How can I know if my son's allergic?

Question

My child is three and so far I've ruled out the common foods that cause allergic reactions such as nuts, strawberries, etc. I'm an avid lover of shellfish and have been wary of sharing with my little boy. Is there anyway to determine what, if any, foods he may be allergic to without actually giving him the food inquestion and waiting for a reaction?

Answer 1

Yes you can, Gee this generation is just ... don't your grandmothers and mothers teach you people anything..

Do not take your child to a allergy person do you know what thy do..
1. it use to be 65shots in the back.. now do you think it is worth it for your child to suffer.. no but you would be amazed at how many kids do this because the parents are fanatics.. at ever little thing.

2. the new way much more expensive is patches.. but do you want your child to have 23 different boo boos on his back and have them itch.. no it is not fun. and most of the time the child will cause reactions to all of them and then be allergic later on in life.

3. you can wait until you feed the child the food, but then make sure you have benadril on hand.. My son after years eating Cinnamon crackers.. we got a off brand and he had the internal reaction.. It was nuts.. head to toe hives. it did go away but he never ate them again..

4. here is the Old way in life.. take his wrist.. take a cotton ball.. put it in the juices rub just a little on his skin wait about 2 to 3 hours it will absorb into his body.. if no reaction.. then you should be fine.. you can do this will all foods..

NOW I WANT YOU TO NOTE THIS.. DO NOT FEED FISH TO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 11YRS OLD.. WHY, 80% OF ALL CHILDREN CAN NOT HANDLE THE OILS, OR THE ENZYMES THAT ARE IN FISH.. FISH IS NOT FOR CHILDREN..

Tuna is fine for kids 3 yrs old and older, But lobster, crab, shrimp. Is not.. at least wait until 8yrs old..

now i am not talking about trout, or salmon, this is like tuna it is good for a child but not under 3 yrs of age.

if you are talking about clam chowder soups again 3 to 5yrs of age.

As for fish and chips it is so little most of the time it is so fried all the dangerouis enzymes are out.. like wine is cooked out of stews.. same thing..

So please.. for all children's heal, NO FISH SHELLED.... UN TILL THE KID IS A KID NOT A CHILD.. I WOULD PUSH IT TO AT LEAST 11YRS OLD so the child in his older yrs can.. Indeed eat Lobster and crab and shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters.. Hmm ummmm ummm my birthday gift to myself once a year.

Answer 2

Hi, when he was 3 my son had a terrible allergic reaction to something in a seafood soup at O.G. (the popular Italian chain restaurant.) A day after eating it he had hives all over and started swelling up, and started having breathing problems. We took him to the hospital and he had to get an IV to clear it up. From that point on we've been very careful not to give him any shellfish. You should take your son to an allergy doctor. They will give your son a skin test. It consists of a panel of substances which they will apply as a grid on your child's back (or arm) to see if any of them react (a reaction will result in a raised, red, inflamed spot on the skin.) The test doesn't take long; the reaction occurs within 10 minutes or so. There is a very slight danger of severe adverse reaction to the test (but since it's in a doctor's office you don't have to worry since they can treat it there) and may be upsetting to your child, because there is a slight amt. of pain/itching. You can request various substances if you suspect they are allergens. The ones I can remember they tested were clams, crab, shrimp, oysters, peanut... they can also test "environmental" allergens like cat, dog, dust mites, etc. Good luck!

Answer 3

As a child I had an allergy test from my doctor.
I am not sure of all of the substances they are able to test for, but the process is fairly simple.
The doctor has various substances that people are typically allergic to (like pet dander, molds, plants, eggs) and he scratches or pricks the skin in a pattern once with each substance.
You return in a couple of days and he examines with area had any kind of reaction and then he can tell you which substances you are allergic to.
I am not sure how old a child has to be before they can have this test or if they have to show allergy symptoms first, but it may be an option.

Answer 4

Take him to a doctor. The doctor will make a very efficient test on him, and after this test you will be able to know exactly what your son is allergic to. The doctor will inject your son with a different variety of components that could cause an allergic reaction to a person, and after that he will tell you what your son should avoid, and if your son has very high allergic results, then the doctor will provide you the correct medication to get rid of the allergic reactions. Take into account that allergy it is a reaction that is usually very hard to get rid of, and we have to be very patient to get good results. Hope it helps.

Answer 5

I see people suggesting that the child be seen by an allergist - that's just unkind. The tests for allergies are quite painful and no doctor in their right mind would order tests for your child until an allergy had been noticed.

People with allergies make up a small percentage of the population, so chances are your child is fine. To answer your question, no, there is no way to know without just going for it. What I did when introducing my children to real potential allergens was to sit right next to them with the phone next to me as I gave them small pieces of the item. If they would have gone into shock or something I had the phone there to call 911.

It also may help to know that if there's not a history of allergies in your family, chances are slim that your child will have them. Good luck :) It's tough being a parent - there are SO many things to worry about! I thought when my oldest got past the "baby" stage I'd be more relaxed. Er, um, that is until I sent her to school and allowed *gasp* other people to take care of her!!! You'll be fine and so will your son. You seem like a careful parent, so you're doing a great job.

BTW, neither of my kid are allergic to anything ;)

ADDED:
I agree with some other people that this is something you should call your child's pediatrician about - I'm not a doctor, and they may know something I don't - all of what you find here is anecdotal info, and should never be confused for medical advice!

I noticed that someone said children under 11 shouldn't have any sort of fish beyond something like tuna. I've never heard something like that even remotely suggested before, and I googled the suggestion and found nothing to back it up. You *do* need to be aware, and I forgot to mention this the first time, that most fish contains mercury - some fish far more than others. Here's a couple of things I found:

From: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fishandshellfish/

Children and babies
Don’t give any fish or shellfish to babies younger than six months because there is a chance they might have an allergic reaction. (MY Note - this is from a British gov site and 6 months is quite different from 11 years ;) )

Children should avoid eating any shark, swordfish or marlin. This is because the levels of mercury in these fish can affect the development of children’s growing nervous systems.

You might also want to avoid giving raw shellfish to babies and children to reduce their risk of getting food poisoning.

Also, from: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Answer 6

Go to the allergist. I am allergic to many things, and what i do when i want to find out what things im allergic to is i go to my allergist, fill out a form of the foods i want to be tested for then i set up an appointment to get blood drawn. Once the blood is drawn and they test it they can tell me what im allergic to and whether its a severe allergy or not. I do this often because im allergic to alot of stuff and im always finding new things that im allergic to.

Answer 7

Allergy tests suck as I have had them done multiple times, but they are well worth it so that you can determine what foods are safe for your child. If you get him tested your doc can also put him on allergy shots to help his allergies diminish. It's the safest way to know what your son is allergic to and to also become more educated on what you can do around the house to make him more comfortable.

Answer 8

Go get an allergy test done they poke your back with different things it doesn't hurt ,which ever bump bumps up they can tell you what you are allergic to and give you a list.I found out I was allergic to alot of things dust,cigareete smoke pollen ,cut grass,perfume,etc

Answer 9

These types of questions - things that could potentially put your child at great risk - should be directed to your child's physician...not complete internet strangers.

Answer 10

The really safe way is to take him and have him checked, that's the only way to be completely safe