How to raise a child with food allergies?

Question

My two year old has multiple food allergies including milk, soy, wheat, eggs and peanuts.

He is very thin and it is a daily struggle to find tasty and healthy meals due to the elimnation of so many "kids' favourites" from his diet.

I am really worried about how he will feel about his situation in the future.

Has anyone faced this situation?

What is the best way to guide my sweet and innocent child who so far thinks that the world is a wonderful place?

I really want him to have good health and a lot of self confidence.

Answer 1

My child does not have any allergies like that that we know of, the dr did the first allergy test and came back with a low grade allergy to milk, but wont send her off for a specialist to do further testing. We have struggled with her weight since she was 1, she is now 4 and 1/2 and she weighs only 33 pounds. That is our milestone, because at 1 she weighed 20 pounds, but she got the flu and lost 1 pound, and she stayed that way for so long. She only recently (last 2 weeks) gaind the last 3 pounds, and it seems like she has weighed 28 pounds for about 2 years. I was pleasantly surprised to see those extra 3 pounds this last week.
My husband was born with severe allergies like your son. He was allergic to milk, wheat, eggs, peanuts, corn, and many others. His mother had to make potato bread for him, soap for him, flour enchiladas, instead of corn tortilla ones. She says it was difficult, she usually had to make 2 meals, one for the family, and the same things, just adjusted for him to eat. It gets easier, he is now 33 and just a few of those allergies bother him still, mainly environmental ones are the worst. Right now they are harvesting all the crops around us so he is not so great right now, but some of those allergies your son could grow out of.
Just make sure that everyone you know knows all his allergies, so they dont even slightly forget, and when it is school time, keep them informed and get crappy if you have to. Schools here, dont take moms too serious when you say allergies. A friend of mine, her son went into anaphalactic shock after being exposed to eggs, so she told the school, and they had an egg hunt at easter time, and she came to the party and found him with eggs, she had to throw a fit, even if all was fine, the egg could have broken, and he could have missed some when he washed up and ingested it. So you have to be clear to anyone involved in his life none of these things.....

Answer 2

I am gluten intolerant, and sometimes it is difficult to avoid wheat products. The soy should be easy to avoid, milk, egg, and peanut less so. Chances are the only "dangerous" allergen is the peanut allergy, so he must avoid that at all costs. There are so many online blogs dedicated to allergen free recipes and lots of books too. Try to center recipes with rice, potato, or corn base. Be patient, it takes time to learn where all these allergens hide. As for the peanut and egg, when going out, you are going to have to drill your waiter. It's best to eat things at home, made from scratch. Following a whole food diet might also help.

Answer 3

Yes! I have a two year old and about a year ago we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Everytime we ate he would get sick, get hives, sometimes have a hard time breathing. After three different doctors we finally took him to my husbands peditrician lol. He took some blood on our very first visit and two days latter we found out that he was allergic to 14 different foods. AHHHH!! Apples, Beef, Casein(milk componet),Chicken, Corn, Eggs,All milk products, orange, peas, peanut, potato, soybeans, wheat, and cheddar cheese. It's really hard sometimes trying to tell a two year old no when he wants an ice cream cone or what every other kid is eating. We had to take him out of daycare b/c of this....they gave him peanut butter and had to rush him to the hospital b/c he almost stopped breathing. This happened twice! He can't have any prepared foods or anything fast food. I was worried that this would hurt his health but after the first few months it got better! He eats a lot of green beans, ham, turkey, and drinks a lot of tea! We sometimes break down and give him something that he's not suppose to have but at a very limited amount he does ok. He still has some of the foods that he can't come in contact with but he's doing better and hopefully he grows out of some of it before school.

Answer 4

You could do lots of things to get over the allergies.. There are 2 books that come to mind one is Donna Eden's Energy Medicine. She has a protocol that will retrain the body to get over allergies! There is also an ebook out there called allergy antidotes. This ebook gives a step by step way to reprogram the body.

Emotional Freedom Techniques also could help. They have a free Ebook at www.emofree.com.

I would suggest that nobody ever eat unfermented soy. Soy is not the health food people make it out to be. Since he is a male soy is not good because it promotes estrogen dominance in the body.


Alex

Answer 5

I would begin at Barnes & Noble or one of the BIG book stores that you can go and sit in the big, comfy chairs to do some reading in the sections on food allergies and kids. You can go on numerous occasions and they don't care how long you are there and can be very helpful in your doing research. Your pediatrician should have been a good resource, also, but every MD is different.

Answer 6

Well maybe he will grow out of it but I don't actually know.
You can give him fruits veggies sweets (not to much) and smoothies...those are one of kids favorites and you dont need milk in it just fruit ice and juice.Since milk is healthy and he can't have it keep giving him other healthy foods and drinks.Keep talking to him as he gets older about this so he doesn't feel so bad about it.Also maybe try to pick up a nice book about this situation.And ask a doctor for more suggestions.Good Luck!

Answer 7

Hello! There are loads of alternatives. Go to a health food store. You'll find rice pasta and rice and almond milk, bread made without wheat, and all sorts of things you never knew existed. The staff at these stores are usually very knowledgable and concerned and you'd be amazed what's out there!

Answer 8

My 2 year old sister has the same problem, she has allergies that include milk, nuts and eggs.

The doctors gave her a special powder milk which helps a great deal, it's great to make milkshakes and other stuff but she get's really upset when we refuse to give her things like chocolate...

Good luck :)

Answer 9

I'm so sorry to hear the boy has this problem.

By all means, use the resources suggested! Be prepared to say no a lot when he wants something that is bad for him. And take it one day at a time. When he gets old enough, he'll understand.

Good luck.

Answer 10

I haven't had a child with so many allergies, but I have multiple food allergies myself, so I can empathise with you. I guess you just have to be creative as to how you make his food palatable and tasty.
As far as how he will feel in the future, it's just something you deal with as far as my experience has been. I didn't have it as a child, mine was adult onset.