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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to feed the baby something he might be allergic to?

27 replies

MRex · 12/02/2019 15:09

DS is 11 months old. He really really really really loves cherry tomatoes and squeaks wildly until he has slices on his tray to eat. A couple of times we've noticed he has a slightly raised red patch of skin on his chin while eating. We wash it and it dies down within an hour, no lasting marks. I've realised today the link that this is from when he's had raw tomatoes to eat. It doesn't happen when he has cooked tomatoes, which is why it's taken time to figure out the cause. I thought before it was raw strawberries (again, no impact of they're heated up before he eats them in something), so it could be a general nightshade plant issue.

I can't understand from advice online if this means it's safe to feed him cooked tomatoes and strawberries or if I should stop giving him cooked and raw (or even keep giving it but just wipe his chin quickly with a warm cloth after)? It looks like real tomato allergies are very rare, so if I stop giving him tomatoes then how long I should wait before trying again? DH and I eat them nearly every day and he really loves them, so he'd find it hard to not get any on his tray if he sees us eating them.

Neither me nor DH have allergies, but I used to get a rash from eating too many strawberries as a child. It didn't seem to do much harm as I eat them now with no issues.

OP posts:
exwhyzed · 12/02/2019 15:16

It's just a reaction to the acid in the tomato, my daughter used to get it around the same age, it's usually because they can be a bit dribbley at that age still with teething and stuff.

If it was an allergy he would react to other types of tomato too.

Houseonahill · 12/02/2019 15:19

Not a doctor or anything but my DD used to get a red splotchy chin when she ate tomatoes and acidic things so sounds normal to me? Also I would have thought it would be affecting his hands and anywhere else it touched if it was an allergy.

Confusedbeetle · 12/02/2019 15:19

Ditto

Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 15:21

Thanks, so you both think keep feeding him both cooked and raw tomatoes but just wipe his chin quickly with a warm cloth after?

His hands are fine and don't get pink, good point.

OP posts:
TiggeryBear · 12/02/2019 15:22

My almost 3 year old is the same with raw tomatoes & cheap ketchup. It's the acids I think as she is fine with Heinz ketchup & cooked tomatoes in sauces etc.

golddustwomen · 12/02/2019 15:23

My 21 month old gets this when he eats cherry toms, he loves them! I just wipe with a warm cloth when he's finished, not baby wipes x

golddustwomen · 12/02/2019 15:25

Not every time either, it seems to happen when he's having a dribble day which would tie in with what a pp mentioned above.

dementedpixie · 12/02/2019 15:26

Could be oral allergy syndrome. Cooked items can be ok and its generally raw foods that cause an issue

Didisignupforthis · 12/02/2019 15:27

My daughter was the same as a baby and I always gave it to her anyway. Actually until I read your post, I didn’t realise it was a common thing!

kitkatsky · 12/02/2019 15:52

Sounds like the acid rather than an allergy!

KarinandtheSeaUrchins · 12/02/2019 15:58

I had this with my five year old. We were told it was a possible allergy and to avoid raw tomatoes and home and preschool, and test again in 3 months. It hasn't got better and now she is starting to react to cooked ones too.

Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 16:11

Oh that doesn't sound good at all @KarinandtheSeaUrchins. Were there spots or did the raised pink bit hang around after washing? (Clutching at straws because I liked the "just wash him" answers.)

OP posts:
MiniCooperLover · 12/02/2019 16:18

It's just his skin being sensitive as he's young. If you stop feeding them I would imagine he's then more likely to have issues when older.

KarinandtheSeaUrchins · 12/02/2019 16:50

In my daughter's case it was the feeling of itching and soreness, which she was able to tell me about. A bit of redness possibly, but mainly for her it was the symptoms she could feel. I do have a feeling tho she had redness reaction to tomatoes when she was younger tho, but it passed. Could have been my son tho. Sorry i'm not much help! But i would err on the side of caution if I were you.

Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 17:01

I don't think he's itchy, sometimes he rubs his eyes but he sleeps right after lunch so I think that's just tiredness some days. Maybe I'll stick to cooked ones for a month or two, then try again. 11 months is only ever so little.

OP posts:
Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 17:02

Thanks everyone for your input!

OP posts:
ATowelAndAPotato · 12/02/2019 17:35

Contact allergy to tomatoes in particular is really common, if it is that, then you can try putting Vaseline or similar barrier around his mouth before he eats, and it should help. Like he will grow out of it.

If it’s oral allergy syndrome, then the barrier cream won’t make any difference, he would still be itchy/whatever, and then you would know to avoid it, as the reaction is likely to get worse.

QueenOfCatan · 12/02/2019 17:39

My 2yo still gets this, she also gets bad nappies after raw tomatoes too but she gets horrid nappies after oranges too and I never made the acid connection with the tomato, only the orange! Her face is fine after oranges though Confused She has other allergies too though so I did avoid tomatoes just in case as advised by her consultant. They never tested for it though now I think about it!

minisoksmakehardwork · 12/02/2019 17:49

My ds2 had a massive allergic reaction to tomato sauce at around 2 years old. Blotchy hives all over his body. It only happened twice though - he'd eaten exactly the same thing about a week apart.

We avoided that particular meal combo for a while but he has had it since and has never reacted the same again.

Personally I agree with sticking to cooked ones for a while and reintroduce in a few months. If it happens again it is worth mentioning it to gp just so it's on record but hopefully he will outgrow it.

Dd2 developed what appears to have been a short lived reaction to chocolate hazelnut spread. She reacted with lumps round her mouth to various different brands that had hazelnut in continuously over a period of a few weeks. We avoided the product completely for a few months, tried again and she has been fine.

CherryPavlova · 12/02/2019 18:31

It sounds like a mild reaction to the acid in tomato. It’s more a burn than an allergy. Mine used to get ketchup burns at the corner creases of their mouths when young.

Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 19:39

Thanks @ATowelAndAPotato. He tends to push food up his chin, so I'm a bit worried he would swallow vaseline. Are there any barrier creams that are safe to eat? I think I have a metanium one and maybe another, he's never had nappy rash so I have various creams of that sort that were given as gifts and never used.

OP posts:
ATowelAndAPotato · 12/02/2019 19:45

Ooh I don’t know about that, ours was a bit older so wasn’t a concern.

Divgirl2 · 12/02/2019 19:50

Nipples cream is safe to eat, and will act as a barrier

Original poster
MRex · 12/02/2019 20:14

@Divgirl2 - oh I'm an idiot, yes that's perfect, I've got loads of lansinoh as I don't need it now my nipples are tough.

OP posts:
Mistigri · 13/02/2019 08:32

My DD used to get an "allergic" reaction to tomato although she was never truly allergic. Her allergy specialist explained (it's a long time ago so the details here may be a bit iffy) that tomato contains some chemicals that act a bit like histamines (the substances involved in allergic reactions) and that these can cause skin reactions in people with sensitive skin.

I can believe this is true - I am not allergic to tomatoes, and I can eat them with no problems, but if I handle them (eg peeling them) they sometimes cause itching/rash on my hands.