Seeking Moms Whose Child Has Food Allergies

Hey D.,
My son is 2 1/2 and is allergic to milk and egg. I am in a support group called poca of dupage. (look up the website) My son has had 2 anaphylactics and recently I gave him candy that had egg (I missed the label) He threw up everywhere! Not fun! I have learned a lot from the group... how to go to restaurants, what to buy at stores, etc. Basically my daughter age 4 eats many of the same things she does. You will probably never be able to eat at a fst food restaurant because of cross contamination. It's hard, but you do learn to adjust. I don't know much about the corn allergies, but if you contact the girl (Kellee) who runs poca she will definitely put you in touch with someone who can help.

D.,

My son has allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, barley, and nuts. We found out when he was one year old, although he showed signs earlier. I don't know anything about corn allergies, but with our extensive list of no-no foods, I do know how hard it is to find foods without those things. I recommend a visit to Whole Foods as they have a lot of items that are free of what you need. The staff is also very helpful. When we go to restaurants, I usually take some food for our son (now 3). Sometimes he can eat some things on the menu. He can eat grilled chicken (as long as I specify to the manager that it can't be touched with tongs that have touched bread, butter, or cheese) and fries if they are not cooked in peanut oil. When he was younger it was easier and we just took food for him, but now he doesn't want to sit still as much. Red Robin does a great job and they can give you a handout for all of their dairy free menu items. I just always ask for the manager, explain the situation, and they cook the food themselves. Also, the Food Allergy Network is a good resource. Some sections are free, others are available for a free. http://www.foodallergy.org/.

I only have one child, but I do babysit other children, and I've always just told him "that will hurt your belly" when he sees foods he can't have. He also can't touch them because he gets hives from touching the foods with his allergens. We spend a lot of time handwashing everybody in our house. He seems to know what that hurt your belly phrase means now and will tell me that when he sees food he knows he can't have.

He is sort of used to what he can have now. Even when I've found a specially made food from, like Rice Dream ice cream or a pizza he can have (which aren't bad tasting at all from the brands I have found), but he is so used to not eating them that he doesn't even want the new stuff. Like I found a great brownie mix on 123glutenfree.com and they are really good, but he wants none of it!

I think it has just become a part of our way of life. If we are somewhere that has cake,I make cake or cupcakes from the 123glutenfree website for him. He doesn't always eat much, but he can have Funfetti icing so sometimes he just eats the icing, but even if it is just that, he feels included. Same thing if we eat pasta, I just cook his gluten free noodles and he feels included.

Good luck with everything,

Kim

I haven't had time to read all of the responses, but there is a great book - Food Allergies for Dummies. It's written by an allergist who also has food allergies. I've read quite a few books on allergies and it's the best one I've found so far.

Hang in there, it does get easier!

Our family decided to go peanut, tree nut free when our son was diagnosed. It's not always easy, but it works for us. Each family needs to decide what works for them.

Hope this helps!

Doris Rapp, MD has a book called "Is this Your Child?". It's about "Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults." It's pretty comprehensive and has a great food section in the back. I just checked McDonald's website and they have allergen information for each menu item. I think more and more restaurants are doing that. Sometimes families have to adjust foods for the whole family - not just the child with the allergies to be successful.

I also have a book available called Healthy Kids and am in the process of ordering more copies of a great CD on Children's health. I am happy to send those out to people who are interested. I wish you wisdom and success with this challenge.

My 2.5 yr old is also allergic to dairy. I have found, however that he responds favorably to yogurt (organic, no artificial colors or corn syrup sweetener). Something about the good bacteria in it helps him not have a reaction.

Some good things I have found: Coconut sorbet from Trader Joe's is non-dairy and looks just like vanilla ice cream. My son loves it and so do I! For going out to fast food places, stay away from chicken nuggets and stick with a burger. The pumpkin muffins at Panera are the only treat there without dairy. I usually carry along his favorite treats like fruit snacks, crunchy granola bars, or some cookies (alphabet cookies from Trader Joe's or Bug Bites graham cookies, etc.) and if he's sad about not having what my older kids have, I give him something. On pizza night, I make him his own small pizza with just a piece of bread, sauce, and some sheep's milk cheese (easily found at Jewel or Dominick's--you can ask at the counter or look for Manchego or Basque cheese, they'll even let you have a taste if you ask). It is milder than goat's cheese, and it has more the consistency of mozzarella.

Also, I have found that Almond milk (vanilla--yum) is the best to give him. Soy milk has phyto-estrogens that mess with hormones, and rice milk has little nutritional value. I found out he was allergic to dairy when he was 6 months old and I was still nursing him, so I gave up dairy for awhile too. That's why I know a lot of the foods he can and can't have.

About a year ago, I explained to him that he was allergic to milk and he would get sick or itchy if he had any. I had to explain it a few times, but pretty soon he understood and now asks "this have milk in it?" before he eats anything.

They usually grow out of this allergy, but it's best to keep him away from dairy as long as you can while his body readjusts. I have started letting my son have small amounts of cow's milk cheese, and he has had no adverse reactions. His allergy has had a good effect on all of us--we now eat a lot less dairy which is probably good for us.

Good luck, I know you will do great.

Hi D.!
My daughter will be two next month and we fund out about her allergies (dairy and egg) at 7 mo. old when I tried to ween her from breastfeeding to a bottle and we found out about egg by default. There is a great difference between your son being allergic and intolerant so be sure that you take your son to see an allergist to determine. My daughter is SEVERELY allergic to both so we hae to carry around an EpiPen at all times. Even something as simple as a goldfish cracker can cause an anaphylactic reaction. As a precaution we cannot give her anything "processed on the same equipment as dairy or eggs". I don't know much about corn allergies so I'm sorry I can't give you any advice on that :(
To answer your questions...we typically bring "safe" foods with us when we dine out and most restaurants are very nice about heating it up for us. We prepare it ahead of time and just put it in a microwaveable container. Some suggestions are Tyson chicken nuggets, Gerber Graduates (only the Turkey Stew is dairy free), individual microwaveable chicken flavored rice (mix with veggies). My daughter eats tons of fruits and veggies and is actually not a big fan of meat other than the nuggets and Applegate Uncured Turkey Hotdogs from Trader Joes (no hormones, preservatives, nitrates, msg etc.) There are lots of snacks like crackers, cereals, granola bars that you can find. Whole Foods is great!
If we go to parties I bring a plate of chocolate chip cookies that my daughter can eat and we can share with everyone (Cherrybrook Kitchens has a great mix), that way she doesn't feel left out.
Feel free to email me if you would like a list of food ideas and brands I use. I will be happy to help. It would also be a good idea to register online at FAAN and find a support group in your area. We go to POCA of DuPage mtgs and receive lots of support, advice and info from experts and other parents.
All my best to your family!
J.

Hi D.,

We have an only child (2 yr) who has severe dairy allergies but who was also very interested in at least tasting whatever his parents are eating. So in order to deal with it, we changed our diet somewhat so that there were no conflicts until I found substitutes for dairy based foods, e.g I do not make mac & cheese period, instead of ice-cream, he can have sorbet (fruit based - no dairy) so a trip to Dunkin Donuts is ok with us because he can now have his "ice-cream" (if we're having cones then his goes in a cone cup, if sundaes then his goes in a sundae cup!). There are also various things that you can find such as pop-corn without butter, some types of crackers, lots of cereal and such that the rest of the household can enjoy. Otherwise, we wait until he's asleep! By the way, my baby also loves the french fries at popeyes and they did not even cause hives to come out. Also if you like thai food, they do not use dairy in their foods. One caution, if you are ever in doubt of something or someplace, always either feed your child before going or take a meal for him. To date, we have never had a reason to use the epipen and I certainly am wworking to keep it that way. In regards to your child with corn allergies... you will really need to be more vigilant and probably work in lots of changes to suit his diet, i don't know... If you need any specific info, feel free to send me a mail.

Hi!
My son is 2.5 and is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, and oranges. We are lucky, though, and his milk and egg allergies are not too bad. He just gets some eczema and if way too much is eaten he will vomit or get diarrhea. So I am not much help since he can have milk IN things, but we don't give him milk to drink or ice cream. Most places have websites where they list ingredients so that should help. I have learned that asking the waiter/waitress is not always great! We went to Max and Erma's and asked about peanuts in the kids meals. It took forever and then they said they couldn't guarantee anything except a chicken breast wasn't exposed to peanuts! So watch who you trust if it is a dangerous allergy!!

Good Luck!
L.