8Mth Old Can't Tolerate Foods....

Hi J.,

My kiddo did not have near these issues - BUT the first thing we tried him on rice cereal he reacted bad to -- The dr suggested barley and told me they usually recommend rice first becasue there are less allergic reactions to rice - but barley is the easiest of all the grains on the digestive system - I found it at Wild Oats, PCC Coop and health food stores - instant just like rice, oat etc...It may be worth a shot to fill his belly if you have not tried it yet....hang in there!

Hey J.....Boy are you in for a wild ride :) I have a 4 1/2 year old who is allergic to just about everything and a 2 year old following in her footsteps!!! Kiana is allergic to Soy...Wheat...Corn....Eggs....PEANUTS...and a lot of other food things...but those are the biggest offenders.... My advice is to trust your instincts....I remember taking her to the Dr. when she was only about 6 months old...telling them about her spitting up and her excema....and she never slept... and they would tell me..."well, here is some ointment for the dry spots, and try switching her to soy formula (I couldnt breast feed) So I did....which was TERRIBLE.....everything got worse....They never once told me that she may have allergies to food or airborne stuff...I seen multiple doctors and they all told me the same thing..."she's to young to test because she will grow out of these things"....when my daughter turned 4 I took her into see a ashtma and allergy specialist....who tested her blood and skin test and she is allergic to SOOOOOO many foods and SOOOOOO much airborn stuff, i dont know how she's alive... I felt as though I'd been poisening her for her whole life... (with food) We are changing her (and our) eating habits and since we've started allergy shots and seeing this doctor we have stayed out of the hospital so far...last winter we were at the ER 12 times in 3 months.....NOT FUN... So find a doctor that is willing to help you, and dont stop untill one will :) Good Luck....JEn

Hello J.. It is great that you are nursing exclusively right now. You can try new foods without having to worry if your baby is getting enough nutrition.

We have many allergies in our family, including some life threatening food allergies. When we are testing, we start out with basmati rice. It is suppose to be the least allergenic food, altho it is possible to be allergic to anything. I would recommend that you try one food at a time, make it organic and cook it fresh yourself. This eliminates the possibility that your baby is reacting to an added ingredient rather than the food itself. Try that one food for 3 days in a row, since it may take that long for your baby to react to a new food.

Picking up some poi is a great excuse to go to Hawaii, especially this time of year! However, for a source closer to home, you can find taro root at many Asian markets like Uwajimaya in Beaverton. Peel and cook the taro like a potato then smash or blend it. It will be just as tasteless and disgusting as the stuff they serve at the luau! Here is a website with info and warnings about how to prepare taro.
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/vegetables/root/taro.htm

I hope you find some foods your baby can eat. Send me a message if you have any questions.

Hi. I would call Kuai Island Grill in Beaverton on Murray. I believe they have Poi. Also all the foods you mentioned trying have high sugar content. Naturalpath, accupuncturist, or homeopath should be helpful. You could also go to the New Seasons health food store...they are big and have herbalists to help...they may suggest some natural baby food. i would also have doctor do blood test and check liver and kidneys. check your own diet too --- is it highly acidic? Stress also causes that so I would find ways to relax and have fun....music...peace -- all that good stuff. Take care. Blessings to you and your babe. S.

Hi J.,
I'm 54 now, but none of mine could tolerate cows' milk when they were little, and the middle one coldn't deal with soy either. I was working with the first two, and wasn't very successful at nursing them, so it was a real problem. Ultimately, I went to my mother-in-law (My mom was gone.)and asked how to make formula from scratch. I used goats' milk and it was very successful. Because I have allergies and they were plainly sensitive, I didn't try weaning them until they were almost a year old. Of course, they got all the recommended vitamin supplements as well. Then I started very slowly. I found my allergies with an elimination diet, which means you stick with foods that you aren't allergic to until your system is cleaned out, then slowly add back other things, while watching for a reaction. Essentially this is the same as starting a baby on his new foods. The least allergenic things are supposed to be rice, lamb, and apples. The rice cereal is a surprise, and makes me wonder if there is some common preservative or additive in them as they are fairly processed foods. You could try making the foods from scratch, so you know there are no additives, etc. And I wouldn't worry if he needs to nurse for a month or two longer. Mine eventually outgrew it, and they eat a normal diet, including the standard junk that I wish they'ed leave alone.
There could be an issue with the celiac disease as well, since blood in the stools is a classic symptom, I'd particularly look for a gluten additive to the foods, perhaps to stabilize and/or thicken.
I think you're smart to be checking with all the sources you can, you're doing a great job.
L.

We had the exact same issues with out little boy, now 9.5 months. He took baby Zantec since two weeks old and I couldn't drink milk, eat fruits and citric juices, etc... He reacted to rice, pears, everything as well. Our pediatrician said he should come out of it around eight months when his digestive system developed a bit more, and guess what, starting a week ago he started eating everything, and not baby saized portions or consistency. Right now, he's eating wheat toast, frozen bananas and rice. He'll now eat pretty much anything we let him. So, my advice, is stick it out another month and see if maybe he just needs a little more time.

My son developed food allergies at about the same time. His pediatrician ran a blood test on the foods he reacted to. We then went to an allergist who confirmed the blood tests with skin tests. He is now two and has a severe peanut and egg allergy. He can eat everything else.

That being said, his reactions consisted of eczema, diaper rash, and hives. He never had blood in his stools. I think you are doing the right thing by following up with the natropath and medical allergist.

I wish I could refer you to someone, but our experience was in Texas.

Wishing you the best,
S.

I'm a firm believer in organic and all natural foods, to start. Also, both my babies were weened with soy formula - no problems. To this day, they do no milk, only organic yogurt and cheeses. Of course they get a calcium supplement, as well. Part of my success (I believe) is that I was very careful not to eat anything I wouldn't feed them when I was pregnant or nursing. It's tough to play the food game, but start with safe food. Good luck!!!!

Your doctors are right he will probably grow out of it, so just keep nursing, also start hunting for Camals milk, it will take away the food intolerences, there have been studys on this.....check it out.

Hey! I am late responding to your email...but I wanted you to know, I feed my 14 month old Poi. You can get it at any Hawaiian store~ I get mine from L&L BBQ... Its about $12/bag...and we put them into little one serving sizes in tupperware, then freeze it, and thaw as you eat it....add a little milk to reheat...and you should be good. My son loves it!!! if it seems a bit bitter, add a tad of sugar to it...... Its got tons of protein in it!!!

First, I'm really sorry! i don't know the answer either, but...my son had a really rough first six weeks with the same symptoms. I eliminated dairy/soy as they said that is what causes blood in stool. There was no change. Then I took out gluten and suddenly he's all better. He's six months now and I'm adding dairy back in to see what happens. I thought immediately that things were not going well but then he broke a tooth (which can cause a lot of the same symptoms)...

So, I have been really listening to the stories parents I know have to tell about food allergies, and a mom at my pre-school told a very similar story to yours. Her son though would break out in hives all over his mouth any time she fed him a solid (didn't matter what it was). Turned out that he has a severe nut allergy (all nuts but peanuts) and the breast milk she was mixing with his food (she was eating nuts) was causing him to break out. This confuses me a little though, because it seems like he would react just from nursing, but I guess it really affected his lips and mouth on the outside. As soon as she stopped eating nuts his eczema cleared up and he could eat all of the solids.

I really hope my son doesn't end up with any life long allergies, but we'll obviously deal with it if we have to.

T.

If your doctors aren't worried,then maybe he is still just too sensitive. Is he gaining weight? If so, stay with the breast milk until he is a year old. That is when his system will tolerate more things.

I was exactly the same as your baby -- allergic to everything, including my mother (so be thankful you don't have that problem). Listen to the doctors -- I outgrew everything by the time I was 5. The last two to go were milk and peanut butter. Poi is an excellent source of nutrition, and you can actually order it online and make it at home. :) It doesn't seem to offend anyone (except that personally, I think it tastes horrid).

Good luck, and be patient! :)

Angel :)