Starting solids can be exciting for you and your baby but it can also be very scary. We were so excited for our oldest daughter to try new foods but we were mainly focused on the possibility of her choking. Thankfully, she is a very conscious eater and from the moment she started solids to now she chews her food very thoroghly. Great right? Nothing to worry about. Nope.
To start, it is good practice to know upfront if your baby has a higher risk of having a food allergy. For example, if a child has eczema there is a higher chance that they can develop a food allergy (who knew right?). My husband and I do not have a lot of allergies to foods but we do have some. Knowing that, when I introduced solids to our oldest daughter, I introduced one food at a time for four days in a row. For example, if we started with sweet potatoes on Monday, then we continued with sweet potatoes until Thursday. I also kept a food journal, which FYI is funny to look back on as your little one gets older and I highly recommend. This approach we took made it easier for us to know the exact food that was causing an allergic response if our daughter were to have one.
One day, I noticed that after her meal, she developed two hives. Nothing big but something I noticed. At her next well visit we told her pediatrician and he suggested that we have her tested to be on the safe side which, unfortunately, confirmed our findings. There are eight common food allergies and we discovered our daughter is allergic to one of them.
As a parent, knowing your child has a food allergy is the first blow but then you realize that the rest of your child’s village will also need to know about their food allergy and the measures to take if they are exposed too. It gives you a little anxiety that you now have to have an Epipen or an AUVI-Q (epinephrine injection) wherever you go to ensure your child does not have a severe reaction; knowing that one day you may need to give them a shot to save their life. That thought will give any parent anxiety but worse is asking someone else to be just as responsible as you are. Daycares, preschools, their grandparent’s house, and of course restaurants are just a few places where you will probably trust someone else to ensure your child does not have an accidental exposure. It can be a lot. Especially when your child is a baby or toddler and they cannot advocate for themselves or communicate all of their symptoms.
Thankfully, having a food allergy does not mean your child will have that food allergy forever. There are some allergies that children tend to “grow out” of or develop a tolerance for. For example, eggs. Being allergic to eggs as a child is one of the most common food allergies but it is also one of the most common food allergies that children grow out of or tolerate better. There are even some children and adults that cannot have eggs by itself (such as scrambled), but eggs baked or cooked into other foods is fine for them.
If you do have a baby or toddler that has a food allergy, there are some measures we take to help protect our daughter:
- If your child needs an Epipen or AUVI-Q, teach them how to use it early. This way, they can either use it themselves if needed or if someone else has to use it on them, they will not be afraid of the process. Every Epipen and AUVI-Q has a test unit so it is easy for your little one and yourself to practice administering the epinephrine injection. For us, we started practicing with our daughter when she was around 12 months and now she is a pro at the age of 2.
- Carry chef cards. These are cards that state the allergy your child has and you can have the waiter/waitress give the card to the chef of the restaurant as a reminder. Then the restaurant can also confirm if there is a higher chance that your child may have a meal that comes in contact with that specific food that they are allergic to.
- Know all of the possible allergic signs. If it is too much to remember, take a picture of those signs and flag it in your phone. There are so many ways an allergy can present itself (GI issues, respiratory, etc.) so having a quick reference is helpful in a very stressful situation.
- Have a plan of action. We have Illinois Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan and Treatment Authorization forms on our refrigerator with extra copies for preschools and grandparents. On this action plan it tells the caregiver the exact steps to take if certain symptoms are occurring and when to call the provider versus when to simply go to the ER right away.
If you are interested in learning more about food allergies in babies, or how to spot the signs, I have a few great resources below. If you are a parent of a child with a food allergy (or allergies), I understand the struggle (because it is a struggle at times). Lastly, if you know anyone who has a food allergy, please take it seriously and support them. Having to care for a baby and/or child can be stressful enough but adding another thing to worry about, is no small task.
Lastly, remember to always give yourself and others grace. Accidents do happen and if your baby or child has an accidentally expose, the best thing you can do is remain calm and take the proper steps outlined by your provider to safe their life.
You got this mama (or dada)!
Helpful Resources
West, H. (2017, January 25). The 8 most common food allergies. Healthline. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-allergies
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2014, March 26). Likelihood of child outgrowing food allergy depends of type, severity of allergy – mayo clinic news network. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/likelihood-of-child-outgrowing-food-allergy-depends-of-type-severity-of-allergy/
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, December 31). Food allergy. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20355095
Food allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/. Accessed March 6, 2022.
James T C Li, M. D. (2020, April 3). Food allergy vs. food intolerance: What’s the difference? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538
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**Note: Obviously I am not a medical professional and these thoughts are my own. For medical advice regarding food allergies in babies or toddlers, please contact your PCP or pediatrician.**
