Peanut allergy in 18 month old?

Question

My grandson ate peanut butter and crackers today and had a reaction. Broke out in a rash, itching. Daughter called doctor and they had him come in. Now he has to go throught allergy tests to see if he has a peanut allergy. He has eaten peanut butter, peanuts, and crackers on numerous occasions and has never had a problem. Has anyone else experienced this and what happened? Thanks for any suggestions I can get. We are scared to feed him anything. Everything is nearly cooked in peanut oils or has peanut in it.

It was on a Ritz cracker, and the box states that it has soy bean oil in them. So who knows. Does anyone know of a site that gives a list of peanut free foods or even restaurants who do not cook with peanut oil. I guess its back to home cookin' his mom will just have to learn. We have become so conditioned to eating out because of busy lifestyles.....but he is definetely worth it. Poor little guy, its so limited to what they can eat.

By the way, thanks so much for your responses!!

Answer 1

I have a son with food allergies; I know how tough this can be.

You cannot develop an allergy without being "exposed" to the allergen. So, it's not unusual for a child to have been eating something and to later develop an allergy to it. In my son's case, he hasn't developed new food allergies, but he has developed a significant allergy to cats, despite having been around cats many times without reacting.

When you are dealing with food allergies, you have to be careful. Read every label and don't take anything for granted. If a food says "vegetable oil", it can contain peanut oil! So, processed foods can become a big problem. However, as you rightly point out, cooking at home is normally safe (because you know what to avoid) and it can also be much healthier. Now that we are used to cooking our own meals, we've discovered that we much prefer our own food most of the time!

There are a lot of sites out there that deal with allergies. Many of them are very good. I write for a site that reviews allergy products and which you might also find helpful. You can find me at AllergyRelief101.com

Answer 2

Allergies can build up in your system. I know people that haven't had them, and then suddenly in their 20's, develop severe ones - to things they've had or used dozens if not hundreds of times. Being okay with something in the past is not an indicator that it's not an allergy, in contrast what the first person said.

As far as a peanut allergy, actually, not too many things are cooked in peanut oil here in the US. Just read packages thoroughly and notify a manager (not just the server) anytime you eat out.

Your physician will tell you if you need to carry an epi pen and how severe the allergy is. I know people who have nut allergies who swell up and are severely sick and near death for days, but I know others who are fine in small amounts. Everyone is a little different.

Good luck through all this. : )

Answer 3

I am 36 years old and was recently ( within 1 month ago) diagnosed with a peanut allergy after starting on peanut butter at 3 years of age, suddenly one day in Late Aug of 2006 I couldnt eat peanuts anymore and was diagnosed in Nov 2006.After I found out I researched heavily on the internet for the other names of peanuts. ARACHIS OIL is PEANUT OIL and should NOT be used, here is a couple websites that have helped me alot since my diagnosis: www.foodallergyinitiative.com,www.peanutaware.com,www.foodallergy.org,www.foodallergyconnection.org ( gives symptoms of Anaphylaxis Shock )www.allergyescape.com
I hope these help you.

Answer 4

Allergies in young children are so hard to deal with. Sometimes you have a mild allergy and sometimes a severe allergic reaction. Peanut allergy can range from mild to so severe that the person goes into anaphylatic shock and can die if not any medication immediately.

Be sure to check with your physician as to how to handle the reaction, if it happens again. You need to be versed in how to deal with a reaction.

I am surprised that he became allergic to peanuts so quickly, after having had peanuts often. However, it does happen.

I have attached 3 web sites to get you started on gathering information about peanut allergy. If you will "google" for peanut allergy, you will find information. I like to use www.dogpile.com to get a few more articles about the subject.

Good Luck. You will need it.

Lenore Hodges, PhD, RD, LD

Answer 5

i am allergic to peanuts and it's hard, because not a lot of people know how to deal with it.. but be careful. i did read somewhere that you're not supposed to give a child younger than the age of 3 any nuts because they have to build their immune system for it. research into that...

make sure that you have an epi-pen available for next time...it opens the airway for him to be able to breathe.. the next time that he has a reaction-- 1. call 911 2. give him the epi-pen (shot on right thigh) 3. and wait for the ambulance.

other than that.. read all of the ingredients labels!!! when you go to restaurants ASK the WAITER if there are any nuts in anything.. when he comes over make sure that all of the food with nuts are out of reach for him...

be careful!

Answer 6

Welcome to the world of child food allergies. My son's allergic to MSG. You have to read labels--read, read, read. At least they have to explicitly list when something is "produced in a facility that handles peanuts and peanut products," and might be contaminated. I've found I had to stop buying most pre-made food and start cooking from scratch. That's ok, it's healthier and tastes better anyway.

Answer 7

Read the labels on everything - plenty of things so not have peanuts in them - try for soy instead

Answer 8

just dont give him anything with peanut. it is weird he has eaten it all his life and now all the sudden he got that. maybe it wasnt from the peanut at all.

Answer 9

if you go to the store to buy things for him, always look at the ingredients. if it has anything to do with peanuts don't buy it for him.