Could it be oatmeal?

[1withpeanut]

Hi! I fed my 9 month old oatmeal for the first time today (for lunch and dinner) and when we gave her a bath at night we noticed her back and sides had big patches of red. Could she be allergic to oatmeal? She wasn't upset, so I think her tummy was fine. Please help!

[KimPM]

Yes, it could very well be oatmeal. That's one of the 13 foods my DS is sensitive to.

[SweetSilver]

Yes!  I'm allergic to oats as well as rice and several other foods that aren't commonly suspected.  

[1withpeanut]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm just surprised because we've been using Aveeno creams and bath products on her ever since she was born and they contain oatmeal and she's been OK with them. Also, I looked up oatmeal allergies and the symptoms are upset/bloated tummy and tiny red dots across the belly, none of which she had. She had big, red, splotchy patches on her back and sides. I already have a toddler who's allergic to peanuts/nuts, I don't know how I'm going to deal with #2 if she can't have oatmeal or wheat

[ASusan]

3 thoughts:

1. If the "allergy" symptoms to oatmeal that you found online referred to IgE allergies (What is sometimes referred to as "true allergies"), then your DD might have an intolerance or sensitivity, and that type of reaction might be totally different than the "typical" oatmeal allergy descriptions you were looking at.

2. Almost all oatmeal is cross-contaminated with wheat because of the equipment it was processed on. Has your DD had wheat yet and did she react to that?

3. Are you sure it was 100% oatmeal? For example, Quaker "unflavored" (or "regular" - not sure how they term it) packets of instant oatmeal have coloring(!) in them. I think they also have a preservative. IIRC, it is caramel coloring, which sometimes is made from milk. When we traveled (e.g., stayed at those hotels that have breakfast), I used to avoid even plain oatmeal packets for our son, who is allergic to wheat and sensitive/intolerant to milk.

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by 1withpeanut 

 Also, I looked up oatmeal allergies and the symptoms are upset/bloated tummy and tiny red dots across the belly, none of which she had. She had big, red, splotchy patches on her back and sides.

Hmmm.  That doesn't describe my symptoms one bit!  Allergies are kinda weird and are different for everybody.  Yes, indeed it could have been something else.  Ignore what you read.  What you saw was most likely an allergic reaction to *something* and yes, you can be allergic to oats.  Also, did you have something on your hands when you picked her up to put her in the bath?  Could the splotches be from this?  Without knowing more about the splotches, I am just guessing about other causes.  I suggest trying to repeat what happened-- give her some oatmeal etc.  Try to recreate the symptoms.

[kjbrown92]

If what she had was hives (red blotches all over) then suggesting she repeat it doesn't seem like a good idea, since subsequent reactions could be worse. I was also wondering about wheat and if she'd had that as well, or any other ingredients in the oats. An oat allergy isn't unheard of by any means but other things are more likely (as in, the top  8). I know that Gerbers rice cereal, which was supposed to be a first food, used to have soy in it (not sure if it still does) which my son happened to be intolerant to.