Peanut allergy

Beth - posted on 04/09/2013

Go to a pediatric allergist. Ask your doctor to refer you to one or call your insurance company to find one. It is very important to find out because she may need to have an epi-pen to take to school with her.

Natalia - posted on 02/06/2009

Hi Tania! My daughter Emma, now 4 years old,  had a similar reaction when she was around 18months old. Her pediatrician was old school and didn't believe in testing. He just said to give her Benadryl and stay away from Peanut Butter.  Then when we switch to her new doctor she did all the correct blood work and we found out her Peanut Allergy was very serious. And not only is she allergic to Peanuts, but to all tree nuts, shellfish and garlic.So I highly reccomend to get her the blood test. Good Luck!!!

Stacy - posted on 02/04/2009

My daughter was 10 months old when she accidentally got into some peanut butter, she also broke out in hives any where the peanut butter touched her skin.  My doctor referred us to an allergist and we had the blood test done for allergies, she is allergic to peanuts even though she has never had a full blown allergy attack.  We have to carry an epi pen with us at all times.  I would definitly see an allergist.  I have been told that not every contact with peanuts will cause a bad reaction but you never know when it will.  We were advised to keep her away from all nuts until she was 2 and since she turned two we have only tried one other nut (pecans) and she has been fine with those.  I wish you the best of luck!  God Bless!

Lauren - posted on 02/03/2009

Hi Tania,
I would highly encourage you to go to a pediatric allergist and have her tested for nut allergies (as well as other food allergies).  The allergic response can go from just a simple case of hives to a full blown life threatening reaction.  I have a son that is now 12 and we have been dealing with this since he was 2.  He is constantly being exposed to nuts somehow at school or parties, whether it be in the form of peanut butter, actual nuts or something as difficult to detect as the oil something may be fried in.  Reeses peanut butter cups seem to be a favorite with Moms that do class parties, even when they KNOW there is a child with a nut allergy in the classroom.  I guess they feel that all the other children shouldn't have to be nut free just because there is one in their class.  In any case, you as her Mom need all the information you can get your hands on and you might want to also consider getting your doctor to prescribe an Epi-pen to keep on hand in case of an emergency.  Good luck, I hope it turns out that she will outgrow it! 

Abby - posted on 01/27/2009

Definitely do the blood test and they can test for multiple foods (tree nuts, soy, etc.). Kids do tend to outgrow the allergies as they get older, but some never do. It is good to have the tests repeated each year so you can track whether the allergic reaction is getting less severe or not. Regarding preschool - I joined the Food Allergy & Anaphalaxis Network and they have a great book for education and schools. I read the whole thing and my daughter had a wonderful teacher who was open to learning about it and keeping my daughter safe.

Linda - posted on 01/26/2009

Absolutely make an appointment with an allergist. The may do a blood test (RAST) or a skin test. My son has had both. He's also had a food challenge with peanuts because we had false negatives on separate occasions on the RAST and skin test. My son's allergy was diagnosed at 14 mos. He's now just over 4 years old and is tested annually. His allergist has told us that he has a 20% chance of outgrowing the allergy by the time he is 5. (He has a severe allergy to all nuts.) Until you know for sure if your daughter is allergic, I would avoid all nuts. FYI, the mango is a member of the cashew family and can cause a reaction in a person who is allergic to cashews (we found that one out the hard way).



If your daughter is allergic to peanuts, The Peanut Allergy Answer Book by Dr. Michael C. Young is a wonderful resource.

Karen - posted on 01/26/2009

Go to an allergy doctor! I don't know how your insurance policy handles referrals or things like that, but we see an allergist who did a blood test on our son when he was almost 18 mths old. We were aware of a couple other food allergies but didn't know he was allergic to peanuts (he hadn't had any except in breast milk) until this test. What we were told is that some children do outgrow these allergies and our son would be retested when he is 5 yrs old. So, my guess is most kids don't outgrow allergies until they're older, maybe? Also, peanut allergies are one of the allergies that are least likely to be outgrown. (though perhaps the reactions become less? that has been true for my aunt who still doesn't eat it, but is able to wash dishes, etc that have been around it) Good luck! (and still, better safe than sorry! if you aren't able to have your daughter tested, then yes, i would still behave as if she IS allergic to peanuts)