping a lot of people and provide good and accurate info on food allergies.

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M.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Welcome to my life.
No more eggs or milk for a while.
Also contact your pediatrician. They may get you to an allergist. My daughter's first trip was at 2. You need to know if it is an egg allergy, and the good news is some of these allergies the kids grow out of. My cousin's daughter had an egg allergy, had the same reaction your daughter did but she is now 17 and has been fine for years.

My daughter is allergic to rice, bananas, apricots, among a host of other things. She has eaten strawberries all her life and this week had the tingly mouth sensation that kiwi's give her. We keep Benadryl all the time. We have never had a severe reaction. We avoid foods which cause her to break out. She is not one of the lucky ones who grow out of her allergies.

M.L.

answers from Erie on

my son was diagnosed with an egg allergy at just about the same age as your daughter. same exact reaction. eliminate all egg related foods from her diet (and REALLY watch what you give her cause everything has eggs in it it seems!) watch the labels on common foods like pasta, bread, etc.
Call an allergist and get her tested right away. I see you're from Erie...we go to Dr Gallagher on Pittsburgh ave. He is fantastic with kids and specializes in children. I highly recommend him. he really knows his stuff.

I also can offer hope that it's not a permanent thing. Our son was just retested at 20 months of age and he is no longer allergic. They oftentimes outgrow it!!

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M.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

this sounds identical to my situation a few years ago. My son had a slight reaction to eating french toast the first time, but we weren't sure as the reaction was small. The next time he had eggs in such concentration was scrambled eggs. He threw up all over the place! He was tested (skin and blood) for eggs and other things, and was positive for eggs and some nuts. He didn't have anything with eggs in it for a whole year. I made my own egg-free cup cakes for parties. A year later he challenged out, and was okay. The doctor put it down to being so strict about not having anything with eggs in it, even though those did not cause a reaction ever! I would guess that it's the eggs an not milk, as if she has had formula, then she has had milk. I would recommend going to an allergist. The tests are not fun, esp. the blood test, but are worth it.

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J.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I'd ventured to guess the eggs, as "they" say kids should only have egg yolks (no egg whites) until they're one year old.

If it was something with the milk I'd think she'd either be vomiting or diahrea (sp?).

Checked with your peditrician yet?

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

That is my daughter's reaction to eggs. She is allergic to eggs. She only gets a reaction to pure eggs (like scrambled) or something that is made of primarily eggs. Is she currently on formula or breastfed and do you have dairy...because if she doesn't have any reactions to milk formula or breastmilk from a dairy eating mommy, I would say it is definitely the eggs. You are really only supposed to give kids under 1 egg yolks (not whole eggs) because egg whites are the allergic part....I would hold off on eggs again for a while unless you are interested in getting her allergy tested by a pediatric allergist. Of course, when we got our daughter tested, it was because of a cross-contamination allergy to peanuts (she didn't even eat a peanut and reacted) and we found out about the eggs (explained her rash), milk (explained her eczema), and fish allergies that way. Good luck!

PS_ I just read someone else's post about cinnamon....my mom is allergic to that and gets hives -- so that is certainly possible as well!

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You need to have liquid Benadryl in the house for the next reaction and discuss seeing an allergist with your pediatrician. You do not want to try to figure this out by trial and error.

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A.M.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I gave my 11 month old scrambled eggs the other day and she had never had them. About 10 min later she was playing and hives were all over her face and hands. I gave her some tylonel and put her in the tub and she seemed fine. I kept a eye on her for a few hours and then they were gone. I have read somwhere that it is the protein from the food that their skin is allergic too. hope this helps.

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K.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

One of my triplets had this problem with carrots but not to that extreme. Yes, sounds like an allergic reaction. If she's never had milk in her life including formula (which has milk in it unless it's soy) or your breastmilk which you ate dairy products, I'm sure, than I don't know. I'm sure it's not the milk as there's dairy in things she would have eaten or drank. I'm sure it was the eggs if she's never had eggs before. What all was in the french toast? Did you use syrup? Anything she would have never had before could be the problem. I would avoid it for a while and try again down the road. Kids usually out grow it.

All of my kids at one point or another have had reactions around the mouth when trying new things especially with fruits and veggies and such.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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