On a sunny Sunday in July, we decided to go out for breakfast. It was exactly one month before my son’s first birthday, at the stage where he was confidently eating finger foods yet still drinking several bottles of breastmilk throughout the day. At breakfast, he happily shared a plate of scrambled eggs and toast with his sister. Shortly after we arrived home, it was time for his morning bottle and nap which he vehemently refused, pushing the bottle away and crying hysterically which is out of character for him. In my gut, I could feel that something was wrong.
All of a sudden, he was projectile vomiting and his entire body was covered in a rash. We should have called 911, but we didn’t know the signs of anaphylaxis (we thought this meant trouble breathing, which is a misconception). We jumped in the car, and my husband drove us to the pediatrician’s office, where they administered epinephrine. Surrounded by doctors, nurses, firefighters, and EMTs, I held him while the medicine saved his life. An ambulance transported us to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where they monitored him for the rest of the day.
Our experience with anaphylaxis has made me rethink everything I thought I knew about food allergies. Anyone can develop a food allergy at any time. In this instance, my son had been eating scrambled eggs at home for a few months before having a reaction. I thought I had already introduced the top allergens safely. A reaction does not necessarily occur immediately. His anaphylactic reaction occurred almost 2 hours after he consumed breakfast. Anaphylaxis is characterized by one severe symptom or two mild symptoms (see resources at the end of this post for definitions of mild and severe); it can be life threatening for reasons other than breathing difficulty such as a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
Looking back, there were some signs that he was starting to have an allergic reaction that we misinterpreted. He was pulling his ears (which can be a sign of feeling itchy). He had one tiny bump on his cheek (that was probably a hive). I replay that day over and over in my head and am so grateful that the doctors acted quickly and that we were home when it happened (we were vacationing at a remote cabin the weekend before!).
He was officially diagnosed with allergies to eggs and several nuts via skin testing. Food allergy tests can be misleading – false positives are common, and the numbers don’t necessarily correlate to severity. Treatment for food allergies is limited as well, but many kids outgrow food allergies. Our allergist recommended sublingual immunotherapy, but it’s expensive and time consuming, so we are still considering treatment options. With no treatment, our allergist recommended retesting every 6-12 months to see if he outgrows them.
Learning how to navigate the world with life-threatening food allergies has changed our lives. Food is an essential part of life and culture. We don’t want to limit our son’s experiences because of his allergies yet need to be wary. He needs to be in an egg and nut free space to stay safe, and that’s how we found WFP! WFP appealed to us because of the strict allergy policy and the co-op model which allows me to be with him in class at this age (and respond in case of emergency).
One of the most difficult things about raising kids is feeding them – from the challenges of early breast/bottle feeding days to toddler picky eating stages and beyond. Food allergies add another layer of difficulty to feeding kids. For me, planning/prepping/eating food consumes so much time and energy. Providing healthy meals for my family has always been a priority; however, this experience has increased my awareness of the ingredients in our food. On the bright side, I’ve learned how to adapt our go-to meals and discovered some new favorites!
Here are some examples of things that I never would have thought twice about, that are now part of my daily decision making.
- Cannot leave the house without his epi-pens. Anyone watching him has to be familiar with his emergency care plan and comfortable administering the medication.
- Double check food labels for his allergens, and ensure packaged items are from a brand we trust to not be cross contaminated (which they are not legally required to disclose)
- Do not go out to eat at restaurants (at this age, the risk is too high that he will put something in his mouth that he’s not supposed to)
- Check ingredients of craft supplies and beauty products – some tempera paints and hair products contain eggs
- Carry disinfecting wipes to clean airplane seats, shopping carts, etc.
- If we’re traveling, we need to stay close to a hospital or aware of the location of urgent medical services
- No food sharing with his sister
See the resources below for more information on emergency care, product labeling, safe introduction of food allergens to babies, and information about living with specific food allergies.
- Emergency care plan: https://www.foodallergy.org/living-food-allergies/food-allergy-essentials/food-allergy-anaphylaxis-emergency-care-plan
- Allergy labeling: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/how-read-food-label
- Kids Living with Food Allergies: https://kidswithfoodallergies.org/living-with-food-allergies/
- Safe introduction of food allergens to babies: https://solidstarts.com/allergies-babies/