My 4 Year Old Has a Severe Food Allergies, and Severe Eczema....

The Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake from the Joy of Cooking is fabulous, no eggs either. It is so moist.

Also, try looking at some Vegan cookbooks or recipes, you can probably replace soy with Rice or Hemp milk.

Hi P.,
Here is an easy to make cake that most kids I haved cooked it with love.(I work with 3 and 4 year olds) Your daughter could even help make this one! There are no eggs in this chocolate wacky cake, and mixing is easy.
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup cold water
PREPARATION:
In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Make three wells in the flour mixture. In one put vanilla; in another the vinegar, and in the third the oil. Pour the cold water over the mixture and stir until moistened.
Pour into 8 x 8-inch pan. Bake at 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it springs back when touched lightly.

PS I use all organic and unbleached flour sometimes and it comes out good as well.

I don't have a recipe for you but just wanted to suggest that you give her supplements to work on her immune system. There are a number that are good and you could search the internet to find things but vitamin c is great and getting probiotics in her would be very beneficial as well. If you would like any info in this regard let me know and I will look in my library of books for natural stuff and see what I might have I could lend you. I also have heard of someone who will do phone consults and work with you on these types of things. I don't have her info handy but would look it up if you thought you wanted to contact her. Good luck!

K.

I am just writing to encourage you. You have probably face the worse of the skin symtoms. I faced the skin rashes with one of my children. We never really found out what was causing it. He did have a peanut allergy, but never eats peanut butter or peanut products. It did go away completely. It was about 4 that he started to see relief. He is 15 now.

Hello there. Although my children's food allergies are not as bad as yours, they have other allergies that you simply cannot avoid.

Both of my little ones had ezcema that developed into asthma. My little guy was referred to a pediatric allergist. He was tested (although it was so painful for me to do!) and I have never been so thankful. Turns out that he was allergic to peanuts, all molds that they test for, all weeds that they test for, cats, dogs, american cockroaches, kapok, and dust mites. My daughter was not referred but they agreed to see her when I called and told them about her eyes literally swelling shut when she was playing outside and her having welts all over her face as if someone had slapped her. I took her in to be tested and he said she was one of the worst reactions that he had seen. She is allergic to EVERY grass that they test for and all but one tree pollen. So, she has it really rough. She is also allergic to dust mites, cats, dogs and kapok. I am not sure where you are or if you are in my area, but the doctor that we saw was Dr. Sarmiento. They have 3 offices in Upstate, South Carolina and he is absolutely wonderful! I feel for you and I hope that you can get some relief.

Dear P.:
Hi, I am responding to you as a caring parent not someone trying to sell you something but I do know a company that makes everyday houeshold products that have been PROVEN to help ease eczema. It helped my husband who suffered it from it for years. If you would like more information, please email me at: ____@____.com and I will be happy to tell you more. I don't want you to feel that I am trying to push anything on you. I simply want to help you.
Sincerely,
K.
The MOM Team
www.enhanceyourlifeonline.com

HI P.,

ALL food allergies, and ezcema also, is caused by a weak immune system. It doesn't matter if she is prone to colds, or flus or those types of illnesses or not, her immune system is out of whack. Removing the processed foods in his diet, and getting her on a superior multivitamin is a necessitity if you ever want her to feel comfortable.

Please email me if you are interested in getting more information. My kids allergies are gone, my Dad's ezcema is gone and we don't get sick any more. It makes it worthwhile to me if I can share information that took me a LOOONG time to figure out. I hate to see our little ones miserable.

My verizon cell number is ###-###-#### if you'd like to talk.

Regards,

M.

My son has life treating nut allergies... so we are very careful about what we offer him.

There are a few sources I would recommend.
FAAN Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network www.foodallergy.org
You will find great recipes through them!!!! And they are a great resource for your concerns.

Also, at Krogers and Target- there is a brand of dessert mixes call Cherrybrook Kitchen http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com
we especially like the brownies!

Last but not least for Easter- we found a company that makes candy that is Nut Free....yeah! It's hard to even find jelly beans or gummies that are safe these days.
http://www.vermontone.com/vermontnutfreechocolates.htm

Best of luck and if you need any more information I would be happy to help!!!

Hi P.,

Sounds like gluten issues from what you describe. A friend of mine has celiac disease as does her 2 sons so I will ask her if she uses a certain cook book and where she shops. Her baby has the eczema too and she bought some of the products I sell and it went away! I have a natural botanically based line of baby products that are amazing. It has probably helped 20 kids so far . I can send you a sample or you can order directly from me, with a 45 day back guarantee. There are no nut oils or dairy in them and it uses orange blossom oil and cedar wood oil as a natural inflammatory. My pediatrician has seen such good results from them he is passing them out for me.
I have adults who use the baby line too with their eczema or sensitive/dry skin and won't use anything but it!
I would love to help,
K.

Have you heard of Mona Vie Juice? It is the most powerful antioxident in the world, and a very wide range of juice's to complete and heal a lot of things. It is delicious, and so very good for you, I will send the website to you.It could be just simple proper lack of these nutriants in the juice. Avoid all artifical foods, and things that are white, like whate rice, flour, pasta, etc.,everything white is bleached to get it that way.

Mona Vie website
http://www.thegreatproduct.com/splash.asp?bhcp=1

My 6 year old and my 12 year old both have Celiac Disease as do I. This is an autoimmune disease which is triggered by gluten. Anyway, our favorite cake mix by far (my family who can eat "normal" cake even prefer it as it tastes awesome) is by Cherrybrook Kitchen. They make both a chocolate and vanilla cake mix. They also have a sugar cookie mix that is awesome. Anyway, the cake mix is gluten free, egg free, tree nut free, dairy free, peanut free, sesame free, and soy free.

Ingredients for chocolate cake are as follows. Ingredients: Potato starch, evaporated cane juice, natural cocoa powder, white rice flour, tapioca starch, brownulated sugar, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt.

You can buy the Cherrybrook Kitchen stuff at amazon.com just do a search for "cherrybrook kitchen". HTH~

Hi P.!

I wanted to definitely respond to you ASAP becauseI have had excema since I was 7 years of age, I am now in my early 40's! Stress does not help, it is hereditary and it is a lack of vitamins, specifically the B vitamins. I became a distributor for a company called Juice Plus+ that makes a whole food supplement that contains 17 fruits and vegetables in a capsule, chewable and gummie form. After taking the product myself, I started to notice that my excema had gone away. No more embaressment, no more expensive creams just this unbelievable pure supplement!
The company makes a fruit capsule and a vegetable capsule.
In the vegetable capsule alone there are 4 B vitamins that are crucial to healing the body and for healthy looking skin. Please do yourself a favor and get your child on this product. Plus, it is just great peace of mind to know that we as parents can take a whole food supplement and get 17 fruits and vegetables on a daily basis and our kids can too. Once your daughter turns 6, she is eligible for the Childrens Health Study and can recive the product for FREE, up to 3 years, with a paying sponsor.
In additoion, to taking Juice Plus+ thumb through the new book written by Jerry Seinfield's wife, Jessica called "Deceptively Delicious" for healthy recipes for kids.
Best of Health to you! and call me to get yourself and your daughter started!
D. Besecker
www.DeniseJP.com
www.ChildrensHealthStudy.com
###-###-####

P.,
My heart goes out to you and other mothers dealing with allergies. This seems to be getting worse as our environment and food are getting more polluted.

I would go to a homeopathic doctor if I could afford it first! the other suggestions I have are to go to a good herbal store and talk to them. There are a number of products that can help.... a couple I can think of are homeopathic remedies! Calendula oil/lotion. eating organic foods and as little dairy as poosible.

My daughter has done real well with homeopathic rememdies. I have a friend that has a 30 year old girl with cystic fibrosis and has only been on antibiotics less than a hand full of times. Most kids die in their 20s from it as they have used and become immune to the antibiotics available. She used homeopathy to deal with the infections instead of antibiotics and has a very healthy duaghter in her thirties!

Best of luck!
C. Hiebel
www.candlewealth.com/soy4u
www.braveheartwomen.com/kolohe
www.inspiredbythebiggive.com

My children don't have any food allergies but they do have ezcema and their doctor prescribed a cream for it that helps alot.

My daughter who is 7 now had allergies too. She has eczema. What do you use on her skin? I use the Cetaphil soap, Zyrtec for allergies (now), Aquaphor creme. She wake up itching like last night off and on too. Gosh, it is a chore alone. She can not get too hot with the covers. She can not eat the citrus foods, not a lot of dairy at all other than milk and cheese. She doesn't like eggs. I try to keep her as moist as possible though. Maybe you can help me out now. She has to wear above 14 carat no artificial jewelry. No generic plastic shoes or shoes in general on her feet. She breaks out around the top of her feet. I bake her a cake, but chocolate is what she likes. I get the Duncan Hines or Pillsbury one. She does not resent that at all. Call me at ###-###-#### and give me your input.

a long time ago, they told us that our son is sensitive to eggs (as well as peanuts and dairy) but later we discovered that it is only the egg whites. if you can get your allergist to be more specific maybe it could open up other posibilities.

we use applesauce and the fruit babyfoods for baking. the babyfood vegetables are a good "sauce" with olive oil and salt on the wheat pasta. some of the egg free pastas are not so good, but we are now using Davinci brand pasta in a green bag. it is not expensive (avoiding allergens is extremely expensive, isn't it???) and the only ingredient is seminola wheat. i think it is not organic.

btw, coconut milk is a great subsitute and adds such a yummy taste. it is from a nut, so ask about your situtation, but i know it is an option for some.

lately i have been visiting the vegan blogs for ideas.

OH, also, it is the PROTEIN in the foods that makes my son's skin problematic. if you have to use some of your known allergens (like for a decent tasting cake) use the fat free options and the exposure to the protein will be minimal.

example- he will react to skim milk much less than he will to whole milk.

when i am ready to give up and he is frustrated, we go to the health supplement store and the owner helps us pick out "candy bars" that don't have any of the allergens. they are energy bars. sometimes we actually find something yummy and i add it to my list. this is fun for him because he can chose to substitute a meal for a "candy bar."

my friend's daughter has PKU and they order a special mix to make bread that she practically lives off of. i think it doesn't have soy, but i could be wrong. i am just throwing that out there in case it opens up some new possiblities for you-

********OH! for the itchy skin we have had GREAT luck with the Vanicream products. you can order them online or ask your pharmacist to get it for you even though it is not over the counter. a 1lb tub is about $15. Vanicream also has a good sunscreen that doesn't cause as much of a problem as others. the best eczema advice i have had is from the allergist. get the vanicream on their skin within 4 minutes of the bath and keep the bathtime short. then put them in 100% cotton pajamas with feet to keep it from rubbing off on their blankets at night. it keeps their skin much softer than anything else i have tried.

My kids are sensitive (digestive allergies) to gluten, dairy, eggs, and peanuts. We basically follow the GFCF diet with egg substitutions and leaving out nuts.

Just search on the internet for GFCF and you will get tons. Chat rooms like GFCFKids might help. Also, awesome cake mixes are Ms Robens (www.allergygrocer.com). Whole foods carry many mixes that are gluten free/casien free. If you look in this area, most kids that have gluten problems have the rest, so therefore the prepacked food and the mixes are free of these things. Natural foods Warehouse can save you some money (mansell road and bigger one in Alpharetta).

We have nearly completely healed my sons by treating the yeast and the bacteria (including strep) as well as alternative medicine and homeopathy. The world of alternative (natural, complementary, herbal, etc) medicine opens up a world of help to our kids and to us.

Dr. Lee is a family practicioner in MArietta that is really awesome at understanding the issues causing the exzema.

Read Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock, MD. I think you will find it very interesting.

I'm replying about the eczema...my daughter and son have both had eczema since birth. And I did everything to help it subside, like bathing them only once or twice a week, keeping soothing cream on them, aquaphor, etc. But I actually got a "miracle" cream prescription from a pediatrician friend of ours. He prescribed acid mantle cream with 1% hydrocortizone. After sometimes one use the eczema is either gone or subsided. My main problem with my daughter is that she sucks her thumb and some of her worse dry patches were on her hands and wrists. I didn't want those prescription steroid creams to get in her mouth. This cream is not so harmful if a little gets in their mouth. Ask your doctor about it. I'm not kidding when I say it changed our lives!

Hope it gets better,
J.

Hey P.,
I know exactly how you feel. My 4 year old daughter has all of those allergies and more. She has recently been able to reintroduce milk but it hasn't helped much since she doesn't like it. I guess not tasting milk until you are 4 is an odd experience. Anyway, I am sure you have found that you are not able to use most gluten free mixes because they almost always contain corn or soy, and any normal mixes almost always contain dried eggs or dried milk, that is the problem we always have. I got a cookbook called sophie safe from lulu.com that we have enjoyed(for just $10 ebook). The cookies and cakes are very easy and everything is made with oat flour which is very inexpensive b/c you can just grind up oatmeal to use (she is also allergic to wheat, ,but I probably have some milk free, egg free, wheat recipes around it would just take a little more looking). If you would like to email me ____@____.com I would be happy to give you the cake recipe and any other help you need. I know firsthand that this is a very difficult group of allergies when all together. Good luck on the cake I hope you find what you are looking for.
God Bless,
D.

Hey P.! There is light at the end of the tunnel! My son, who just turned 7, was diagnosed with severe food allergies at age 2. We had a long 2 years finding things he could eat. He had all the same allergies as your child and is allergic to almost every grass and tree as well. I don't know what allergist you use, but Cross Creek Asthma & Allergy (they have 2 offices, G'ville and Simpsonville)have been a God-send to our family, and are very chilf-friendly.

Benjamin was released from his egg allergy just before his 5th birthday, so he was able to have a "real cake" for his birthday that year, but before that, the allergist gave me an egg-substitution list, so I was able to make his cakes at home(then take them to the bakery to have them decorated). I found the Sam's choice (Wal-mart brand)BUTTER CAKE MIX doesn't contain soy flour, and used the substitution list to make his cakes. For EACH egg substitute one of the following in any recipie-
1 tsp baking pwdr., 1 tblsp liquid (water), 1 tblsp vinegar
(or)
1 tsp. yeast disolved in 1/4 cup warm water
(or)
1 tblsp. apricot puree
(or), my personal favorite,
1 1/2 tblsp. water, 1 1/2tblsp. oil, 1 tsp. baking powder
(or)
1 packet plain gelatin, 2 tblsp. warm water (do not mix until ready to use because it will automatically set up)

For more "Reading the lable" lists, or substitution lists, you can visit www.thefoodallergynetwork.com, or call them at 1-800-929-4040. I got a copy of each list, shrunk it and laminated them, one set for the grandparents, for his teachers, and one for myself to carry in my purse to have on hand at the grocery. The lists were helpful, if you haven't already gotten them, because they showed the different "verbage" that egg, soy and peanut (each a seperate list)can be listed under without actually saying "egg"....

If you would like more suggestions, email me at ____@____.com , I know firsthand it can feel so overwhelming. Ben has been released from the egg allergy, but still suffers with the soy and peanut allergies (his school is not a peanut-free zone, so this continues to be a concern, but his classmates are very aware and respectful of his allergy). Although he also has the outdoor allergies, we have been able to get those under control and he is enjoying his first year of baseball.

Good luck and have a blessed day!! Hope this info has helped!!

I know exactly what you are going through!! My 2 year old son has had eczema and allergies to milk, eggs, and peanuts ever since he was born. I give him daily baths and right when he gets out when his skin is still a little wet I put CeraVe lotion on him. It works great for skin. I have only been able to find it at CVS. It has heped his itching A LOT! I give him Boars Head turkey meat (plain) because someone on here told me it had no dairy and he eats it fine without breaking out. We also give him a lot of fruits and vegetables. I look at every ingredient and try to find crackers and snacks without milk, eggs, or peanuts which can be very difficult. It must be real hard for you because your daughter can't have soy!!! when my son turned 2 in January I did not know what I was going to do about a cake. It is funny how things work out because I was at a Christmas parade and a lady handed me a business card (www.wheyoutchocolate.com) Her products are great. She makes chocolates and treat for kids with allergies. I believe they are free out the stuff your daughter can't have. Anyways, she made me a great birthday cake for him with no milk or eggs. She made the frosting with rice milk and even decorated it as elmo. He has never broke out from her products. Her phOne number is ###-###-####. Hope this helps. I know it can be sooooo stressful.... We are headed back to the allergist on Friday for a check up. Good Luck with everything!

Hi my 7 year old son has severe foood allergies. There are so many foods that he is allergic to until I do not know what to do. We have to carry an epi pen around everywhere we go and also he has one at school. Have you tried loking up different receies on the internet. That is where i get alot of my ideas from. HE is allergic to salt water fish all shell fish all peas beef pork lamb turkey milk all tree nuts nd peanuts plus so much more food i am limited on things i can cook for him to eat.

Hi P.- I have a recipe for chocolate cake - no eggs- if you'd like it...i'll dig it up and send it to you if your interested.
My oldest son (6 1/2) has moderate eczema and has had it since birth- also allergic to peanut- we are trying to decide if he's allergic to wheat or not also- he is also very sensitive to citrus.
I found the best thing for us, has been switching to more natural products ( bath , cleaning and foods) I only use burts bees soap and buttermilk/aloe lotion on his skin- we use only dye free/and clear laundry detergent and stay away from processed packaged foods...now, I'm not saying he never gets a slice of cake or other "junk food" - we do belong to sports teams and go to birthday parties..so he is exposed to it- just not on a regualr basis at home- the more you modify your home life the better it will be on your daughter. I KNOW about the itching- he is always saying how itchy he is- but if you weed out the unnatural - it will definitley help.
Good luck- let me know ifyou have any more q's or want the cake recipe.
sincerely,
Nikki K