living with kids with allergies group

[hinkybinky]

Looking to pick your brains ladies for some veggie ideas!

Alex is good with fruit and veg mostly but its feeling a bit samey now and I think Alex feels the same.
Ive made up some carrot and swede mash but what else? And ideas for preparing it?
Peas are a no untill we challenge him with them but anything else for ideas would be great!

Can he have sweetcorn? That's nice mashed with any other root veg or potato. It's nice to have a bit of texture in the mash. What about doing something like vegetable kofte or veggie burgers, so that he's having his veggies as a finger food? Or bubble and squeak? You could do a clear soup with lots of different veg as well, perhaps with chicken stock (I seem to remember looking at the knorr jelly stocks and noticing they are quite free of any nasties).

ETA: fruit-wise jelly is always a good one. Or frozen fruit / homemade lollies when the weather gets a bit nicer!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Yep he can have sweetcorn, just seems to be bored of it as that was our peas alternative

He loved veggie fingers but we had to stop buying them because he reacted to them
Do you have any recipies?

 

[hinkybinky]

Here are some recipes but you might need to adapt to suit!

Link to veg kofte recipe: https://www.babyandbump.com/weaning-nutrition/606409-lentils.html#post10473497

Veg fingers:
1. cook veg and chop or mash together with potato mash
2. shape into sausages
3. dip in egg, flour and breadcrumbs
6. grill / shallow fry

Good old bubble and squeak YUUUMMM: https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/24/nigel-slater-classic-bubble-squeak-recipe

Now I'm hungry

 

[Arcanegirl]

Lentil recipies are out aswell (should have said)

The veg fingers look really easy actually!

 

[happyface82]

How is everyone doing?

Katerina has been a lot better *touch wood* We've been giving her peas for the last 2-3 days and she seems fine with them so there we have 1 more veg!

We also gave her a banana last week and she was fine with that. Soya is a mystery! She was fine the 1st couple of days. Then a week later we tried it again and she had a not great night but it could have been smt else bothering her. So I'm trying it again today. Then I'll know for sure. Fingers crossed!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Soya is a weird one! For Alex its soya and anything remotley related to it which includes all the beans, pulses, peas etc!

Were doing good, had a bit of a panic at playgroup on Tues. He reacted to soemthing he ate and when i went to look for the piriton in the bag there was none! We were heading to the chemist anyways so got there as quick as poss and made use of the minor ailments service!

 

[happyface82]

Oh that must have not been fun! Do you know what her reacted to?

I was wondering Katerina is on antihistamines daily.. every night 2.5ml. I am hoping now she is better I can maybe at some point cut them down, so do I just give it to her if/when she has a reaction?

 

[Arcanegirl]

Yea thats what we do with Alex, because hes generally not eating anything he would react to now so theres no need to give the antihistamine every day.

It was cream crackers with cheese he had got hold of at playgroup.

 

[happyface82]

It must be so worrying at that age but then I guess there is not much you can do! Does it make a difference how soon you give the antihistamines after he's had smt he shouldn't have?

Our doctor is very much medicine medicine medicine and I hate it so I want to cut them down! I've ordered some herbal stuff I was recommended for Katerina's reflux and I also want to cut down on antihistamines. As you say since she is on a strict diet she shouldn't need them!

 

[hinkybinky]

Hi all! We're having a rubbishy day. Stanley's eczema looks a lot better since the Neocate, but weirdly he is itchier than ever and just will not stop clawing at his skin. He had a major meltdown this afternoon, half an hour of frantic crying and scratching while I tried to get cream on him without him ripping his skin to bits. We both ended up in tears He's asleep now. So glad we're seeing the dermatologist tomorrow. Do you think it's possible that the eczema is itchier as it heals? It used to be red and sore all over, but now is only sore where he scratches. Am wondering how it will ever clear up though if he keeps scratching. Hope we get some answers tomorrow.

Sorry for the me me me post!

happyface that's weird about the soya. So hard to fully isolate and identify foods that cause probs isn't it.

Arcanegirl - glad you managed to get some antihistamine quickly! Must be worrying that he doesn't really understand what he's not allowed and why. Poor thing x

 

[Arcanegirl]

It must be so worrying at that age but then I guess there is not much you can do! Does it make a difference how soon you give the antihistamines after he's had smt he shouldn't have?

Our doctor is very much medicine medicine medicine and I hate it so I want to cut them down! I've ordered some herbal stuff I was recommended for Katerina's reflux and I also want to cut down on antihistamines. As you say since she is on a strict diet she shouldn't need them!

The sooner the better really, in this case it would have stopped him itching so much he couldnt nap and saved alot of tears.

 

[Khloeee]

Hi all! We're having a rubbishy day. Stanley's eczema looks a lot better since the Neocate, but weirdly he is itchier than ever and just will not stop clawing at his skin. He had a major meltdown this afternoon, half an hour of frantic crying and scratching while I tried to get cream on him without him ripping his skin to bits. We both ended up in tears He's asleep now. So glad we're seeing the dermatologist tomorrow. Do you think it's possible that the eczema is itchier as it heals? It used to be red and sore all over, but now is only sore where he scratches. Am wondering how it will ever clear up though if he keeps scratching. Hope we get some answers tomorrow.

Arlo's ezcema seems more itchy when it's dryer than when it's red, sore and weepy.

 

[Khloeee]

GP has now refered us to a dietician. I explained all the of the issues when Arlo has dairy or soya and he said we'd be best off speaking to a specialist, which is great as that's all I've wanted all along. The GP wouldn't prescribe formula there and then but he said that he didn't think giving oat milk and water with porridge/weetabix was enough....hence the referal.

 

[happyface82]

Hinkybinky I'm sorry you are having such a rough time. I hope the appointment goes well today!!

Khloeee I bet you are relieved that you are being referred to a dietician! Hope it doesn't take too long to get an appointment.

Update on soya: Well it didn't go very well at all. Katerina was up many times at night with tummy pain. And she was crying for the 2nd half of the day yesterday! I couldn't tell why she was crying, she wasn't bloated or anything but at night it hit me. I'm just bummed as she enjoyed the yogurt sooo much!! So soya is a no-no for us as well!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Hi all! We're having a rubbishy day. Stanley's eczema looks a lot better since the Neocate, but weirdly he is itchier than ever and just will not stop clawing at his skin. He had a major meltdown this afternoon, half an hour of frantic crying and scratching while I tried to get cream on him without him ripping his skin to bits. We both ended up in tears He's asleep now. So glad we're seeing the dermatologist tomorrow. Do you think it's possible that the eczema is itchier as it heals? It used to be red and sore all over, but now is only sore where he scratches. Am wondering how it will ever clear up though if he keeps scratching. Hope we get some answers tomorrow.

Arlo's ezcema seems more itchy when it's dryer than when it's red, sore and weepy.

I have patches on my foot and i find as it heals it gets more itchy! Seems to be part of the healing process but its an annoying one!

 

[karlilay]

Ladies! Help

Has anyone got a LO with a wheat intolerence??

 

[happyface82]

Ladies! Help

Has anyone got a LO with a wheat intolerence??

We're not sure if Katerina is intolerant but we've been told to avoid wheat until her gut is better.

 

[karlilay]

Im pretty sure that Zach has got a wheat intolerence. I was giving him rusks which gave him horrible ecezma all over him. When i stopped it seems to clear although still there slightly. Yesterday, his sister thought it would be a good idea to give him the wooden spoon when we were making cakes, he licked a tiny bit, and then came up in a horrible blotchy red rash all over his mouth, cheeks and neck. I havent took him to the doctors but will do and see what they say. Until then i want to aviod it completley.

But he is now coming up to 6 months, and tries to grab food from our hands, i think its time for him to have some finger foods etc, but i dont know what to give him. As everything seems to contain wheat. Any ideas or experience would be so helpful. Thankyou for taking the time to reply to me...

 

[happyface82]

What was on the wooden spoon that he licked? Could it be anything else? Not sure what ingredients rusks have.

As for finger foods you could maybe try rice cakes or oatcakes? I also get the organic carrot sticks, Katerina loves them!!

 

[hinkybinky]

So the dermatologist was really good, gave me loads of up-to-date information, prescribed some steroid cream and explained exactly how to use it, clearly really knows his stuff (so many people I know have seen him for other skin issues as well and said how brilliant he is). He said the cream will likely clear up the eczema within a week, and then we will just use it twice a week and daily for any flare-ups.

Well... as you can imagine it came as a bit of a blow when he said that he didn't believe allergies had anything to do with Stanley's eczema, that he's seen it all before where people cut out various things in the child's diet and it doesn't work, that it's not worth trying to find a dietary cause unless there is very good reason, and that we should forget the dairy free thing! After all, as he pointed out, Stanley's eczema is still pretty bad even with the dairy free diet.

After a lot of soul searching, I think he might have a point, in our case at least. No matter which milk we've tried we haven't really seen any real sustained improvement. His eczema fluctuates so much, and maybe I've been looking at the good days and pretending it was due to the new milk, then looking at the bad days and blaming the milk 'not working'. Looking at the big picture, he is probably right.

Not sure where we go from here, but I think we will continue with the status quo while the steroids do their job, then when his skin is clear gradually try him with dairy and see what happens.

Am a bit stunned really, but in a way he has said what I have secretly been thinking since the Neocate didn't have the magic effect I was expecting. Fingers crossed for us that the steroids work, anyway.