Food Allergies - Dracut, MA

Hi, my son (now 3) had a sensitivity to dairy for quite awhile - up until he was about 2. I just recently started giving him regular milk to drink actually and he's doing just fine with it. My son drank vanilla soy milk and every once in a while I would try milk to see how he reacted to it. But before he would have loose stools, diaper rash, that sort of thing. Many babies/toddlers are sensitive to dairy until their little systems are fully developed.

Hi Proud New M. S
I have a friend who's daughter has a severe peanut allergy and has great results.
Happy to connect you to her.
J. H

We were told to avoid dairy because our 28 month old had terrible eczema right after turning 1 and it bothered his stomach well when we went to the allergist we found out that it wasn't an allergy but that he is lactose intolerant which could be the case with your lo since she vomited after having milk based formula. Ask them to a skin test just to be sure they are 95% accurate and take only 15 minutes and are much less painful and traumatic then a blood test.

I know its hard but don't stress to much. Allergy testing under 3 or 4 years is rarely accurate and the blood test is less accurate. The allergist will explain it all. Trust your mothers intuition it is usually right!

We haven't had your exact experience, but I sympathise. We've been down the food sensitivity road and are currently dairy, seed, and nut free, with a bunch of other random things we can't eat, for now, at least. My son is 14 mo. old now and I don't regret making the changes we've made. We're pretty sure we'll never do dairy again because we've all seen health benefits from cutting it out!

Anyway, I know it's hard in the beginning. Hang in there! And I absolutely agree with the other moms here. You're doing great, just trust your heart and your gut.

Hi S,
Well, great job with breastfeeding and being observant of diet!
My second child has food allergies/sensitivities, so I have been down this path. Figured it out on my own and was in the same boat - a splash of milk in a cup of coffee would result in horrible hives - no exceptions!

A food sensitivity can not be tested for, but is Just as real and significant as an allergy. The good thing is that if you are patient with offering foods to your kiddo (and not eating them yourself, as a breast feeding mom) - she will probably grow out of a sensitivity. Some children appear to grow out of a sensitivity, and I've witnessed parents trying to hurry up the process. This results in a kid (for instance) that can eat dairy for 6 months to a year and THEN developes a real allergy.
I don't get that.

Just omit the concerning foods from your and her diet and be patient. Because your daughter is older and it sounds like has been exposed (through your breastmilk) to these items - you probably have to omit it longer. My son was 4 weeks old when I figured it out.
Around 10 months I found a little in my diet seemed to be ok. He got into some cottage cheese this month and didn't react (yay!) however, my husband is asthmatic which predisposes are children to allergies and getting asthma themselves. B/c we know our 2nd has sensitivities we will wait until he is 2 until we offer high allergy foods.
It is a little inconvenient, but I figure better inconvenienced for these 2 years then my son for the rest of his life.

Dr.Sears(.com) has lots of information on food allergies, as does kellymom.com.

Good luck!

You have to be very careful with terms like "food allergies" -- the tests are often inaccurate, and even if they are measuring a true sensitivity, it is much more often the result of an imbalance in the digestive system. The child is not truly and permanently allergic to the trigger substance, although they show up that way on tests - they are actually missing something that allows them to digest the trigger substance. Once that balance is restored, they can eat the offending items. I have a friend whose child was diagnosed with some 50 food allergies, and is now allergy free. I have other friends who kids were diagnosed with peanut allergies but are now allergy free or well on their way to being so. Their pediatricians are thrilled - they were skeptical at first but now are delighted. There are nutritional solutions to your problem and I would be happy to connect you to other parents who have been through the anxiety you are suffering! There is hope!

I'm going down this road myself. According to my doctor, a report came out in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall that showed that blood tests for allergies are completely inaccurate and unreliable. Scratch tests done by an allergist are still the most reliable in terms of narrowing down true allergies. Go with your instincts!

Butter and aged cheeses are really low in lactose, so you may actually be dealing with a casein allergy as well. Those who are allergic to dairy are very commonly also sensitive to soy, so be on the lookout for that.

Good luck!

Hello Proud New M. s - Please don't stress out about this. Okay easier said than done. I had that problem with my son. He would vomit and had a really bad rash on his bottom whenever I ate anything that had milk in it. So I cut it out of my diet and everything cleared right up. I did take him to an allergist and the test came back negative as well. But the doctor also explained to me that it isn't 100% accurate at this point in their life. he was 9 months when I had him tested. So I did what my instincts told me to do. Even though the test came back negative I still kept it out of my diet and he still at this day has not had milk - he can eat cheese on pizza now but I know when he has had milk products. He is currently 2. Just trust what you feel in your heart. You know your child best. So go with it. Just take milk out of your diet and peanuts. It really will be okay and know that mommies instincts are usually right. But it is better to be safe than sorry. Good luck. and let me know if you need anything else.

S.

I'm a health counselor and have a good amount of experience with food sensitivities. She is still very young to be eating too many complicated foods. Her digestive tract is still developing. Stay away from any offenders: wheat, corn, peanuts, soy and dairy. Has she ever had thrush? Give supplemental probiotics (these are essential for digestion and immunity) you can get these chidrens, dairy free formula's at any health food store. Also do some research! Get the book Digestive Wellness for Children By Elizabeth Lipski,the best book yet on digestion for children. Consider taking her to a naturopath to do intestinal permeability testing. Often times it is NOT an allergy, just a sensitivity to certain foods that causes inflammation and irritation in the gut, and basically makes our digestive tract "permeable" and causes and immune response. It id important to stay away from any offending foods, get some good bacteria, read that book and don't stress about it! If you are still breastfeeding, you should stay away from these foods as well~ this is hard I know, I did it for 6 months with my sensitive baby! but it is worth it and good for you to!
Good Luck

Yes, this is overwhelming, but Very common and is something you all will have to adjust to as the new way of eating. You sound like you have cut milk out of your diet (add soy milk, try that too very yummy vanilla)that is great that you could do that as that helps your baby.

My sons allergies showed up later (I ate PB all the time) he is allergic to peanuts (which are not tree nuts, those are different and you could try other nut butters)

What you should find is a local allergy support group or one online to talk to parents all the time about different worries and what they do daily for some things. It is such a help.

Her allergies could become worse or fade as she grows, no one can tell now and people talk about false tests results. Better safe then sorry. If she has a reaction Benadryl is the best thing to give her (it always works so fast for my son) My sons allergies to peanuts and dog siliva are mild, but I have been told they can get worse. I carry Benadryl everywhere.

Again, these are very common allergies and are just something you have to be on top of. Good Luck and start reading up and talking to others.

Welcome to my world.

If allergy testing doesn't help - both my children didn't test positive to anything even though they get immune responses to their environment and foods - then use these links, just don't overdo on sugary foods (fruit):
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/index.shtml
http://www.paleodiet.com/

If your child is still having trouble, you may need to resort to these links, which are actually better but not as fun:
http://www.rawpaleodiet.com/lex-rooker-usa/
http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/JerkyDrierInstructions...
http://www.traditionaltx.us/images/PEMMICAN.pdf

Good luck,
: ) Maureen

As others have pointed out, the blood testing alone is not totally reliable. My son blood tested positive to milk, eggs, and peanuts when he was 6 months old (after a severe allergic reaction to cow's milk). At 2 years old we finally had him skin tested and, although he is still allergic to milk and eggs (and now shrimp as well) he is NOT allergic to peanuts and has peanut butter all the time. So she may not be allergic- cross-testing with the skin AND blood tests will give you a better idea, and if both are negative they will do a food challenge (but your child will have to be at least 2 to do that). Go to the allergist prepared with a list of questions and they can help you. In the meantime, sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), which is sold at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, tastes almost as good as peanut butter. And our son happily drinks soy milk. Whole Foods carries a lot of non-dairy prepared foods too. Good luck!!

Try Ultimate Aloe juice. I have a friend who's son was in the hospital because he was allergic to everything he consumed. He was bleeding internally and was close to dying. A doctor told him to try the aloe juice. In 3 days his son was ok. He's now 2 and as long as he takes the aloe every day, he can eat anything he wants. It's absolutely amazing. My friend would be happy to share his story with you if you would like more info. Here's a link for the juice as well. Start with the natural flavor in case of other allergies then try a flavored one. The strawberry kiwi is delicious. My kids love it too. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

http://www.marketamerica.com/nicoleryan/product-2232/ulti...

Both my boys are allergic to dairy and peanuts. A peanut allergy is very serious. Stay away from peanuts until you see an allergist.