We had a scare this weekend (including 911 and a trip to the ER) with the baby after she had some homemade french toast (it was one of my rare cooking experiences ) We're not certain if the allergy is to egg or milk yet, but either are potential culprits although she's had yogurt, cottage cheese and pasta with no problems. She'll more than likely have skin tests to determine what it is. She's on Prednisone for a few more days.

I'm wondering if anyone is willing to share how they lived with big food allergies from their kids' diet and if there are any tips, recommendations, or just plain support. I've never been so scared in my life. Since we don't know what the allergy is, I'm petrified to leave her with anyone else (and yes, I know I'm being paranoid).
Thanks.

Yes, they both are allergic to milk. Actually, I should say were for the one. We discovered it with my first child. We finally placed her on soy formula after 3 months of crying, throwing up, and her being constantly ill & unhappy. Things were much better after the change in her diet. Around 1, we tried cheese and yogurt and ice cream. SHe would do fine in small doses. By age 2 she could drink regular milk. My second was also allergic to milk. Again with the soy formula but when we tried to switch him to regular milk products about 1, it didn't go well. He will eat cheese and ice cream now (he's almost 2). HE still doesn't really like milk. Anyway, we'd just tell everyone they came in contact with to not give the kids milk products. We'd send their soy formula to daycare and provide alternate snacks if needed. We only allow relatives and well-screened daycare providers to watch our children before age 2, so we felt ok. I hope this helps you. I hope it is nothing serious with your little one.

Nuts! Both the little ones can't even get NEAR them.

I am allergic to poultry, and eggs (unless the eggs are hard boiled or scrambled hard, figure that one out, the doctors cant!).

Skin prick tests are not that reliable; blood tests are better - but getting your child to let someone take blood is like WWIII!

My son tested negative for dairy but this is what he has problems with but not as bad as your child; his is more of an intolerance rather than a full blown allergy. He gets red hot ears and allergy "shiners" under his eyes, stomach aches, and gets hyperactive and silly. We let him have pizza, mac & cheese, etc. on weekends so he won't be out of control during school. He takes calcium + D to offset not getting any dairy on a regular basis. But we have to really read the ingredients in everything because they put lactose in a lot of food items. I usually just cook from scratch and avoid preprocessed foods; makes our lives much easier.

I have heard that if you avoid the offending item for at least six months you can try it again but don't know if this will hold true if it was so bad you had to go the hospital and prednisone route.

You are wise to not leave her with anyone else because people really don't understand the consequences of eating something she shouldn't. Or they give her something that they believe to be Ok and turns out is isn't. Dairy products in foods can be listed many ways, and a lot of them give no indication they are dairy products. So keep protecting her.

Sorry to hear about your scare. My children have not shown any allergies so far.

Whatever you do, don't subject your children to the horrible skin prick tests. I got angry and wanted to hurt any nurse/doctor that had a needle because I had these tests as a small child. I had no idea why until I was over 30 and talking to an accupuncturist about it when it suddenly hit me.

I hope all turns out well with your child!!

So near and dear to my heart...
Allergies are VERY common with Natalie's condition, so I talk to a lot of other "liver" moms on the subject. We have one friend whose son is so allergic to cow's milk that he went into an analeptic shock; she now carries an eppi pen wherever she goes.

Natalie is allergic to cow's milk. We did a blood test - it's called a RAST test and we "requested" (I sort of demanded) that it be done on Natalie. It scores from 1 to 6 with 6 being the most severe. It tests for cow's milk, orange, soybean, egg white, corn, wheat, shrimp, and peanut. Natalie is a class 2 for milk (and a 1 for the rest, phew!) The class 2 for her means a rash, for other kids it may just be an upset tummy. Allergies affect every kid differently. And some allergies get worse with exposure, particularly eggs.

Right now, my first thought is that it is the eggs. But that's only on what you said, without knowing her symptoms. Having said that, WAIT UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE GIVING HER EGGS. Since you said that she was fine with other dairy products I would suspect that it wasn't the milk.

I spoke to her pediatrician today. He suspects it was the eggs and said they'll do the RAST test at her 1 year appt in Jan. It's strange because she didn't react to the first dose of the flu shot which is egg-based. He's calling in a prescription for an epi-pen and gave higher doses of Benedryl that she could have if needed. He said egg allergy reactions can be worse with each subsequent episode. Also no nut products, shellfish or citrus fruits until she's 2 because there's a high likelihood of multiple food allergies. I'm feeling a little better about this, but am more scared about family members giving her things so I guess there's my excuse as to why she's not ready for a week at Grandma's (when it's really me that's not ready )

I appreciate everyone's insight. The Dr. also gave us this website for recipies & info.

http://www.foodallergy.org/

What we've found is that most small children (less than 12 months) have problems with a number of foods. Ours had some nasty stomach issues after having dairy for the first time, but our pediatrician said that was normal due to her age (about 1 yr at the time). Diary, eggs, and some meats are difficult to digest and it takes time before most kids are capable of dealing with them. From what I understand some allergies are created this way by feeding stuff to kids who are too young to process it. The body rejects it and decides right then to always reject it.

So the lesson is really just to be careful and give them only what they can handle until they are old enough to take anything.

My two year old is allergic to eggs, and penacillian. When he gets the flu shot, they have to monitor him for extra long. He hasn't had a severe reaction, but they want to make sure. He can have eggs in things like cake, but if they are scrammbled or such, that is a big no no.

At the age of 2, my younger granddaughter was diagnosed with milk allergies. Her first-time parents went into a minor over-reaction but the good thing they did was give all of us a list of what NOT to give Gracie. I still have it up in my kitchen. It really doesn't take much to check ingredients or just use my head to make sure there's no dairy in whatever I give her. And she's learned to say "I can't have that. I have allergies and it will make me sick." if someone tries to give her milk or cheese or butter.

It's really not that hard to aclimate too. The reward is seeing her healthy and happy so I'll buy the expensive soy milk when she's coming.

Saphire that's interesting, since I am allergic to eggs unless they are scrambled or hard boiled, and am also allergic to penicillin.

My child has had hives for a month and we are currently waiting on the results from a blood allergy test to come back. She is 14 months old, and showed no problems with dairy, eggs, etc. at all prior to this one episode. We tried cutting out things to see if the hives would clear up, but even on allergy medicine she still has them (just not as intense). Any others out there with spotted children?

Just curious, does your child have eczema? The pediatrician said that it pretty much goes hand & hand with hayfever, asthma, & food allergies.

I had a dream about the "Bubble Boy" episode from Seinfeld last night

My daughter had an allergic reaction to scrambled eggs at 13 months and had to have an allergist test her and administer the MMR vaccine. At that time she skin tested allergic to eggs and a mild allergy to peanuts. She had no problem with eggs in baked goods and we avoided anything with peanuts at the drs. suggestion. At 7 she agreed to allergy skin testing and the egg allergy was gone but the peanut allergy had increased so that she carries an epipen. Her peanut allergy has now decreased to 3. The allergist is suggesting that she have a controlled peanut ingestion test at his office. She is 15 and has agreed that she should have the test before she leaves for college since she will be much less able to determine if peanuts are in dining hall food but has yet to agree to a specific time. I'm hoping for this summer. Her food allergies, although scary have been managable.

I have had these problems from birth (a long time ago!!) although they have lessened after many many years of allergy shots. As a baby I was allergic to orange juice so had tomato juice in a bottle instead! Often fresh fruit or vegetables will cause itching (even in my throat or ears or itchy lips - ugh) but cooked in some fashion they won't cause a problem.

I was covered in hives much of my "babyhood". You just have to be very careful about ingredients and test with small sizes if unsure. Get the tests done and then hope this lessens over time. And keep benedryl handy, with doctor's instructions of course.

Princess Leia, our 2yr old has at least one known food allergy and that is maple flavoring/syrup. She also was eating french toast when she was around a year old and broke out in hives all over her head. We thought it was the eggs too, but after her dad gave her a bite of a maple bar one day and the same occurred we ruled out the eggs. She also was eating eggs at the time so it seemed odd to me that she could eat products with eggs in them and not have an issue and then this one time have this occur. Her reaction wasn't as severe as yours so I would be leary to try it, but we experimented with the eggs after we felt the issue was clear and kept a dose of benedryl handy to make sure we were prepared if she did have an issue.

Good luck! My niece was very allergic to a lot of foods and has since outgrown most of it.