talk to me about behavior and hidden food allergies

[L&IsMama]

I checked out this book from the lib. called 'Is this your child',about hidden food allergies in kids. It is a really,um,big,detailed book,and I just don't know where exactly to start in it cause it seems to address alot of things that don't really pertain to us.
My biggest concern/issue right now is my 2 yr old ds's behavior. He is very,very much like they described in the book behavior wise. He also has this persistent pimply rash on his buttocks,the cheeks only,so it's not really a "diaper rash",if that makes sense. I dunno if that's a sign of food allergies,but it doesn't seem to go completely away with diaper ointment,and I know it's not thrush.

I am just so tired of meltdowns over EVERYTHING with him lately. I dunno if it's a "2" thing,or food allergies,or a combination of both.: But it's mentally draining me. I swear on a daily basis I find myself just wanting to collapse in a heap from the sheer physical and mental exhaustion of dealing with him.

Anyone have any basic advice on where I can start right now with figuring out if it's a dietary issue?

[JERENAUD]

I don't have the book in front of me, I borrowed it from the library and seriously want to buy a copy for everyone I know. I found it so helpful with my 3 year old daughter and wish that *someone* had clued me into the possiblity of food reactions long ago.

That said, it took me 2-3 times of checking it out and reading parts before I got anywhere with it, there is a lot of information there. As I recall, once you're pretty sure there are reactions going on, there are two options;

1) total elimination diet (outlined in detail in the book, automatically excludes just about everything 'reactive')

2) keep a journal of food eaten and 'meltdowns', to try to establish correlations.

When I started this process (last Oct.?) I wasn't entirely convinced, so I started with the journal as it was least intrusive. It took me a day and a half before I figured out one of the main causes of my daughter's outbursts - kiwi and melon.

It took me a little while longer (until recently, really, because I foolishly kept re adding it) to accept that dairy is also out. She simply is not toilet trained when she has dairy - she pees herself within half an hour of having had it.

Recently, I've been suspecting soy for causing grumpiness, but I'm not positive yet. It just doesn't come up enough and I'm not willing to experiment at this point.

So - that's my long winded way of suggesting that you start writing down what your child eats and noting behaviours. I believe that the book states that most reactions happen within 30 minutes (possibly an hour?) of having ingested something, making it easier to pinpoint.

Good luck!

Erica