Babies and Allergy Testing?

[jogirl]

Anna has been eating solids since 4 months old. We never planned on starting this soon, but she needed to get her medicine in applesauce. She never eats more than two baby spoon full's of food at one sitting - so she's really not getting very much "food". Since we already started solids with the applesauce we continued to do more. Just a note: Anna has severe reflux, won't eat her bottle awake (pain association) and her pediatric GI suggested starting solids to help her get a happy feeding experience and start getting more calories since we can't get them via liquids (<25% in weight).

So, we've tried a few things taking a 3-day wait rule into account. She's gotton red around her "pooper hole" from way too many things. Here's the list so far: sweet potatoes, peas, bananas (bad one!), oatmeal cereal (not bad), carrots. We're using the Gerber Organic baby foods. I just recently started pureeing quinoa and she hasn't had any bad rashes yet (a light one though). I plan on making my own baby food from here on out, but what's up with all the allergic-type reactions? Is the red pooper-hold an allergy sign - I thought it was? Have you ever had allergy testing on a baby? What does it entail and would you pursue it? She's on soy formula and is almost 6 months old.

Thanks!!

[williamsmommy2002]

My DS is 8 months old and has some allergies to food. Actually he has had reactions to bananas, avocados, peas, oatmeal, and mangoes. He gets hives to these. His ped. told us to stop introducing new foods for a few months and just stick with what's not causing reactios now. I'm not sure if a red anus is sign of a reaction or if the food is just too harsh for your DS's system yet. As for allergy testing, it really isn't done on babies unless really warranted.

[jogirl]

Thanks for the reply. Since we've found a way to give Anna her medicine in her bottle we don't *need* to do solids anymore, so I think I'm just going to stop the solids for a few more weeks and then start up on avacado w/ water. Hopefully, she'll have matured some by then and we can find some foods that she'll be able to eat without getting a red bottom .

[Cinder]

Janelle is allergic to apples, bananas and corn, but she has only tried 12 foods total, so that is a lot! She also has severe reflux(was on reglan and zantac till 7 months, now just zantac) and at 10 months is only 14 lbs. She also had normal seasonal allergies this year and was miserable till I finally gave in and started zyrtec. Our ped said they really can't do accurate allergy tests till she is 2 years old so we haven't explored that yet.

Her allergic reactions however are much more severe than a red bottom. With corn and bananas she broke out in a horrible rash around her mouth and bottom, and then a lesser rash all over her whole body. With apples her mouth, eyes, and tongue swelled up huge, you could hardly see her eyes and she couldn't even fit her tongue back into her mouth, she also had hives every where and trouble breathing and had to go to ER. We stopped trying new foods after that (it happened at 7 months old) and waited to see what the pediatrician had to say at 9 months.

[twinkletoes]

we found out our boy was allergic to soy (which i was drinking figuring it was healthier & started giving to him ~8mo)

it was causing him terrible itchy rashes & who knows what else - everyone will react differently. have you tried a different formula for a while? i'm totally ignorant about reflux, but maybe it's a reaction to her bottle?

it was a fluke that we figured out his soy allergy - went on vacation and he was happy and rash free, came home and got back on familiar food and it came back. i can't even eat soy sauce now because it goes through my breast milk.

i understand your frustration and worry. soy was the worst, but he's still reacting to other items in our diet. his rashes come and go so i'm starting a food diary to try to chart them. but mainly i'd like to strengthen his constitution so that he's not so allergic to these good, healthy, organic foods.

good luck!