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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Original poster

Multiple allergies at weaning??

24 replies

jasperc163 · 04/06/2006 14:48

Just wondered if this has happened to anyone else? As per my post about my LO - who isnt that interested in food at 7 months. We have found that pretty much anything that she will eat at all (a few tsp) is giving her a face rash. This includes pear, avocado, mango to name but a few. Basically the rash only goes if we stop trying to feed solids for a few days .

I cant believe she can be allergic to everything (she is on Neocate)?!!!

Is it possible her system still isnt ready for anything else but milk (even at this age??)
thanks
alice

OP posts:
koalabear · 04/06/2006 14:53

any chance it is what you are preparing the food in? is all the food cooked in a saucepan, mixed in a specific bowl, on a specific spoon, washed in a particular dish soap?

i would try to elimate the "environmental" factors - mix and serve only in porcelin or china washed in very very hot water and dried with a freshly laundered cloth - same with the spoon

otherwise, perhaps speak to a alergist who may have some ideas

Original poster
jasperc163 · 06/06/2006 07:09

thanks koalabear. I will try changing the pot etc i use but i am not hopeful. It does seem very strange - I tried a new food yesterday (banana) and same reaction on her face as with all the others.

Can they do much re allergy testing at this age?

The whole thing is really beginning to worry me as allergies to one or 2 things is one thing but at the moment it seems to be everything except neocate!

OP posts:
koalabear · 06/06/2006 18:36

yes, i agree it does seem very strange that she seems to react to everything - that's why i wondered if it was environmental rather than food specific

if you are unable to track down cause, i would take her to your gp for testing - there is typically a big waiting list, so i would stress that it seems to be all foods

otherwise, go private if you can

koalabear · 07/06/2006 21:57

J - how is everything with you little one?

BetsyBoop · 07/06/2006 22:05

jasperc163 - I'm experiencing exactly the same thing with my 6mth old ( carrot, parsnip, banana, pear, sweet potato...)& the HV is no help - nice to know it's not just me, even if we are both at a loss as to what to do. If I find the cause I'll keep you posted.

pantspea · 08/06/2006 20:59

My son is now 5. When he was 1 he was still breastfeeding but I started to introduce more foods. He began to get very strange hives on his face- but not the kind that would go away after a few hours. At any given time, he had 5 or six, what looked like bug bite type hives on his face. I stopped all foods and re introduced them one at a time. I couldn't pin point anything specific that was causing them. I live in the US- and here anyway, they check babies iron levels at around 10 months. My son was anemic...and prescribed iron drops. So now back to the year old hives....I went to an allergist. My son did not test positive to any food allergies. The allergist retested my son's iron levels and found that, despite the drops, my son's iron levels were still low. He increased the dosage and the hives were gone within 10 days. However, I think that in the case of the rashy, redness that kids get in the face when they start eating foods like you mentioned is sometimes down to the acidity of the food. Even now my 2 year old daughter will get redness- in little blotches on her face- if she eats a tomato and gets the juice on her skin. And small babies have really sensitive skin. Since my daughter tended to be a messy eater, I found that if i kept a wet wash cloth on hand and didn't let any food lay on her face while she was eating, she didn't get rashy.

pantspea · 08/06/2006 21:09

Further to the food allergies. Since food allergies run in my family, my 21 year old brother died from anaphylaxis related to accidental exposure to walnuts, I have seen, first hand how babies react when they are "allergic" to foods. In the case of my brother, his food allergies began to crop up when he was weaned. He would not just get a rash on his face, he would immediately vomit and get very red ears and wheeze in his chest. So in my own children I pay very close attention to how they react to foods. Allergy testing in small children is unreliable. Even when my son was tested at one, the allergist said that I shouldnt consider the tests "absolutes". In my experience, fair skinned children get rashy a lot when they are babies....a lot of times for no apparent reason whatsoever. I remember my doctor telling me...don't get upset when that lovely newborn skin all of a sudden is rashy, blotchy or dry. Babies take a while to adjust to new foods and other things that almost act as "irritants" to the skin.

Original poster
jasperc163 · 09/06/2006 16:22

Hi everyone - thanks for all the replies. I have taken her off solids (as of wednesday) and rash , though still there a bit, is much reduced. GP has agreed to refer her to paed allergist (luckily getting it on OH's insurance but even then it is 6 weeks or so for an appt. I gather there are only a handful of them in the country so thats good really).

Betsyboop - you are the first person i have found on the web who is having the same problem! Pls do keep me posted. By the way does your LO have any other issues (mine had reflux and isnt interested in eating solids (does she know something i don't??)

alice

OP posts:
BetsyBoop · 12/06/2006 10:31

Hi Alice

Have seen another HV now, who was more helpful - by then I'd taken DD off solids & back onto BM only - and the rash has virtually gone now.

HV agreed that was the best thing to have done - I'm going to start her on solids again tomorrow & keep a food diary & introduce new foods 3 days apart & see what happens - if we have the same trouble again then she is going to refer me to a paediatric allergist. - I'm keeping the food diary on HV's advice, as aparrently that is the first thing the allergist will ask for, so if you aren't keeping one already it might be worth starting one.

DD has eczema (she takes after me for that Blush) and I'm guessing, but it seems to me that the rash on her face might be a reaction to the food physically touching her face rather that an actual allergy to her food content, if you know what I mean. So I'm going to try to have the food in contact with her face for the minimum possible (easier said than doen Wink)

The sad thing is DD was really enjoying her food - even so far as pulling the spoon into her mounth & squealing with delight - especially at parsnip & banana - since we went back onto boob only she's been looking longingly at anything I eat, as if to say "when am I going to get some more...?"

I'm the same as you, I've not found much else on the web about anyone else having this problem. I'll keep you posted how it goes.

Original poster
jasperc163 · 12/06/2006 12:35

Betsyboop

Same as you - i stopped solids last wed and will restart tomorrow (now rash has cleared) and am going to keep food diary (though it seemed to be everything!).
What was the advice if there was a reaction? Stop and wait for it to clear before trying something else?

My LO is on Neocate (hypoallergenic milk as suspected MPSI though never proven) so i suppose we have more reason to suspect. The big difference though is she has no interst in food (or milk) which we thought could be her knowing it doesnt agree with her?

anyway pls keep me posted! What are you trying first?

OP posts:
BetsyBoop · 12/06/2006 21:45

we are starting on parsnip tomorrow, as that was the first food after baby rice (which she didn't much like last time)she had last time & we had no rash the first week (which was just parsnip & carrot) - the rash emerged the second week when we introduced sweet potato, banana & pear.

Last time we went back onto carrot/parsnip when the rash appeared, thinking they were "safe" but the rash continued to get worse. If the rash appears again I'll try going back to something "safe" - if we get past parsnip! - and if that doesn't work, stop again & speak to the HV.

We are on a different cream regime for DDs eczema since the last time, which seems to have it under better control, so I'm just hoping that it doesn't happen this time, finger's crossed.

What are you starting with?

Original poster
jasperc163 · 13/06/2006 06:48

I havent decided - its between parsnip (which she didnt like - or any other veg for that matter) and pear (which i think she may have reacted to.

Interestingly pear and sweet potato are the ones used in exclusion diets and meant to be really safe! Sweet potato was a def problem for us (it was that day i took photos to show to the GP)

fingers crossed. Catch you later

OP posts:
BetsyBoop · 13/06/2006 21:06

well DD had parsnip at lunchtime & so far so good. (She had a small eczema rash on her chin anyway & it's not got any worse)

She scoffed it down, bless her heart - she obviously really enjoyed it.

How did you get on?

Original poster
jasperc163 · 13/06/2006 22:03

well thats good news.

Had parsnip too but only a tiny amount (not interested, but off her milk too today) but did eat some. Possibly slight chin rash but not major.

  • [post edited by MNHQ to remove email address]
OP posts:
BetsyBoop · 14/06/2006 22:06

how did it go today?

Parsnip again for DD & she scoffed the lot! A bit of redness on her upper lip by bathtime, will see what it's like in the morning.

What weaning spoons are you using? I'm using Tommy Tippee Heat Sensitive ones - I keep wondering if it could be the spoons, I need to find out if they have latex in or something....

Original poster
jasperc163 · 15/06/2006 06:43

Parsnip again and slight rash on cheek /chin though not major. She didnt eat much of it (but she is off her milk too - not sure why).

I was wondering about spoon too. LO seemed quite bad on banana and avocado which would link to your latex theory. Mine are bendy plastic from Mothercare or Sainsburys but no idea now what they are made of.

OP posts:
BetsyBoop · 18/06/2006 13:27

We have now done sweet potato too - minor rash on cheek, but it dies down after a few hours

What I am doing is putting her emollient (Doublebase) on her face immediately before & after eating & that seems to be doing the trick, so far anyway....

How's it going for you?

Original poster
jasperc163 · 19/06/2006 07:00

Hi - minor rashes with pear and parsnip. Gone by next morning (having some success with Aveeno now). However fed banana yesterday (or a tiny bit anyway as she isnt interested) and nothing at all! Only thing was i changed spoon yesterday (went back to old ones i used). I am going to do banana with same spoon today and banana with other spoon tomorrow!

Unfortunately though my LO is off her milk too and so i am beginning to wonder if solids have also sparked her reflux off again.

Glad to hear you are doing better!

OP posts:
threebob · 19/06/2006 07:51

There is no latex in those spoons.

Jasper - make sure that they test for latex allergy if he has had reactions to banana and avocado.

BetsyBoop · 19/06/2006 21:00

Carrot for lunch today & DD now has a rash all over her cheeks and chin, so I may have found a culprit. Will have to see what her face looks like in the morning & whether we get any nappy-end reaction when it works through.

So I'll knock carrot on the head for a while me thinks.

how's it going your end Alice?

thanks for the info on the spoons threebob

twigster · 21/06/2006 15:37

Hi there.

Just to let you know we are also encountering multiple weaning allergies, mainly to fruit rather than veg. Although pear, apple & banana were initially ok, a petit filous induced hospital stay has resulted in reactions to all fruit since. Daughter also has eczema and we have referrals to dermatology and paed allergy clinics pending. You might want to look into Oral Allergy Syndrome which I came across this week: essentially it links food allergy to pollen.

Hope we all find a way forward!

twigster

bluejelly · 21/06/2006 15:41

My dd had multiple allergies around that time- including all cow's milk and formula, citrus, tomatoes.

Was referred to a dietician who was v reassuring, feed her what you can, take it one step at time, she will get over it.

Red rash due to tomato continued for another year but she is 6 now and not allergic to anything.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel.

nervousmum · 22/06/2006 01:27

Reading the thread with interest, as my DS had the same thing when we started weaning him. He got particularly bad rashes with rusks and citrus fruits, and my GP said it was where he had direct skin contact with them that was the most likely cause, rather than a reaction to the foods themselves. Around the same time he was diagnosed with eczema (inherited from me). Once we got the eczema under control (with Body Shop hemp cream), he stopped getting rashes and now happily eats everything without any problems (he's now 9 months old). HTH x

BetsyBoop · 22/06/2006 19:20

thanks for all the responses, always nice to know you are not alone, even if we don't all have solutions yet

I found this site which was interesting

allergies

"In a study of 57 children under 1 year of age, 43 children aged 12 to 35 months, and 42 children aged 3 to 15 years with atopic dermatitis, they were skin-tested with foods suspected to have caused their dermatitis and other possible allergic symptoms. Hen egg was the most common food allergen in children under 1 year of age. After that age, Apple, Carrot, Pea, and Soybean elicited positive reactions as often as egg"

Seems carrot is quite common, although I'd never heard of it before & neither has the HV

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