Food Allergies

I can’t say that my kids have had any really severe food allergies, but there has been so much talk in the media about the dangers that some foods can cause that it does make a mom worry…

When my oldest son, Karson (6 yo), started eating solid foods, he would get a slight rash when eating strawberries. The rash was around his mouth, no hives or swelling. At the time, I called his doctor to ask for advice, and since Karson had no signs of an allergic reaction beyond that, I didn’t have to worry. The result was slight skin irritation, due to the citric acid in strawberries. Dr. Hathaway said to look for any new symptoms next time Karson ate strawberries. Karson’s skin no longer gets irritated by strawberries.

Samuel, my youngest (1 yo), has not had any food allergies. He will be two in September. Introducing foods was different for him than for Karson. While Karson enjoyed trying foods earlier than Samuel, Samuel was breastfed up until he was 18 months old. When Dr. Hathaway gave the okay to try new foods, Samuel wasn’t very interested. We introduced foods to Samuel around 9 months, although we introduced rice cereal to Karson earlier; I think it was 7 months (mom brain)? The first food we introduced to Samuel was mashed avocado, and he did not approve. It made for an entertaining dinner.  Karson’s first food was mashed beans, which he loved and still does.

Our doctor suggested introducing one new food per week. That left seven days to observe if there was a reaction. I recently saw a Facebook post from a friend about her little girls’ peanut allergy. Her daughter had had peanuts multiple times before there was an allergic reaction. I feel for anyone with food allergies. Carrying an epi-pen and coordinating with daycare, schools, friends, family, and eating out all changes life.

Food allergy identification is a strange deal. My best advice is to always ask your doctor for any recommendations and food-allergy testing. I wish you all a happy May! See you in a couple of weeks!