14mo diagnosed with peanut and cat allergy

[docpeppa]

My 14 month old dd was diagnosed with a peanut allergy today and a 'borderline' cat allergy.

Just wondering if anyone has experience of handling a peanut allergy and has any tips for me?

Also, I have two cats that I've had for about 5 years, do I really need to get rid of them?

Hello, yes, my son is now four. Aged one he was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy and moderate cows milk and soya allergies. He has started to outgrow the milk and soya but peanut is still very severe. We suspected he was allergic to cats too, as he had what seemed like a permanent cold and we had to rehome our cats even though they weren't particularly hairy. The allergy is not actually to the hair....it is to the dander (dry skin) and it made a huge difference to his health. So I would say yes, rehousing your cats is probably necessary. We had had ours for ten years, it was sad, but better that my son was healthier. As far as peanut Allergy is concerned, it is a steep learning curve and hard work checking labels and packets constantly, but if he is only allergic to peanuts and nothing else, whilst it is scary, it is manageable. You need to check absolutely every packet of everything you buy, you will need to see a dietitian if you haven't already (they will give you info on what to eat and what to avoid and a list of ingredients to avoid) and you need to make anyone who looks after him (family,friend, nursery, babysitter) very aware of how serious the allergy is. As people don't always understand how dangerous it can and need to be reminded a lot I find. Good luck, it's tough sometimes, but it is manageable and people are definitely becoming more allergy aware these days.xxx

Thanks cupcakes

I think the hardest part is going to be educating family aswell, who don't seen to understand how severe it can be. Easter is going to be fun...

I just don't want her to feel like she's missing out, by no means do I pump her full of junk food anyway. Just things like advent calendars and Christmas and Easter treats.

I'm going to spend most if the day researching everything

Our 8mo son has been diagnosed with cat allergy as well as dairy, egg, peanut and possibly now gluten. We have a cat and have so far resisted having her re-homed - we have just kept her out of his room at all times, and we hoover every day and give her a thorough combing to minimise the allergens around the place and it has helped his eczema a lot.

He sees my parents most days and as they have two cats he is always going to be in contact with cats so getting rid of ours isn't going to eliminate the problem, and it doesn't cause him any problems with breathing/runny eyes or nose etc - if it did I would think differently. I guess it depends what symptoms your son has with the cat allergy and whether you think they are manageable.