Talking Allergies

Hi,
I just found out that my son who is 10 months old is allergic to soy, eggs and peanuts. When we first suspected allergies, I was told to switch him to soy formula which I did. His symptoms got better but then came back. So we suspected it was a latex allergy and changed all his nipples to silicone. Now we know that he is allergic to soy (we don't have confirmation on the latex allergy yet, we won't be able to see a specialist probably until close to Christmas to find out) and have switched him back to regular formula.

Now my concern is that he was reacting before he was on soy formula so was he reacting to the latex or the regular formula. I have checked the labels on all the formulas at the store in town (small town, not a lot of selection) and they all had soy oil in them. I have read that not everyone has a reaction to soy oil but doesn't that mean there is a chance that Kaleb could have a reaction to the oil?

His Aunt has been on me to just switch him to homo milk but I have read that before 1 year of age, your increasing the risk of a milk allergy and I can't bear to think of him having another allergy.

I am very confused, frustrated, and worried. Can anyone give me some advice? I would really appreciate it.

Kalebsmom, Soy is one of the only foods our son isn't allergic to. Our son's allergies started at 6 months so at a very young age similar to your son. I can't help with baby formula/soy but if you need any tips regarding other allergy issues relating to infants/toddlers etc. I've lived it the past 15 months and hopefully can help you out.
Good Luck.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

Thanks for responding. Maybe you could give me some advice on what to feed him other than baby food. I have started him on chunks of banana, cantaloupe, honeydew, peas and carrots and potatoes. He has also been eating Baby Mum Mum rice rusks.

I have never dealt with food allergies before so processed and convenience foods have always been part of my cooking regime. I don't have much experience in the 'ccoking from scratch' area of the kitchen. It makes me wonder what people feed their kids when they have so many allergies.

Kalebsmom - you might want to check out Bobobaby - a great organic line we've featured in Allergic Living mag. Free of the top 9 allergens and available in Alta.

http://www.bobobaby.com/

Re the formula, you'll want to ask your allergist's office or a dietitian familiar with food allergies. The head dietitian of the Specialty Food Shop in Toronto's Hosp. for Sick Kids writes for the magazine. They've got dietitians available by phone at: 1-800-737-7976.

In your shoes, I wouldn't just switch formula without expert advice.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

FYI, re the oil - if it's 'refined' soy oil, it's usually considered safe as it shouldn't contain the allergy-causing proteins. But that said, it's hard to know the process used just from a label.

One thing a lot of us do is to call a manufacturer and get them to get someone who knows the ingredients to check into the ingredients' issue and get back to you soonest. It's in the manufacturer's interest not to have children reacting to a product - so they're usually helpful.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Last November I wrote to Health Canada asking what the recommendations were regarding milk alternatives for children under the age of 2 who were at risk of being allergic to milk. I was surprised to find that soy formula was not the recommendation and I wanted to better understand this.

Here is what I was told,


So, although your concerns are from the perspective of soy allergy and potentially milk allergy, I suspect it would be the same.

Casein-hydrolysate formulas have the protein broken down to the point that it is believed the body won't recognize it as an allergen.

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy and green beans) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: Oral Allergy Syndrome, Allergic to Birch trees

I have been trying to find a forum here where parents were posting what they put in their diapaer bags. There were endless great ideas, allergy parents are very creative. I'll keep looking for that site it for you.

I myself bought a bag from mountain equipment co-op, I can wear it over my shoulder and it has many accessible zipper pouches so it is my purse/medical bag. I keep only a couple diapers in it and a plastic bag with wipes. I leave the large diaper bag in the car with a change of clothing and more diapers etc.. This way I can always have the medical essentials with me.
I bought a clear plastic pencil case which has our two epipens in it, I printed out and laminated the instructions and placed it right inside. I also keep (in plastic as no matter what you do it gets sticky) a bottle of benedryl and a plastic measuring infant syringe (no needle), you can get them free at your pharmacy. This way if you need to give your son benedryl you can just stick the syringe right into the bottle and then put it right into his mouth.
I carry his asthma meds.. chamber too and keep all all this in the same pouch. I made a small tag which says 'epipen in this pouch',on the other side I put a wallet size pic. of our son and listed all his allergies. I bought a clear luggage tag to attached it to the zipper. You can't see unless you open the top buckle flap so it doesn't look odd.

In a small plastic zip lock I keep a bottle of Johnson's baby wash in case I need to wash his hands with more than a baby wipe. In the stroller I can keep him from touching things but I can' t seem to stop other people from touching him. Adults are the worst, they don't listen to me and constantly feel the need to touch his face or pull his soother out of his mouth or grab his hands. They mean well but they don't seem to listen to me...they listen to our daughter though, she puts them straight and it doesn't seem rude when she gives a huge lecture to a stranger!! So if you don't have one a 10 year old is a great addition to any diaper bag...LOL!

Oh, and thinking of soothers, if your son is a 'plug' boy as we call it keep and extra one with you in case his falls. I also bought two cat collars, hooked them together to form a longer chain and attached one to the stroller. This way any toys our son has with him I attach and even if they fall they still won't touch the ground. I only bring plastic toys as I can clean them.

I always carry in the stroller and extra flannel blanket for changing. I never put him right onto any surface for fear of contamination. Usually though I just lay him down in the stroller and avoid using public change tables. An extra blanket is also great in case you must use a shopping cart, I've seen covers for shopping carts also which fit right in and keep little hands away from germs.

Then there is the baby leash, something I swore I'd never use. Walmart has cute animal ones which look like a stuffed animal back packs (in the baby section). SInce your son will be walking soon for 15 $ it gives a lot of peace of mind. Our son can walk in the mall but can't quite reach anything to touch it.

The other thing which has been wonderful is our son's snack bag. I bought a new lunch bag (no contamination) and new tiny plastic containers just for him. I keep it stocked and always in the car with his snacks. Raisins, cheerios, crackers, a plastic bag with a couple spoons and a face cloth. I always keep two spoons as once he grabbed the spoon from me and he threw on onto the floor and then I couldn't feed him. If I know we are going out for more than a couple hours I put a small freezer pack into it and add yogurt or muffins etc..

I would absolutely order a medic alert bracelet, our son started wearing one as soon as he could fit the smallest one 5" including the emblem part I believe. I never take it off and after the first day he has never been bothered by it. At such a young age they can't talk and one of my fears is if something happens to me and he is cared for and FED before my husband gets there.

Another great buy was our Fisher Price booster seat. It has a blue tray, the seat has a green back and a white base. The tray has a secondary cover which snaps right on. We use it at home instead of a high chair and it is so small we take it out no problem. The cover for the tray is great as it keep germs off the tray, as well you can snap the cover on if it is dirty after he eats. Just put the cover on and come home and then throw the whole thing in the dishwasher (all dishwasher safe). We don't go out to eat anymore but even when we go to friends we take it as he has his own safe seat with no fear of other food contamination.

As far as food, I was never much of a cook. Now I have managed to make everything from home made perogies to all sorts of baking. I am not saying everything turned out well at first but I keep trying. For egg substitute I use 1 1/2 tbsp. water, 1 1/2 tbsp. cooking oil and 1 tsp. baking powder. I don't have to avoid soy so double check what substitutes you may need. All my cakes and breads and muffins have worked no problem. I have invented all kinds of recipes for muffins etc. to add more veggies but as your son has a more wide range of foods he can eat this shouldn't be an issue for you. I have a list of all the peanut/tree nut foods I've found which I'll send you. It does me no good now as most of it contains egg or sesame or other allergens we need to avoid. You can start with the peanut free products and eliminate from there the soy etc..

A great tip for making small portions is mini muffin tins. I make our son muffins, freeze them and then when we go out I bring just one small muffin, the portion is perfect so there isn't waste. When he was an infant I'd use (new and clean) ice cube trays for his food. ( Heinz warned me not to buy any baby food as it may all be lentil/ pea contaminated. ) I would steam spaghetti squash or puree carrots then portion them into ice cube trays. This way I could say take out a couple different foods for one meal and one ice cube portion was perfect.

Another rule we've had since our son was an infant is to NEVER kiss him on his mouth. For people other than our daughter, myself and my husband there is NO contact with his face whatsoever!! His first very severe reactions were all to him being kissed after we ate foods he turned out to be allergic to. To give a kiss he will lean in and put his forehead against mine , it is safer and cute. People wonder what he's doing but this way I am not in constant fear of trace getting on his face. He had a scratch once and he was kissed on his forehead by a friend, it swelled up around the scratch and he got hives, turned out the person ate a sesame seed bagel for breakfast. He is very loving and snuggly, he has his own way of being affectionate and in this day and age who wants germs anyway, his own little 'kiss' means just as much to him as other people's way of showing affection.

The challenges seem to change as he gets older, I think cycle that will go on for years and we all do the best we can. Good luck and I'll keep sending you new safe foods I find or pass on other baby ideas I have found that worked.

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DD 12 yrs -no allergies
4 yr old DS - asthma/eczema Anaphylactic to Peanuts, all tree nuts, sesame , all pea/lentil legumes, gelatin.
Allergic to trees, grass,ragweed, feathers, dander, mold and dust.
Outgrew eggs, fish, shellfish

I have an 8 month old daughter who was breaking out in a terrible rash since she was born. We found out she is allergic to coconut oil. This is found in all baby formulas including the most hypoallergenic ones. What we ended up doing was making our own formula for her. I know this may sound a little bit weird and possibly not safe. But she is healthy. I would definetly recommend talking to your doctor about this first and doing it only under their supervision. Here is the recipe

3 cups evaporated milk
3 cups sterilized water, cooled
2.75 mL multivitamin (I use Equate brand)
2 Tbls corn syrup

Mix all together until well blended, serve

This recipe eliminated all the extras that were in the formulas sold in stores. It worked very well though and my daughter is quite healthy.If the baby has a milk allergy you can substitute evaporated milk for soy milk.
Also, please talk to your doctor about getting iron, my daughter needed a supplement.

Hope this helps

BC2007 - you officially have the awesomest, most well-thought-out stroller I have ever heard of. You. Rock.

crawley - that sounds like the "recipe" they used back in the day (like the 50's) for formula...obviously that generation seems fine - they all drank that concoction. The only thing I would worry about are those fatty acids necessary for eye and brain development. Does Alimentum have coconut oil in it? That will always be a difficult one to find on a list because it's not considered a "tree nut" Good luck!

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Daughter, 10 - NKA

Daughter, 3 - peanut, tree nuts, crustacean, dust mites, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, mangoes, mustard, and very mild outdoor allergies, eczema, asthma

Son, 2 - asthma, mild eczema, peanut, mild soy, mild egg

I'm way late to this topic, but thought I'd add what I know. My 2 year old daughter is allergic to milk and soy and she tolerates Alimentum, which does have soy oil as an ingredient.

Our allergist's office called the manufacturer. The soy oil in Alimentum (and presumably other hypoallergenic formulas) is highly refined and heated to high temperature which would destroy any traces of soy protein that may be present. So it is considered safe for soy-allergics.

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6 year old son - eczema and sensitive skin
4 year old daughter - allergic to nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, mustard and eggs; has outgrown allergies to wheat and legumes (by age 2) and to dairy, soy (by age 3.5).