Lindsay - posted on 08/04/2009 ( 24 moms have responded )
31
14
0
Has anyone had their children tested for allergies? My son is 6.5 months old, and we already know he has a dairy allergy. We have a strong history of allergies in the family, some of which are food related, and are wondering if we should have him tested. I didn't know if there was a certain age at which this should be done. We just want to know ahead of time what he is allergic to, rather than finding out the hard way like we did with milk/dairy. Thanks!
- Helpful (2)
- Nice
- Funny
- Encouraging
- Hugs (1)
MOST HELPFUL POSTS
Estelle - posted on 10/07/2010
3
18
0
Hi I took my daughter for the allergies test a homeopath told me a bout it but when I spoke to my gp he said thy only do it from 6y but what they do thy draw blood and test it I don’t know where you life but I’m in vanderbyjilpark. I went to a pharmacy in Vereeniging thy do it at any age to test foods and stuff. And I’m so glad I took her for it makes life easier.
Jennifer - posted on 12/30/2009
25
95
0
Sorry to tell you that testing is NOT always reliable under age 3 (though my allergist said not ever reliable in anyone. 5% of people who are anaphylactic allergic to things test NEGATIVE on all tests). In our case, it is not. My dd (3 in March) and I both test negative to EVERYTHING, EVERY time, but we have very definate allergies. DD's anaphylactic to all traces of milk, seafood, shellfish, chamomile, sunflower, safflower; and severely allergic to ragweed, palm, strawberry, wool, lanolin, and grass. ALL of these we found out just by keeping track of reactions and watching for a pattern. Dairy, seafood, shellfish, grass, strawberry, wool, and lanolin were pretty easy to figure out as she had pronounced reactions from each one. Ragweed, chamomile, palm, sunflower, and safflower were more difficult. Palm was a process of elimination of ingredients (in her soy cheese); and the rest (all members of the asteracea family) we found out in Nov. when she had an ana reaction to a cup of chamomile tea. Allergist said eliminate ALL members of that family b/c ragweed was a huge player in it. Since we have her eczema is GONE for the first time in her entire life. Keep a food diary and a reaction diary. Also, check out the FAAN site, www.foodallergy.org and www.godairyfree.org for more info. Good luck to you!
Cory - posted on 09/26/2012
1
0
0
My daughter is now 3. She was tested for allergies at around 15- 18mo. They came back negative except the egg. She is allergic to dairy, peanuts, some fish, eggs and most recently a caterpillar. (Weird I know) But the tests are garbage at that age. My daughter is horribly allergic to these things and I dont need a test to prove it. I can see it. A friend of mine had her baby tested under a year and she tested positive for a dairy allergy but now at 1 1/2 she will give her dairy once in awhile and she does fine. While my daughter tested negative but has very severe reactions to the tiniest bit of dairy....
You should know that there are different kind of allergies. IgE allergies are the ones that can be anaphalactic and have a quick reaction. like within minutes of exposure. IgG allergies can take a half hour to a day or so for the reaction to kick in and they are hard to test for. Most allergy tests only test for IgE allergies. To make it more complicated there are IgA allergies and other kinds too. So use the test as a tool but dont rely to heavily on it. Try an elimination diet. Can be tricky but you will find out what is causing symptoms with no lingering mysteries.
Ariel - posted on 01/07/2010
123
5
13
I would say to force the issue with your ped. My son's doc told me that allergy testing isn't usually done until after 1 year because babies are so sensitive to everything and often grow out of allergies by age 1. But if you are concerned about further allergies, or if you think they may be life-threatening, definitely insist on it. To put your mind at rest if nothing else.
To do your own improvised version of allergy testing you can rub your fingers across a small patch of his skin then dab milk or peanut butter or another allergen on the area and watch for hives to flare up, then wash it off quickly. My son does his own allergy testing, he rubs his food around his face when he feeds himself and when hives pop up I know the food he just ate was an allergen and avoid giving it to him again. The hives fade within a minute or two of wiping off the offending food, and really it's no different than a skin-prick test but without the pricking, and not as sterile since a peach could cause a reaction from being cut on the same cutting board as a peanut. So long as you are careful of cross-contamination it could be an effective way to eliminate certain foods before he ingests them.
[deleted account]
Nope - definitely not a needle. There was a dropper for each of the items they tested. The hardest part was keeping him from running around and having the drops run.