Strawberries and rash

[chatname]

I have been giving my DS strawberries since he was about 8 months. He seemed very enthusiastic about them! The other day though, he ate a couple and later I noticed blotchy red patches on one side of his neck. He also refused some porridge with strawberries on in the past couple of days and refused a strawberry yesterday. He's now 12 months old.

I vaguely remember my mum saying she was allergic to strawberries (she died some years before DS was born) and there is a family history of severe eczema in one first cousin and asthma in his grandfather. I also had quite a severe allergic reaction to a beesting as a child, but I don't have any other allergies and DH is allergy-free.

Do you think I should be at all cautious about strawberries and/or raspberries and/or any other fruit?

Hi Chat

Strawberries are reported to cause allergy in babies and young children from time to time.

DS had a reaction to one when he was about 8 months old. He had them a few times before that, was initially enthusiastic but then became increasingly agitated when I offered them to him. On about the fourth time he broke out in a rash similar to the one you describe. I wondered if DS had a rash in response to skin contact though as he's been fine with the Plum strawberry fromage frais and he also had quite a lot of mashed strawberry in greek yoghurt the day before the reaction and seemed fine.

I haven't done a lot of reading about it (so you may want to look into it more to get proper info rather than my speculation ) but I understand that babies and young children sometimes have reactions but generally grow out of it. The Food Standards Agency does not list it in the foods most commonly causing allergy.

There is information here about other fruits that may cause allergy if there is a reaction to strawberry.

just give him apples - fantastic fruit!!