Oatmeal Allergy???

My 3 year old grandson is allergic to oatmeal and many other foods. He had allergy testing and is also allergic to vanilla, cinnamon, cantaloupe, black pepper, pork, black olives and of course the all feared peanuts and fish. He only drinks Mayfield milk because he is allergic to what other milkcows are fed. This is just the tip of the iceberg! My point is that you can never be surprised at what any of us could be allergic to. Good luck!

We had a similar problem with our daughter when she was around the same age so we just avoided the oatmeal all together. She did have a problem with whole grains to include barley, wheat, etc. To make a long story short, we had to take her to the doctor because she had hives all over her body. Shortly after that, we cut oatmeal out of the picture as we believed it triggered her eczema. We went with rice only but now she's 11 months and is constantly constipated. We are going to try the oatmeal again.

Oatmeal contains gluten, and gluten sensitivity is actually quite common (1 in 100 people). The rice doesn't have gluten. You may get him checked for celiac/gluten sensitivity. Stool samples can be the best test, but a good GI may also want to do a blood test. Good luck!

Hi L.,

My son broke out in a similar rash when he was 4 months old, right after we tried rice cereal. I called the peditrician, who was doubtful that the rash was caused by the cereal because rice (like oatmeal) is fairly benign. We stopped the cereal immediately, but the rash stayed. As it turns out it was dry skin and had nothing to do with the cereal. Talk about a coincidence! The thought of having a food allergy really had me worried and doing research made me even more worried. Our peditrician told me that rashes are very common in babies because they can be caused by anything- virus, bacteria, dry skin, irritants like detergent or lotion or allergies.So before you upset yourself too much, make sure the rash is caused by the oatmeal cereal. Good luck!

All of my children have experienced allergies of some sort, and currently we are dealing with an oats allergy (among others) with my 21 month old daughter. Per the allergist we have cut it out of her diet, except that she can have it once a week. My experience with my 6 year old is that after a year of this she will probably have outgrown the allergy.

Although an oat allergy may be rare, it does exist, and it sounds like your daughter has one. In my opinion (and I'm an accountant not a doctor :)), you made the right decision to cut out the oatmeal. Our family is very pro-allergist because we have discovered allergies in all of our children and when they are dealt with properly the children's health improves greatly!

Oatmeal allergies are rare. Your child may be "sensitive" oatmeal.

My neighbor delt with the same when her son was 7 months. She kept trying it and he actually had stonger reactions closer to 12 months so after tests and some scary moments finally quit giving him oatmeal for a year. Now he is almost three and eats all foods without showing signs of any allergies.

My kids have food allergies and we have tried to "listen" to what their bodies are telling you. The fine red rash has indicated, to me, that they aren't ready for it. Maybe try it again in a few months.

Lots of people will tell you, "Oh, I started mine on strawberries and peanut butter at 12 months and they were JUST FINE" and blah-blah ...blah.

Great for them! Your baby's body is letting you know that you need to err or the side of caution.

Dr. Zora at Atlanta Asthma & Allergy, in Alpharetta, is great if it gets to that point.

Most likely it is a gluten sensitivity. The longer you can keep them away from it while their digestive tract is maturing the less it will bother them when they are older. You really shouldn't do any grains in a diet until a child is over a year (baby cereal is old school info).

I don't know how "rare" it is, or who's keeping score, but if it's your child and right under your nose it's going to be everyday and commonplace. People, including children, can be allergic to anything under the sun, so an allergy is entirely possible. Stay away from oatmeal for a good long time. The problem now is you should not give your daughter anything that might have even a trace of oatmeal in it -- like cookies, granola bars, kids' cereal, 12-grain bread and so on if you are suspicious of an allergy. Read those labels carefully. Sometimes allergies are lumped together, so do some more research and see if there are several others that might go along with it. Then you'll have to educate the whole family plus babysitters too about the new "no oatmeal" rule. Do not have it in the house or let one child have it, but one not. You could have her tested for many allergies, but it's expensive and kids often outgrow their allergies. When she gets to 7 or 8 and insists on trying one, you might let her try a few bites of an oatmeal cookie, but by then you'll be prepared with some benedryl, I would hope, and you'll be in control. Until that time, kiss the oatmeal goodbye.

This could be a gluten sensitivity... Keep in mind that wheat, gluten, maltodexrtin (flour) all mean the same thing or they are derived from wheat. Either way, same result. Keep the baby away from any of these. At six months it shouldn't be hard. If your buying baby food, read the ingredients carefully! You can stay on the rice past 6 months, that's adequate cereal for her now. I would give it a few months, then try wheat again. If she develops a rash after that, you can be sure she has this. Celiac disease/Gluten sensitivity is NOT uncommon. Best of luck to you guys!

Yes. It starts around my mouth and progresses to the chest back and stomach as it digests. All my life its been an uncomfortable reality. The reaction can sometimes take up to a day or so to appear - if the oats were a fractional ingredient (such as filler or texture additive) the body might not immediately recognize that it has been ingested...

My son had the same reaction when I tried oatmeal with him... head to toe bright red rash. The nurse I spoke to seemed insistant that it had to be his bubble bath, not the cereal. Every time I tried any food with oats on him he got a rash. One time, recently, he got sick (vomited and almost lost consciousness) and we ended up being rushed to the PICU. It wasn't until days after we were home that I realized he'd eaten a snack made with oat flour that day! We have an appointment to get him tested for an oat (and other) allergies very soon. I say trust your instinct and get her tested for the allergy. Better safe than sorry. Sometimes you just have a hunch as a mother. :)

there could be a lot of reasons, and i am not a doctor, so talk to your pediatrician about it. but oatmeal can be a carrier of gluten, a wheat protein that people can be allergic to, or even have an immune reaction to (celiac disease). i am gluten intolerant and cannot have oatmeal unless it is certified gluten-free.

My first son had this same issue. His doctor looked at me like I had a third eye when I suggested that he would get a rash after eating oatmeal. Since oatmeal is considered to be very mild food he didn't think that there was any connection and it was something else in the enviroment.
Well- I sill avoided it for the first year and 1/2... and he can eat it now with no problems ( he's 6 now).
I really don't think the doctor (which we no longer goto) knew enough about allergies... my son does have other enviromental and food allergies ( severe nut) and we goto a speciallist for those.
I would tell you to go with your gut... I not a doctor but I would keep an eye on her to make sure she's okay ( unfortunately, she can't tell you but her body is telling you something).
Also, she is fairly young... so keeping her on rice for awhile won't hurt... it just might be too early to introduce new foods other than rice.
Best wishes! and feel free to e-mail if you have any questions about my son.

It happened to my baby also, however she is only 4months old.