How did you know your little one had allergies?

My little man is 8 months old. He has SUPER sensitive skin and eczema and due to that I was told to be really careful about allergies.

A couple of questions:
What signs did your LO show of allergies?

DS ends up with food all over his face and it doesn't matter what he eat - he develops a rash on his face. He can't possibly be allergic to everything so do you think it's safe to assume it's just his sensitive skin? How do you tell the difference?

Also....the other night I decided to try a jar or organic babyfood for the first time - it was a vegetable/meat mix and his whole face swelled up and his eyes got all puffy! The only ingredient that he hadn't tried was tomatoes. Is that a common allergen?

Then today...(the stories keep coming!) I was hanging the washing out and came back inside to find my toddler had given him his cheese sandwhich (that he'd rescued from the bin:rolleyes:)..and after that he had red spots with white bits (like pimples) but they went away after a few minutes.

Any help is appreciated!

BTW, I am seeing his GP this week but couldn't get in til Thursday so am stressing in the mean time

Alex has a nut allergy. His throat and tongue swell up and he can't breathe properly.

He stole another kid's peanut butter sandwich at daycare one day and, as it was his second exposure, blew up like a balloon. His daycarer nearly called the ambulance.

I'm allergic to nuts and shellfish so needless to say neither of my boys have now been exposed to shellfish at all. Ned hasn't even tried nuts either, so will have to wait until they're older before taking them to a specialist.

I just avoid everything unless I'm ABSOLUTELY sure it has no nuts. No homemade biscuits or cakes unless I've cooked them myself (especially packet mixes).

Yeast and some preservatives can also cause a rash but it's not NECESSARILY an allergic reaction as such.

Best wishes.

It's pretty easy to tell an allergy, as the reaction happens within 10 mins or so of eating the culprit food. Jack has one or more food allergies, and his reaction is just as you have described, with a rash on his face that goes away within half an hour or so. Also he has had a more serious reaction which resulted in hives all over his body. So I would say there is an allergic reaction happening for your DS.

It sounds like it is going to be hard to identify the cause(s) in this case. A paediatric allergy specialist would definitely help, but they can have long waiting lists (the wait is 12 months here). In the meantime, maybe you could try a GP or paediatrician to see if they have any ideas, and I would also read up on food allergies. Try Sue Dengate's fed up with food additives site for one - Food Intolerance Network - and you can also google food allergies to find some good sites (hopefully).

It is important to find the cause(s) and avoid them, as allergies do get worse over time as the exposure increases and the reactions could become more serious. GL with it, I hpoe you find some answers.

Hi

My now almost 6 year old has severe allergies that started to develop when she was about 6 weeks old.
She also has extrememly sensitive skin, couldn't tollerate baby wash of anykind.
I first noticed a rash on her face and then she can out in red bumps on her head. I took her to a Dr. who suggested allergy testing.She initially only showed up as allergic to cows milk but she had to be retested every 6 months and everytime she was tested she showed more reactions. She also has a severe reaction to salicylates which are natural compounds found in many foods. Tomatoes are extremenly high in salicylate as are many vegetable. Maybe you could investigate this.
My beautiful baby is now allergic to dairy, soy, wheat, rye, oats, barley, sesame,eggs, seafood,all nuts(anaphylactic), grass, dustmites, horses and cats.And still extremely intollerant of salicylates, amines and glutamates. As well as all preservatives, colours and flavours.
Regards
Lisa B.