elimination diet and DD

[treemom2]

DD has eczema and DH and I are pretty sure it is caused by a food allergy. Our problem is, how do we get DD to do an elimination diet without getting rid of everything in our house that could be a possible allergen?? We tried it for a couple days then we found DD hiding under the table with a jar of peanut butter (we had it out of reach, but while I was nursing, she moved a chair over to the cabinet to get it). I don't want her to have an unhealthy relationship with food or to think she has to hide to eat things, but I really want to find out what is causing her eczema so we can get rid of it. We have figured out dairy was a culprit (eliminated it with a lot of heartache since cheese is DD's fav food and the soy cheese just isn't cutting it), but she is still getting the eczema from something though it isn't as severe as when she was on dairy.

Any ideas? Helpful suggestions??

TIA-
Barbara

[mommyabroad]

If the idea of a total elimination diet is too overwhelming, wheat would be my next guess. It's a bit challenging to eliminate at first but there are lots of great alternatives, especially if you live near a Wild Oats, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's. Good luck!

[Owens Mama]

Treemom2- Make sure the cheese substitutes you are using don't have casein in them- this is the milk protein and most "non-dairy" cheeses contain it.
THis website has lots of info about hidden allergens in foods
http://kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

(Thanks siana!)

good luck!

[LEAW]

Yep, I was just going to add that the soy cheeses I can find all have dairy in them.

Also, soy protein is VERY similar to dairy, I can't have either w/o dd having a reaction.

Eggs is frequently a skin reaction as well.

Good luck!