If your child has a peanut allergy

How did you find out?

How severe is it?

What steps did you take after discovering it?

I think DS2 might have a peanut allergy. He's 11 months. He had peanut butter around 10 months and he was fine. The last 2 times he had it, he broke out in hives after. I'm now unsure of my next steps. His 1 yr checkup is in a month.

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

My son had a reaction to eggs and also had asthma attacks at 12 months old so the allergist tested him for all types of allergies. He tested positive for peanuts..amongst other things. It sounds like your son has an allergy to peanuts if he is getting hives.

We retested him this past August at 7 years old and he only tested positive for allergies to dogs and dust mites ..so it seems he has grown out of the food allergies.

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

Make an appointment ASAP with an allergist and get him tested (they will request a blood test as well to see the level).

If he's getting hives, he's most likely allergic. And with peanuts you don't want to take chances because consecutive reactions can be worse.

My son was 18 months when he first tried peanut butter. He had hives right away. That has been his only reaction for 8 years now. We avoid peanuts/tree nuts, carry an epi pen everywhere just in case etc.

He recently had a peanut component test that is able to see how a child would react should they ingest peanuts. It seems his reaction would be hives/eczema and NOT anaphylaxis which was really reassuring. We may do a peanut challenge at some point as well, but need to retest the blood first.

Good luck!

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

I found out at exactly 24 months when he snatched a tiny piece of Snickers my cousin was chopping for a trifle dessert. He began coughing continuously and then for hours. He also threw up twice.

Previously, he was discovered allergic to eggs (at < one year) and had raging eczema since birth, more or less. I actually had a script for the full allergy panel bloodwork to be given before he tried peanuts (but, oh well...). When he did have that test, it was revealed he has a class VI 100+ maximum allergy to peanuts--on paper. I say "on paper" because you never know what the actual reaction will be--mild or severe. He has had a couple of contact reactions since then and that's been it (almost three years later).

So yes, discontinue the peanuts and gave him tested--you've got nothing to lose. Good luck!

Message edited 11/12/2015 11:04:00 PM.

If your child has a peanut allergy

We gave my son a small piece of bread with pb on it at 15 months. His reaction was so slight that we didn't know for sure (runny nose, tugging on his ear), so we went to Urgent Care, just in case. We followed up with an allergist and he confirmed his allergy to pn as well as other things (dogs, dust mites, etc).

Definitely make an appt with an allergists. Pediatricians like to give out advice on allergies, but they really don't know everything (and I've heard of them giving bad advice). The allergist will take blood and/or do a back scratch test. Bring plenty of things to occupy their time (usually have to wait 15 minutes for the back scratch). Also make sure they don't get Benedryl for 2 weeks before the test b/c it throws off the results.

Food allergies can be really scary, but it's do-able. DS is 6 now and we are just in the habit of carrying epi-pens and Benedryl everywhere we go. You have to be very vigilante in being an advocate for him (at daycare, school, in public, etc).

We still go out to eat all the time so it's not like that's completely off the table. You just have to educate yourself on what's safe (definitely not Asian or Indian).

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

IMO, it sounds like he has an allergy. See an allergist ASAP and don't give him any nuts of any kind until you know what he's allergic to.

Around 20 months DS put a peanut butter cookie in his mouth. He didn't like the taste and spit it out, never swallowing any. Immediately I saw hives around his mouth and gave him Benedryl. He was fine, thankfully. We had him tested and he's allergic to peanuts and at least 4 other nuts. Hives were our first indication.

Just so you're aware, a nut allergy can have different reactions at each exposure. So while his first, second and third exposures weren't severe, that doesn't mean a fourth exposure wouldn't be. Have him tested to know what you're dealing with. Nut allergies are no joke.

You didn't ask, but I recommend Dr Strauss. Locations in Westbury and Commack.

If your child has a peanut allergy

My son had a milk protein allergy. At his first year's appt we did bloodwork (horrible) for milk, eggs, peanuts and treenuts. When the doctor called us late on a Thursday night, I knew something was up. We've avoided all peanut/treenuts items and if he happens to eat something manf w them, he gets a rash around his neck and top of chest. We give him benadryl. We saw an allergist who confirmed the allergies and then my son was retested when he was two with more bloodwork. He still had allergies. This time the allergist said to wait until he was 4/5 starting pre k to get restested. He has an epi pen just in case as well.

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

I EBF my daughter and she had terrible eczema starting at a month old. Took her to derm and after a couple months of failed treatments, we went to allergist when she was 4 months. They did skin test for major allergens and she was allergic to milk, egg whites, egg yolks, & peanuts. I cut all of those items out of my diet and continued to nurse but not much improvement. We went for blood test and found other allergies as well (sesame seeds, tree nuts, etc). Her levels were very high for peanuts, sesame, milk, & egg whites. She's 17 months now and will get blood work again at 18 months. I know she still has allergies. She still gets hives sometimes, even when not eating new items or known allergens. My mom accidentally touched her leg with some peanut butter and she broke out from contact.

I would go get tested right away. Allergies are very scary...I pray my daughter outgrows them by the time she's in school and having playdates without me there to supervise.

Message edited 11/13/2015 9:45:41 PM.

If your child has a peanut allergy

This was for my sister. She would vomit anytime she had peanut butter. She had a reaction of anaphylaxis when she was about 5 (we still don't know how she ingested it). But here is the thing, we NEVER went peanut free in the house. At 17 she can be around it and smell it, people can eat it around her, etc, and has no reaction at all. Sometimes if it's heavy she might get a slight headache.

Re: If your child has a peanut allergy

If your child has a peanut allergy

I just saw something on FB about a doctor near Stony Brook who does peanut allergy treatment. The mother was RAVING about it, and her son who was HIGHLY allergic is now eating 10 peanuts a day or something like that. I would look into it!

If your child has a peanut allergy

It's Dr. Shah in Centereach.
http://www.center4asthmaallergy.com/

We're looking into it for DS next year, but it's quite a commitment - dosing twice a day with non-activity for 2 hours after each dose, plus most insurance doesn't cover it. It's definitely worth it for us, but it's not something that's as easy as the patch that's in clinical trials. The benefit of OIT is there's a possibility of eating 10 peanuts a day, as opposed to the patch which is the equivalent of half a nut (only safe for cross contamination).