What do I feed my baby with multiple allergies ?

[chockermum]

My 7 month old baby is showing signs of allergies she gets a rash after eating:-

• Egg (quite a bad rash)
• cows milk / cheese (milder rash)
• peanut butter (milder rash)

Appointment at the allergy clinic isn't for a few months.

She is breastfed and we're doing BLW.

I have been eating all of these as staples of my (pescatarian) diet. I've now stopped eating eggs as a thing on their own, but still eating things containing small amounts of eggs iyswim? (I think she may have suffered with bad wind after I'd eaten eggs). I'm still eating dairy and nuts.

What do I feed her? Any ideas/ websites? She's basically going to be vegan with some fish. I'm a bit worried about giving her beans/lentils too early as she does sometimes suffer with tummy pain. But I need to make sure she's getting a balanced diet.

Also do I have to stop eating everything that's she's allergic to, as well? It doesn't seem like her allergies are severe. If I have to cut these things out I would find it really difficult so any advice appreciated (I try to eat a healthy unprocessed diet wherever possible).

Thanks in advance!

[sleepismysuperpower1]

could you try her on sheep's milk? It's more unusual than cows milk but lots of people who are allergic to cow's milk find they can drink sheep's milk.

you can give your baby fish too. sardines are really good for them, because They are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which not only help with the development of your baby’s brain, but are also a great immunity booster. They also have lots of calcium. Look for the tinned ones in water. mash them well, and then combine with dairy free cottage cheese.

all the best x

[chockermum]

Thanks so much for your reply. I didn't know you could get dairy free cottage cheese! I had a look at that website and couldn't find anywhere near who stocks sheep's milk (I'm in the North West) - do any supermarkets stock it do you know?

Any other ideas welcome !!

[Bookishandblondish]

Contact your health visitor and ask for an urgent referral to a dietician based on a) babies symptoms b) your own diet. Vegan is difficult enough with children let alone allergies.

[ikphillips]

Hi @chockermum my little one has egg, dairy, sesame and soy and is now a happy 18 months! There are so many dairy free options on the market that taste good. We use KoKo cheddar (almost exactly the same as a mild cheddar), CoYo coconut yoghurt and oatmilk on cereal/if you decide to wean from BM. Diary free spread also easily available. re eggs, we usually just avoid anything cakey and to be honest it's not in that much stuff ... the only time we have struggled is if we go to a restaurant and there are cod/chicken goujons on the menu that have been dipped in egg and breadcrumbs.
We make lots of bolognese, risotto, baked beans, pasta, mild curry & rice. Annabel Karmel has great recipes.
Good luck!

[ikphillips]

Damn meant dairy, egg, sesame and soy allergy!

[Epwell]

You need to get all peanuts out of your house asap if your DC is reacting to them, stop eating them immediately - some children have contact reactions and can react to a kiss if someone has eaten a peanut and then kissed them, touch reactions are also common. Reactions can get worse each time they are triggered so your DC is at risk of anaphylaxis. I'd get rid of the eggs too - we were advised not to have my DC in the same room as a raw, cracked egg, she was off the scale allergic to egg white. Some children who are allergic to peanuts are also allergic to other legumes (peanuts are infact not nuts, but are legumes). You really need to treat this extremely seriously and you may have to rethink your diet choices. Take a look at the Allergy UK and Anaphylaxis Campaign Websites, there are also lots of facebook pages for parents of allergic children which are fabulous sources of advice and help. Is your GP helpful? I cannot stress enough how potentially serious and life threatening your DC's situation might be. You need to be aware what the symptoms of anaphylaxis are. This is not easy and you have to deal with it properly.

[sar302]

At 7 months the majority of her nutrition will
still be coming from milk, so try not to worry too much about a perfectly balanced diet. They're still just trying stuff out at this stage.

My little boy had a very severe (ended up in A&E) reaction to egg at 6 months, and we didn't see the allergy clinic until 10 months. We were told that when they're so tiny, it's hard to do much testing, and they may also grow out of the allergies, so they're reluctant to put too strict a label on it at such a young age. We should see them again at about 19/20 months

Just be mindful that allergic response severity can also increase with repeated exposure. So what's a rash now, could become more severe. I'd be tempted to put a halt on the eggs and nuts for now.

[chockermum]

@Bookishandblondish Good call, i will get in touch with the HV tomorrow.

@ikphillips Hi and thank you so much, that's really helpful. Glad your little one is doing so well!

@Epwell thanks for your reply. I have just read the factsheets on the Allergy UK website and they are really helpful. It doesn't seem to suggest I need to ban everything from the house and stop eating everything myself though, if she's not reacting to my breastmilk. I also have a 3 year old son who is a very fussy eater and I need to look out for his nutrition as well. He has now outgrown his few mild food allergies he had as a baby. I will look into the Facebook groups, thanks.

@sar302 thanks for your reply! I've been putting off trying her with other potential allergens (nuts/ seeds ) do you mean I should wait until after the allergy appointment before I try her with these? Just aware that these are potential sources of nutrition she will be missing out on from other sources but don't want to risk a bad reaction to something new.

[NeverTwerkNaked]

You need a dietitian appointment.

If they are allergic to cows milk I would avoid all other milks as the proteins are similar.

My son was allergic to all those plus wheat and Soya too. It is tough but there are lots of good substitutes these days. Eg. coconut based yoghurts and cheeses.

[sar302]

I can't stress how much her milk his her balanced nutrition at this stage - honestly! Lots of 7 month old babies aren't even swallowing food at this stage. Please don't worry too much about what food is doing for her for the next couple of months in terms of nutrition.

If you're worried about what to feed her, I'd go back to your GP and ask for their thoughts. I'm hesitant as a non-medic to give advice! But I can tell you what happened to us.

We saw our GP after A&E and he only banned eggs - nothing else. The only other thing we avoided (through our choice) was nuts, because it's a common allergen and also unnecessary that young, a choking hazard etc

After we saw the allergy clinic, they put us on an egg, shellfish and nut ban (they tested him for peanuts and he was fine.) until he was older, as again, they're the most common allergens.

When we go back in two months, they'll do more prick tests. After our initial appointment we were given antihistamines for any potential further reactions to other food.

While your baby is so young, vegetables, lentils, pasta, rice, oats, fish and meat etc are all grand. They're breastfed? So they're getting all the dairy they need.

Keep a food diary to note any reactions to other foods, and pin your GP down about whether you should be avoiding the foods already causing a rash. You need a proper medical answer to that. It's scary, but it is manageable x

[LittleCandle]

When my DD1 was a baby, she was reacting badly to her allergens that she was getting through my breast milk. At the time, allergies were not as common and no one knew why my child was vomiting after every feed. It was only when she contracted tonsillitis at 14 months and reacted badly to the penicillin that the doctor realised she was reacting to what I had eaten. So please, stop eating peanuts. I know they say only a small amount of your food goes into your breast milk, but if your child is allergic, they can be incredibly sensitive to even tiny amounts.

[sleepismysuperpower1]

I have only seen it within the place I linked, they deliver and it's cheaper to get it from there than any of the gourmet cooking places (that also sell it). I would contact your GP and make an appointment x