Hi Moms,
I took my son off dairy products 2 1/2 years ago because of a suspected allergy/intolerence. Most of the reaction information I have read usually talks about windpipes closing, rashes, and gastrointestinal issues. My son doesn't have those although as an infant he suffered from constipation, irritability, and minor eczema. He is 4 1/2 and recently ate quite a bit of chedder crackers at a friends house. I noticed the next day that he was overly silly, not focused, was walking around in a circle a few times, and not really "with it". The next day he was fine. Do any of you notice changes like this when your child consumes certain food?
I don't think I was clear. This was not an isolated incident. He has had similar, although more severe reactions when I had tried to reintroduce dairy in the past. This reaction was significantly milder so I think he may be outgroing the sensitivity.
This was not a question about wanting to know if my son had a "true reaction" or not. I was just wondering what types of reactions other children had. The one complaint I have about this site is that people think just because you ask a question you are totally clueless. YES, Mallory, they were cheddar goldfish with real cheese and milk.
Thank you to those of you that both understood my question and had faith that as a mother, I know what is normal and what is not for my son. Oh, and of course that I actually read the cracker label before posting this question!
I'd lay money it was the play date... Not the food they ate while on the play date.
Kids are not only monkey see monkey do with bad behaviors, but also kind/silly/active/& other behaviors. I'll bet he was super silly with his friend on the play date, and it bled over a bit.
I doubt it was the crackers becaue most likely they were cheddar "flavored". I would have to bet that no real cheese goes into them.
No, I've noticed no correlation to foods with behavior.
But I've noticed some friends (or tv shows like Barney) bring out the silly and can last awhile.
My child has supposedly outgrown his soy allergy. Every now and then I'll let him eat something that has a small amount of soy (soy oil, soy sauce, soy lecitin) and always, always, always, he becomes agitated and sleepy.
My friend's son has a dairy allergy that when he drinks milk he becomes very sullen and mopey. My daughter has a dairy and egg allergy and a gluten sensitivity and we've removed these things and have seen a dramatic improvement in her focus and behavior.
Wow, that's really interesting! My son (now 6) has been off dairy 100% since age 2 1/2. Dairy definitely causes psychological responses with him, but with him, it was symptoms of clinical depression. He was this really sad, droopy, painfully sensitive toddler. This has been documented a lot with milk-protein sensitives, and some people think it's a contributing factor with depression in adolescents and adults. But I've never heard of the reaction you describe in connection to dairy. It could be that, or it could be some of the additives, dyes, or generally weird chemicals in those crackers. If your son has a generally healthy, limited-additive diet, his system could be less acclimated to those additives than other kids' are. This is just speculation, though. I'm not a medical practitioner or anything -- I've just read up on this one topic b/c of my son.
Short answer is yes it happens all the time. Many people don't notice it or write it off as being "oh that's typical xxxx year old behavior."
I know several people that have observed this both in themselves and their children as well. My daughter is affected by soy. When she was little there were more physical reactions (eczema, diarrhea, etc.), but now that she's gotten older, the reactions are less physically visible and more behavioral (whiny and in cries at the drop of a pin). When there's no soy in her system she doesn't do either AT ALL. Plus Chemical dyes just make her into a loon :D If I hadn't figured out the connection between the allergies she's supposedly "grown out of" and her new reactions I'd be pulling my hair out right now.
I suspect that it has to do with how the irritant (in your case dairy) is affecting the gut. Lots of people get irritable when their gut isn't working in top condition ;) There's also a lot of research out there on how certain chemical reactions affect peoples behavior--especially in regards to dairy and gluten.
I don't think that little kids can do what you are asking (the psychological response thing). Older kids and adults? Absolutely.
When I was in 4th grade, I went to an outdoor party and ate watermelon all afternoon long. That night after I came home, I started what was a 3 day throw-up fest. Of course, it wasn't the watermelon. I had a stomach virus and fever. But for the life of me, I wouldn't go near watermelon anymore as a kid. Smelling it even made me sick.
As a freshman in college, I got hives from eating strawberries. Four years later, I was able to eat them again without the hives, and I love them. (I am careful not to eat them too often or too many at one sitting - I don't want to trigger the allergy again!) However, my aversion to watermelon continued. When I had kids, they loved watermelon that my husband fed them, and it wasn't always possible to take it outside to feed them. I had to learn to manage the smell. I still won't eat it, but mostly because I have zero interest in putting it in my mouth. I know what it tastes like, even all these years later and I don't want it.
I do want those strawberries, though!
The point is, there is a big difference in what I am talking about and what is happening with your son. Food and additives CAN do what you are talking about, but it's physical, not psychological. Your son seems to have moved from an allergy to an intolerance, but given the way that he handles the intolerance, I would not feed those offending foods to him at all.
Dawn
When my son was younger he couldn't tolerate casein well at all. It caused issues within his gut which would show both with diaper issues as well as behavior issues. I'd say keep your child off of dairy if you notice that he has improved. I know in our case it was very obvious that casein(the protein in dairy)is what caused issues in my son. The behavior was not gradual but rather immediate. My son has for the most part outgrown the sensitivity thankfully, because it does make life just a little easier. Hope everything works out well for you and yours.
When my son was about 2-5 if he ate a chocolate pop tart he was over the top with silliness and speeding around and could not listen. Caffeine, I guess.
