Hi mama's I have a question about my 13 1/2 month old son. He broke in a red rash around his mouth after eating oatmeal for breakfast. This is the second time he did this. First was a few months ago all my children likes eating their nuggets with ranch. I gave him a little and after he was done noticed a red aroind his mouth where the ranch was. I made sure that was it and rub a little on his leg, sure enough same thing turned red. I called the after hour nurse and told me to watch him and make sure his breathing was good. Aftet 20-45 minutes the red left. This was hidden Valley light ranch. I read that some kids broke out in this red rash and figure it was from this ranch. I stopped letting him have it. Fast forward to today. He had oatmeal with cinnamon and apples. He had this a time or two before. Don't remember seeing this red rash. He ate it and some did get around his mouth. I used a wet wash rag to wipe his mouth and was red around the mouth area. My mom askd if he ate anything else. He had a little dry cereal which I know wasn't that and cow's milk because he had that for some time already. My mom said to wait a day or so and try again and see if it happens again. If it does im calling his doctor and see what she wants done. He has allergies and is on zyrtec for it. We have allergies on both sides of the family, I'm sensitive to some things which will make skin red from irritated or itch. My daughter( his sister) has eczema. I trying to make it if it's a allergic reaction or food allergies. He had baby oatmeal and never had a problem. Since he was 4 weeks old he had been off and on with congestion and doctor said it was allergies. She put him on allergy medicine at 6 months old which seem to work a little but had a wheezing issue in march where he was on breathing treatment for a week. So I don't know what to think of this. How did you mama's know when your child had a food allergy?? I'm worried like always when it comes to my baby or kids. I looked on the ranch bottle and it contains soy same for the oatmeal which i don't know if it's that. Thanks all!
Could be an early sign of food allergies. My food allergic child had eczema when he was little. The first obvious reaction we saw was some serious projectile vomiting, but looking back we missed some more subtle signs. An allergist can do some testing, but I'd also try to compare the two things and see if they have anything in common. A lot of times the soy is just soy lecithin which most people with soy allergies are ok with. Good luck!
I would check with his pediatrician on this, but I wonder if he as an allergy to some sort of food dye, perhaps in the cinnamon, or the cinnamon itself. I know kids who are allergic/sensitive to food dyes (and additives for that matter) and to cinnamon. While not common, it is a possibility. I have an issue with additives myself.
I would suggest doing two things. First, keep a food diary. write down everything, and I mean everything he eats, and show it to your pediatrician. This will help to narrow down any allergies and sensitivities.
Second, try to feed your son as much real food as possible.By this I mean, cellmate all processed food, and use fresh foods like fresh fruit and veggies, and fresh meats. The fresher a food is, the better it is for us, children and and adults alike.
Anyway, do talk to the pediatrician, and make sure you get answers to all your questions.
good luck.
I would make an appointment with the doctor. Food allergies can be serious so I would get a doctor's opinion. It sure sounds like a food allergy. My daughter is allergic to tree nuts and peanuts. We found out one day when her face swelled up and she looked like she went 5 rounds with Mile Tyson after just touching a walnut. Her doctor sent her to an allergist and she tested off the charts for nuts. She now carries an Epi.
Have you been following any of the science over the past 15 years on epigenetics? Originally rejected by the establishment medical community, it's now been heavily embraced by most and has been featured in news magazines and medical TV shows, plus medical journals. The reason I bring it up is the family history of allergies. Epigenetics has shown that there is not a pure genetic basis for the vast majority of medical issues and allergies (meaning the DNA) but rather there effects on the epigenome (the part "above the genome" where gene switching occurs, turning on bad genes and turning off good ones). The most recent science is showing that these epigenetic changes can be passed on to the next generation - which is the family history part. This is good news, because it means that our genetic expression can be affected and reversed.
So while I would look at the oatmeal with cinnamon & apples (perhaps a premixed product?) and consider using whole foods that you mix yourself, we are also faced with contaminants, GMO foods (controversial), and other environmental factors. There are higher standards in the infant food industry (particularly with formula but often with other products), which may explain why the infant oatmeal was okay and this new oatmeal is not. Another factor is additives. The facts are that he has some food issues, some breathing issues, and there is eczema in his sister are all indicators to me that this is highly reversible. I work with people all the time with these issues - breathing treatments, nebulizers, eczema/rash issues, and food sensitivities. Most can be reversed. Anaphylactic reactions are, of course, extremely serious, and while it may be that those kids (and adults) can never eat the trigger food(s), in most cases they can be brought to the point where accidental exposure or cross contamination does not cause a life-threatening reaction.
So you could certainly pursue another route, since the medical route (with medication) has not done anything much for him. (It usually doesn't because it's only treating the symptom and not getting to the epigenetic source of the problem). This is much easier, more reliable, and far less stressful than extensive testing and elimination diets. It's a viable option. It also improves immunity and does so much for prevention of multiple issues, including inflammation. Inflammation is at the root of most conditions, and especially those that you have indicated (asthmatic type responses, intestinal issues related to food reactions, and skin rashes). These autoimmune responses are all going to respond to simple additions of epigenetic agents to reverse the reaction. It's a non medical approach that does not interfere with any medications that may be prescribed, now or in the future, and with zero side effects.
First time my son was exposed to egg (he was less than a year old), his face swelled. That was just from getting some on his cheek after smashing some scrambled eggs from our plate against his face. He didn't even ingest any. The following Monday, our pediatrician instructed us to send him over for allergy testing. Sure enough, bad egg and peanut allergy (the latter we didn't know). Like epipen status allergies to these.
Don't play around with possible allergies- get him tested. There could be other things you don't know about that could be life threatening. The only way to know is to have him tested.
It sounds to me like he is not eating plain oatmeal. I am guessing it is one of the additives.
You may want to see a pediatric allergist and have them do the skin panel of tests so you know what is triggering his immune system.
Make sure you keep liquid Benadryl on hand in case his allergic reaction becomes worse.
I would ask his pediatrician and go from there.
Please make an appointment with an allergist (or start with your pediatrician, if your insurance requires a referral from a primary care physician).
You have a strong family history of allergies, and your son has already had reactions to certain foods. He's been diagnosed with environmental allergies and has been placed on medication by his pediatrician. He has had episodes of wheezing and subsequent nebulizer treatments. It's time to get him to a specialist. This is not something to experiment with at home. If he does have food allergies, subsequent reactions could be worse. Please, call your doctor and avoid suspected foods until you can be seen.
Check out the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) at
www.foodallergy.com to learn about coping with food allergies and preventing exposures.
Best to you and your son.
J. F.
