I hope we'll know someday...

[motheringforme]

...what is causing the rise in allergies.  My 2 year old son has a peanut allergy even though we've done the "right" things: breastfed exclusively for 6 months, breastfed total for 2 years, no family history.  I'm just thankful that his isn't severe as some.  He will get hives and throw up if he consumes any, but he hasn't had any breathing problems.  We keep peanut butter in the house and eat it around him.  Is this kind of allergy supposed to get worse or better?  Like I said, he hasn't had any breathing problems so far when he is accidently served it, but could he one day?  Should I get one of those epi pens just in case?

[scsigrl]

Have you talked to a Dr. about this?  Does anyone in your family have seasonal allergies?  Those count towards the genetics of food allergies.

Reactions can and often do get worse with each exposure.  I would get an epi pen ASAP. I know everyone has a comfort level but with the high reactivity rate of peanuts, I would not keep it in my home.

[changingseasons]

YES!!! Please get an epipen immediately!! Like pp said, each exposure can get worse, and if you do have a case of anaphylaxis you need to act within seconds. Minutes (waiting for an ambulance) could be too late. I would also get all nut products out of your home.

And actually, rereading your post- hives + throwing up = anaphylaxis. Your son IS having anaphylactic reactions, and that is VERY serious. Please please please go see an allergist and get an epipen and an emergency plan for your son.


As far as the cause of allergies- Dr. Kenneth Bock's book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics is a fantastic read..

[Maedze]

I'm a parent of a peanut-allergic child.  Has your child actually been tested for peanut allergies?  If your child has a peanut allergy, you need to get peanut products out of the house, you need to stop eating peanut butter around him and you need to get an epi-pen.  Allergies, by definition, get more severe with each exposure.  Peanut allergies can be life threatening.   You need to consult a qualified physician.  

If your child is throwing up and developing hives, he has a SERIOUS allergy...the kind that could KILL him.  This is NOT something to fool around with.  Get rid of that peanut butter.  

[scsigrl]

Testing or not, there is a clear reaction here unless the OP thinks there was something else the child was exposed to. Reaction trumps testing any day.  

[Liquesce]

Just echoing what others said about keeping it out of the house.  My first husband grew up with a severe shellfish allergy in a household of people who refused to keep it out of the home, and aside from the obvious -- unnecessarily increasing the number of times he was made severely ill -- being a child whose own home couldn't be trusted to be safe was very hard on him emotionally.  Both elements were hard in ways a kid shouldn't have to deal with when at all avoidable.

[Honey693]

Originally Posted by motheringforme 

...what is causing the rise in allergies.  My 2 year old son has a peanut allergy even though we've done the "right" things: breastfed exclusively for 6 months, breastfed total for 2 years, no family history.  I'm just thankful that his isn't severe as some.  He will get hives and throw up if he consumes any, but he hasn't had any breathing problems.  We keep peanut butter in the house and eat it around him.  Is this kind of allergy supposed to get worse or better?  Like I said, he hasn't had any breathing problems so far when he is accidently served it, but could he one day?  Should I get one of those epi pens just in case?

Is it really worth your kid getting hives and vomiting just to be able to have a pb sandwich?  Get the peanuts out of your house and get an epi-pen.  You are risking your child's health for your own convenience/wants.