testing DS2 before he is weaned?

[valentine]

DS1 is allergic to eggs and nuts. DS is 4 months old so i plan to start weaning him in a couple of months. SHould I get him tested (at the same time that DS1 has a check up for his allergies) before I even try DS2 on food like dairy/wheat etc? Or should i just treat him like a "normal" child and try foods with him as you would with a child with no family history of allergies? At the moment he is exclusively breastfed.

Hi sorry dont really know much about this, whilst it probably is too early for testing you probably should treat him following guidlines for baby with a family history of alleries? The main thing would be to 100% breastfeed if not being bottlefed until 6 months then introduce one food at a time.

I would do as pookey suggested and treat him as a child who comes from a family with allergies (so late introduction of things like wheat, egg etc.).

I wouldn't get him tested just on the off chance (and not sure the docs would do it anyway!).

I was very nervous with my second child having had an allergic child first and although there were a few minor problems, everything was fine in the end.

It is highly likely that, because he has not been weaned had not been exposed to certain allergens and therefore, not develop antibodies which is what the test looks for in order to determine wheter you are allergic or not. So not much use at this stage.

I would follow the advice for children at risk of developing allergies. I wouldn't treat him as "normal" if there are allergies in the family. Neither DH or me have allergies, DS was weaned following the guidelines for babies at risk (after severe eczema) and still he has become a very allergic child.

This is a bit of a hardcore suggestion, but in the US, mums of children from very allergic families try to keep them exclusively breastfed for more than 6 months. I've even heard of mums doing 12 months.

If you do decide to give solids at 6 months, please do as the other mums have said, and avoid the likely allergenic foods for longer than normal.

As others have said, there is no point in testing him. He has not been sensitised to anything yet (hopefully, there are contact allergies, too), so is no allergic to anything yet. And the longer you keep him away from likely allergens, the lower his risk of becoming allergic to them, from what I know.