Food Allergies - Commerce City, CO

I have a 2 1/2 year old girl, she is allergic to almost everything, the only cereal she can have is beachnut rice, it is dariy, soy, and wheat free. I did not find out she had a problem till 9 months old, when adding formula to breast milk.

I accidentally kept giving my son Cheerios after I found out he was allergic to oats. It developed into eczema...which is a pain in the rear.

From what I have been told, you can't cause allergies - either they are going to be prone to be allergic to something, or they aren't. Not that I would suggest feeding her anything that might cause a severe reaction, especially if you or your husband are allergic to certain types of food, like peanuts or strawberries. We started our daughter on cereals at a little over 4 months old, and she wasn't allergic to anything, still isn't and she is three, but we also have no history of food allergies in our families. I have also heard that sometimes little ones can have allergies to certain things that later clear up, so it could be that she is allergic to something else in the cereals that they share in common - some common ingredient outside of the rice or oatmeal? It's been too long since feeding those foods for me to have any around to check the ingredients and see if the boxes contained anything else other than just the rice or oatmeal. What are you using to make the cereal? Maybe that could be the culprit since she showed similar reactions to both types? Good luck and hope you figure out what it is that is causing her reaction!

I would wait and see. My son ended up as low tolerant...not allergic to soy, dairy, beans, and corn. If I was you, I would hold off on foods and try again at 6 or 7 months. Make sure to read the labels for additives (this is actually what really sets mine off and was very hard to figure out).

I would definately take your daughter to an allergist. they can test your daughter to see what she is allergic to. I can recommend a great doctor that is at Sky Ridge Hospital. I had to take my son, who is now 4, and the allergist was telling me that she see's infants all the time.

Man, have I been there. In my daughter's case I didn't start her on cereal until she was 7 months or so, and the first time she had bright red spots erupt on her skin, almost immediately.

She turns out to have a ton of food allergies, and we have to take an Epipen with us wherever she goes, just in case. It's a pain, but it's not too hard to deal with once you adjust.

I would definitely hold off on giving her solids for a few more months. Breastmilk alone should be enough for now and is healthier for her anyway. Take her to an allergist who is good with babies. They can do a very gentle skin prick test on her back to see what she's allergic to and give you ideas on how to proceed.

Good luck!

Hi there! I'm not too familiar with babies who already have allergies but I thought I'd pass along the latest information I've received from my sister who is a dietician for WIC and another dietician friend. Both have said all the new evidence points to not starting babies on solids until they're at least 6 mos. old. Babies have holes along their digestive tract that are still closing until they're 6 mos. old and solids are tough on their little systems until those holes have closed. Many public doctor's are not yet considering this (lots of paperwork, administrative stuff to clear before public doc's will even begin putting this out there, if ever). Anyway, just thought I'd mention that bit of info. Maybe try reintroducing at 6-7 mos and see how that works. We just started my son on solids at 6.5 mos. He's been on breastmilk only until that point. I wish you and baby the best!

You could try Barley cereal and see if she can tolerate that. Otherwise I don't know!

My son (20 months) has had issues similar to this since he was tiny and nobody seemed to care much either. Apparently, it's common for babies to have sensitivities to different foods. We even took our son to an allergist but they only tested for 10 things. According to the allergist (and the pediatrician), the immune system is still developing till kids are about 2 years old, and most of what they might be allergic to before that they grow out of.

Don't worry about it too much, make sure the kid is as comfortable as possible, and keep doing what you're doing - try new foods, one at a time, about a week at a time, and if skin problems develop then stop that food. If nothing develops then that's a safe food.

Stay away from things like peanuts and peanut butter till she's about 3 (5 if there's a history of peanut allergy in family members), and anything else that might be a common allergen.

Good luck, and if you need more info, feel free to ask. We've gone through a lot!

She is still really young try not to worry too much. If she were mine I would wait until she was 6 months and then try food.

There are lists of food out there on when and what to introduce to kids with allergies. Find a list and start with one food a week. And only introduce a new food after 2 weeks. Both my kids had similar issues now they eat just about everything except soy...But at 12 months both were only eating brown rice cereal (with no soy additives--Read the labels) and 4-6 foods (apples, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, avocados, squash). (You can mix the cereal with foods directly if you want to try cereal again). But your daughter will be fine waiting a while to try grains. Worse case scenario you could supplement with iron rich formula as she gets older. The reason they push grains as a first food is for the iron.

Good luck hand in there!
R.

Hi J.,
We have a 18 month that we went through the same issues with only his were severe. I also started him on rice cereal at four months. He was also born with excema. Our ped said to take him off of everything except formula until he was nine months. I kept him off until he was almost one. Now he is absolutly wonderful. He eats everything that we do and has no issues with any of it. I think that giving his system time to mature was the key to him not developing life long allergies to food. I have four other kids that this was not an issue with so it was pretty distressing to have this happen to our youngest. I would just recommend keeping her off of everything except breastmilk or formula, which ever one you are doing, until she is pretty much a year old. Good luck. D.

read the ingredient list on the cereals you've been feeding her. chances are there's more than rice or oatmeal in there. our son reacted to the preservatives in Gerber but was in the end, was fine with the main ingredient. good luck.

Hi J.,
My son started showing allergic symptoms at 2 months. He was exclusively breastfed and was reacting to the foods I ate. On this, we have been extremely fortunate to live here in CO and have such easy access to National Jewish - the #1 allergy, asthma, immune system center in the nation. I highly recommend getting in touch with them. We have found their team of doctors, nurses, and nutritionists to be knowledgeable, friendly and very helpful. Here's their website: http://www.nationaljewish.org/
Good Luck!!!

Are you breast feeding and does she have any teeth yet? At 4 months her digestive system is probably not developed enough to handle solids yet. If she is breast feeding she gets everything she needs. The earlier you push solids the more likely she will develop reactions which could be a problem for life. Foods such as eggs and dairy shouldn't be introduced until after age 2.

Hi J.,

I had two of my three babies with really severe allergies. I would keep your daughter on breast milk or fortified goats milk only for another few months. Allergies are an immune system problem. I would also look at other potential irritants in her environment. Do you and your husband use perfume, aftershave, scented soaps and lotions? do you use scented candles or air fresheners? Scented laundry soap and softener? All of these could be adding to the allergy load she is reacting too.
I found when I made my home an unscented zone, all of our allergy symptoms improved. Go VERY slow in introducing anything into her diet. My last child had NO solid anything until after he was 1.

Good luck,

E.

Barley cereal worked well for us. We used it with our son who did and still has severe food allergies as well as with our son who has no allergies. I've been told that barley is less allergenic. I don't know. I do know our son was very allergic to rice. You can try the food again in a few weeks. Our oldest is outgrowing some allergies, but we still have to be careful. If you suspect allergies, I would avoid wheat, egg, dairy, etc. In order to do that, you'll probably have to buy most your stuff at a health food store. We have a great doctor at National Jewish if you need a recommendation. I'm not sure what the procedure is to get in there, but you'd probably need more documentation. Don't worry about creating allergies. Some kids are just more prone to it. You're right that nasal congestion and eczema can be related to food allergies. I would just keep an eye on it and be careful to introduce only one new food at a time and wait at least a week in between times. I don't know where food allergies fall, but eczema, asthma and hayfever are all the same gene exhibited in different ways, so if you have any of those in your family, you know to watch this little gal more closely. If it's any encouragement, we have a third now who is not showing evidence of food allergy yet. GL!

We had similar issues when we used Gerber's DHA cereals; they ended up having soy which bothered my daughter. When we switched to Earth's Best organics she did much better. Follow your doctor's advice, but if she doesn't need the extra food, wait a few months and then try again with the cereals. Breastmilk should fill her up at this point. Good luck!

It definitely sounds like an allergic reaction to me. Since your baby is only 5 months, I would just hold off on any solid foods for a couple more months and then try again and see what happens. It's okay to wait longer to introduce solids. Up until a year old it is all for practice so don't rush it. Also, try different brands as they all have different "additives" that can react in some babies. They are very sensitive. Hope this helps.

First, my son is the king of food allergies so I know way more then I wish I did about this subject. Just a thought from an alternative perspective. Babies typically do not begin to produce the correct enzymes for food digestion until they have their first teeth. Also, they do not begin to produce the enzyme to digest starches (which includes all cereals) until around one year of age. That is why so many babies get constipated when they begin cereals. Natural practitioners suggest starting babies on food they could eat naturally without cooking ie bananas, avocado, etc. Also, the American academy of pediatrics recommends not beginning solids at all until six months of age. And finally, any food before the age of one is simply practice--babies get all the nutrition they need from breast milk or formula for the first year. So if they don't eat anything solid they will still be okay from a nutritional stand point.

I hope this helps. I'm happy to give you further info from the "natural" perspective if you have more questions.
Good luck!
J.

At 5 months old, I would bet that the runny nose is caused by theething. As for the skin issue, is it everywhere, or jsut around her mouth? if its just around her mouth, it isn't allergies, it is just a rash caused by being a messy eater as all babies are. The food gets all over there face, and there skin isn't used to being dirty, and wet, so they get a rash. Don't believe all the people that tell you not to give them foods. The new studies that they are doing actually show that withholding the differnt types of food CAUSES the allergies, because the immune system doesn't get used to them, so when they are intoduced it is viewed as very forein, and thats when allergies occur.

I take everyone in my family to Dr.Karen Bates for ALL our allergy problems. She is in Colorado Springs and we all enjoy seeing her. She ELIMINATES our allergies (as they come up)so we do not have to live with them.
I honestly don't understand why so many people have accepted their allergies and choose to just live with them.

I have 2 daughters (2.5 and 8mo) both of which have had food allergies. The 8mo old is having an easier time, I think because the first had such a hard time and I learned a lot. We saw Kay Toomey who helped me learn a lot which included deciphering food ingredient labels. Gerber rice cereal and I am pretty sure oatmeal actually contains soy (soy lectithin) which like milk kids are often allergic to.... I mention this because maybe check the label and try to find a cereal that does not have it and perhaps is exclusively rice grains. Just a thought.

There is really no good reason to give a baby solid food until he or she is 6 months old, and even then it is more to get them used to eating solids than for nutrition. The reason why it is good to wait six months to introduce foods is taht before that time the baby's intestins are very immature and will allow allergens to be adsobed very easily. I would say wait until your baby is 6 months old to try feeding her any more solid food, and then try the rice cereal again to see if she has a reaction. There are many other very healthy food taht a 6 month old can eat so if it turns out that she is allergic to rice it is really not that bad. Good luck!

My DS2 is allergic to dairy and something else...still trying to figure out what. He was allergy tested (skin prick test) and it all came out negative, but he clearly reacts to dairy and the other thing. He's nursing, so I'm on an elimination diet to try to find the culprit.

We started solids just after 6 months (latest recommendations say to wait at LEAST that long) and have since pulled them and he's back on just breastmilk. Nevermind that he practically stares us down while we're eating. ;) It was too confusing trying to figure out what he was reacting to when we had my diet AND his to investigate. Anyway, he's now 8 months old and doing just fine on just breastmilk.

There is some info out there about open gut (to allow the breastmilk proteins to be more easily absorbed) and how a baby's gut doesn't fully close until 6 months. Having regular food getting through those gaps is believed to be something that *can* cause allergies. That said, there's still a lot of disagreement about how/why/when allergies develop and whether or not you can do anything to prevent them.

If your DD is reacting to rice cereal & oat cereal, you might also want to consider wheat. Rice and oats that are produced in the US are generally at a significant risk of cross-contamination from wheat. There's no reason why you have to start her with cereals instead of fruits & veggies.

If I were in your shoes I'd hold off on solids for a bit longer. Give her body time to get ready. Then maybe try some fruits/veggies and see how she does. If you've already got reason to suspect grains (and the symptoms you mentioned show that you do), you might pull them from her diet for several months & try to reintroduce them later.

We go to an allergist from www.coloradoallergy.com and really like him. They've got several offices around Colorado. It might be a good idea to at least talk with an allergist, and maybe get her tested, too. The results aren't always accurate (especially for babies) but it's a good starting point.

Good for you for being so aware & careful with your daughter's diet now. Believe me, you want to avoid allergies if you can. (My DS1 has some severe ones.) Best of luck!