2yo possible allergic reaction to honey mustard dressing?

[Anonymous]

Went out to eat last night. I ordered grilled chicken strips and fries for my 2yo DD. I also ordered some honey mustard dipping sauce too. She ate all of her food. We cleaned all the honey mustard dressing from her face (she had it on and around her mouth, forehead, eyelid etc.) and hands. We noticed redness/hives/ blotches everywhere she had honey mustard dressing on her face. Her hands were fine. Is the an allergic reaction? She has no known allergies? What could be the allergen in honey mustard dressing? I thought that we exposed DD to everything and felt like she was free from allergies. Within 2 hours without intervention her face cleared up. Should I have given her benedryl, taken her to ER? Am I overreacting?

[Anonymous]

No, I wouldn't have taken to the ER. My son at that age had redness from hummus, tomato sauce, and strawberries. Never any other reaction and hasn't reacted since.

Could have been something acidic in the sauce. Maybe ask the restaurant for a list of ingredients so you can keep an eye out or Benadryl on hand for future exposure?

And don't forget, an allergy can develop at any time, so even if you feel in the clear, it can always pop up.

[Anonymous]

I think it's more the acid than allergy.

[Anonymous]

Just irritation from the mustard likely. I have pretty sensitive skin and lots of things cause redness and blotchiness if left on my skin. It isn't allergies.

[Anonymous]

Soy?

[Anonymous]

Mustard is actually becoming increasingly recognized as a priority allergen. In Canada, it's required to be identified as an allergen on any labels.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/securit/2012-allergen_mustard-moutarde/index-eng.php


I'd see an allergist if you can. Not a panic, but I'd get her looked at and assessed.

What you did was correct. Had the hives persisted, would suggest Benadryl but at that age any allergy should be assessed.

[Anonymous]

Mustard is a seed, and seed allergies are pretty common.

[Anonymous]

I would have given some benedryl and watched it. My kids have strange food allergies.

[Anonymous]

Agree that it absolutely could be mustard. You should definitely get her tested.

Another thought is that it could have been the fried food instead. What was it fried in? I assume you'd know about a peanut allergy by now, but perhaps the fry oil was also used for seafood?

FWIW, my kid's first allergic reactions to foods often show up as you describe - red blotches on the face.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses. I will call DD pediatrician in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Did you find out anything from this just had the same thing happen to my almost 2 year old

[Anonymous]

It could also be eggs. A lot of honey mustards have egg.

[Anonymous]

Yes, she has an allergy to something. Make an appointment with an allergist to find out what her allergies are.

[Anonymous]

Exposure means nothing. Both my daughters ate peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish from a young age—loved all of the above. At age 5, oldest developed allergy to tree nuts. By age 6, youngest to both peanuts and tree nuts, and then at age 7, shellfish, too. I hate the smug, uninformed myth that food allergies are due to lack of exposure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you find out anything from this just had the same thing happen to my almost 2 year old

Has your child had all of the major allergens yet? Egg? Some honey mustards contain egg. Mustard itself can be an allergen. If reaction was localized to just the skin that came into contact with the honey mustard, it could be just a skin reaction to something acidic, and not necessarily an allergy. Does your DC show anything similar to other acidic foods, like oranges, or tomatoes?

My younger DD is anaphylactic to egg, and we have to be very cautious with what brands of honey mustard we use. When she was a baby and young toddler, her skin was very sensitive to acidic foods. I remember coating her cheeks in Aquaphor before feeding her spaghetti, as the Aquaphor acted as a barrier between her skin and tomato sauce. But she didn't have an allergy to tomatoes.