Let's Talk Food Allergies

Little Bear is eating food like a machine. So, let’s talk allergies.

It’s hard having a new to food child, as a parent and as a nanny. The unknowns of what they’ll like, can they choke, what textures will make them gag etc. But the biggest fear I have is allergies. I’ve babysat for families with allergies ranging from gluten to peanuts and eggs. But my current family is the first where I carry an Epi-Pen everywhere. Little Bear is severely allergic to sesame with a side of mild egg.

We found out after a few weeks of giving it to him. We were careful. We introduced one allergen at a time. Starting with eggs. We gave him the smallest bite on Monday building up to an entire egg on Friday. He didn’t react. We kept it in his diet but never at the same time as the next allergen we tried. Peanut butter. Again, the smallest taste on Monday. And bit by bit built up to a tablespoon on Friday. Again. No reaction sighs of relief all around. The following week, for those of you following that’s week 3 we stayed at peanut butter and eggs. We didn’t introduce anything new. We needed a break from the stress of watching him every second. Please keep in mind this entire time we have been feeding him store bought hummus, he was a fiend for it! We all learn something new and my new thing through this experience was that you can be careful as anything and still have a child with allergies at the end of it.

For lunch one day during week four I gave him peanut butter on toast and a scrambled egg. We had been keeping things separate and it had gone well for three weeks of introductions. I thought we were in the clear. He started to hiccough, and then he got a rash around his mouth and down his chest. He wasn’t his usual chatty self either. He seemed uncomfortable.

His mom and dad both work from home, dad boss was in the office that day, so mom boss and I took my car to the closest emergency room. I glanced at the bread’s ingredient’s list on our way out the door and saw that it had 3 types of sesame seeds in it. My gut said it was the sesame. The hospital said it was the peanut and egg and we were to avoid it and get him to an allergist for testing.

A month later he did the skin test. Egg and peanut reacted, sesame didn’t. We were cleared to continue hummus after mom boss asked if it was okay. We gave him hummus at lunch, and he reacted within 10 minutes. Hives around his mouth and vomiting 15 minutes later. We gave him Benadryl, at the allergist’s advice, and did a contact nap so that we would know if he got anaphylactic. He recovered well and got a good nap that day. He went back to the allergist for blood work. Peanut came back mild; egg came back slightly less mild, and sesame came back severe.

A couple months ago he did the peanut butter challenge at the allergist’s and passed with flying colors. We must keep it as a regular part of his diet to avoid reactions. He did the baked egg challenge a week or so later. He passed, but marginally. We have been slowly working up to less cooked egg. The baked egg muffins first. Currently we are on baked breads and muffins. Next is pancakes and French toast. So far so good. He hasn’t reacted and LOVES spiced breads more than sweet muffins. Which is perfect because I love making breads.

Sesame we continue to avoid. It’s in the house, his parents and I eat it, but we wash our hands before interacting with him or touching his food if we have any. We will raise him to self-advocate about his allergy and eventually teach him how to use his own Epi-pen. He is 14 months now, so we have some time before we need to do that.

Things to look for when introducing new foods.

When introducing new foods, you need to be aware of what an allergic reaction looks like. Every person is different. They could have one, some or all the symptoms.

Rash around the mouth

Body Hives

Coughing

Wheezing

Reddening or swelling of the lips or tongue

Fussiness

Blue lips

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Flushed face or skin

Itchiness

In the case of Little Bear, he hiccoughed every time we gave him something with sesame. It isn’t a listed symptom anywhere, but it was every time, so I stay aware of that when we introduce new foods. He’s recently started eating salmon and loves it.

If your child has a mild reaction call your pediatrician. If they have a more severe reaction, bring them to the closest emergency room. It they are anaphylactic call your emergency line. Little Bear was fussy and had hives around his mouth. His breathing wasn’t labored, and his mouth wasn’t swelling or changing colors. We took the chance and drove him. His mom sat in the back with him and called the pediatrician.

I find this stage of raising children the most stressful. The being on edge can be exhausting. Having the knowledge after this stage is well worth it. We haven’t introduced him to all allergens yet. We are taking it even slower than before. I also haven’t ventured into mixing allergens again. We’ll wait a bit longer to be certain.

If in doubt. Get them checked out. You’ve got this.