Increase in peanut allergies??

[Anonymous]

My oldest is allergic to nuts, tree nuts and sesame. My youngest is allergic to nuts, tree nuts, sesame but also egg, milk, soy, seafood, legumes, mustard, sunflower, flax, among others.
We don't have a third because of this. But if we did, I would spend my pregnancy and the first year in my home country hoping it could make a difference.
This disease is a huge burden on the kids and parents.
For the other parents with allergic kids on here, look up TIP. It's only in California so far but they will expand. We started last year with one kid. It's a much improved type of OIT.

[Anonymous]

My take:

too 'clean'
formula feeding and plastics from the bottles and nipples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

And that especially for peanut and tree nut allergies, it is likely better for kids to be exposed young, and for even those kids who experience an allergic reaction to be treated with exposure to peanuts and tree nuts (starting in small controlled doses and building up) rather than in trying to create a peanut free cocoon.

I think it's really important to note that once anaphylactic allergies are identified the "starting in small controlled doses and building up" needs to happen in carefully supervised medical conditions, and that until the treatment, which takes more than a year in a best case scenario with a kid with 1 allergen and no complications, and no waiting list for the first appointment, the kids lives outside of those medical interventions need to continue to be peanut free.

On the other thread, there are a lot of people who seem to taking the fact that OIT exists (which is wonderful) and twisting it around to say that parents who try to protect their kids from exposure are either bad parents because they should have just done the treatment already (even though, the treatment can take years, so young kids can be getting the treatment and also still need to be protected) or that since small exposures are the cure they should let their kid have small exposures on the playground (not how it works). That's a really dangerous way of thinking.

Eh, actually there was a poster on the other thread who was explaining that what OP was asking of her was specifically hard because she was doing OIT with her kid for allergies and asking her to never bring an allergen to the playground would make it hard to follow the OIT recommendations (once you are beyond the phase of only doing controlled exposures with the doctor and start building up tolerance at home through frequent exposure).

I mean, yes, there are people on the other thread who are claiming the OP is to blame for her kid's allergies and those posters are terrible. But the conversation about OIT is more nuanced and since everything is framed within OP's original request, which included never brining any common allergen to the playground (which would be hugely burdensome for many parents, including the parents of kids with allergies), it's all being framed in extreme ways. The issue in the other thread is not that people don't care about the OP's kid, but that the OP is asking other parents to do something that just is not feasible or realistic, and therefore probably isn't the right solution for OP's problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

THIS

I'm so sick of the blame game going on in some of these threads (that one in General Parenting had some particularly egregious and utterly misinformed comments). You want to talk research, fine. But the blaming is obnoxious and hurtful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

And that especially for peanut and tree nut allergies, it is likely better for kids to be exposed young, and for even those kids who experience an allergic reaction to be treated with exposure to peanuts and tree nuts (starting in small controlled doses and building up) rather than in trying to create a peanut free cocoon.

I think it's really important to note that once anaphylactic allergies are identified the "starting in small controlled doses and building up" needs to happen in carefully supervised medical conditions, and that until the treatment, which takes more than a year in a best case scenario with a kid with 1 allergen and no complications, and no waiting list for the first appointment, the kids lives outside of those medical interventions need to continue to be peanut free.

On the other thread, there are a lot of people who seem to taking the fact that OIT exists (which is wonderful) and twisting it around to say that parents who try to protect their kids from exposure are either bad parents because they should have just done the treatment already (even though, the treatment can take years, so young kids can be getting the treatment and also still need to be protected) or that since small exposures are the cure they should let their kid have small exposures on the playground (not how it works). That's a really dangerous way of thinking.

Eh, actually there was a poster on the other thread who was explaining that what OP was asking of her was specifically hard because she was doing OIT with her kid for allergies and asking her to never bring an allergen to the playground would make it hard to follow the OIT recommendations (once you are beyond the phase of only doing controlled exposures with the doctor and start building up tolerance at home through frequent exposure).

I mean, yes, there are people on the other thread who are claiming the OP is to blame for her kid's allergies and those posters are terrible. But the conversation about OIT is more nuanced and since everything is framed within OP's original request, which included never brining any common allergen to the playground (which would be hugely burdensome for many parents, including the parents of kids with allergies), it's all being framed in extreme ways. The issue in the other thread is not that people don't care about the OP's kid, but that the OP is asking other parents to do something that just is not feasible or realistic, and therefore probably isn't the right solution for OP's problem.

The OP in that thread asked that people not let their kids bring the food on the actual playground equipment. There is nothing in an OIP protocol requires that a kid eat peanuts so frequently that they can't put down their sandwich on the bench and run around and play without it. That's not hugely burdensome, unless you have a kid on a feeding tube with a continuous feed.

Other people went off on how they OP probably wanted people to never eat peanuts outside of their home, but the OP was pretty clear in differentiating between eating on a bench, that OP could wipe off before her kid sat there, and on the playground equipment itself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:- 2 kids
- Clean diet during pregnancy, virtually all organic and included nuts
- Fed organic foods until age 5; diet still mostly organic
- Few processed foods
- No screens (at all) until after age 2
- Pets in the house since birth, which is supposed to be protective.
- SAHP who provided lots of outdoor time when they were little, including playing in nature and digging in the dirt.
- Minimal antibiotics or other medications
- Fed peanuts and nuts once it was recommended (age 3).

Both kids have food allergies. One ate nuts and peanuts until age 7, when she had sudden anaphylaxis and almost died. She now has severe anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as suspected celiac (we went gluten free before doing the testing). The other has multiple, less severe food allergies.

Tell me, what did we do wrong? How is this the parents' fault?

And that especially for peanut and tree nut allergies, it is likely better for kids to be exposed young, and for even those kids who experience an allergic reaction to be treated with exposure to peanuts and tree nuts (starting in small controlled doses and building up) rather than in trying to create a peanut free cocoon.

I think it's really important to note that once anaphylactic allergies are identified the "starting in small controlled doses and building up" needs to happen in carefully supervised medical conditions, and that until the treatment, which takes more than a year in a best case scenario with a kid with 1 allergen and no complications, and no waiting list for the first appointment, the kids lives outside of those medical interventions need to continue to be peanut free.

On the other thread, there are a lot of people who seem to taking the fact that OIT exists (which is wonderful) and twisting it around to say that parents who try to protect their kids from exposure are either bad parents because they should have just done the treatment already (even though, the treatment can take years, so young kids can be getting the treatment and also still need to be protected) or that since small exposures are the cure they should let their kid have small exposures on the playground (not how it works). That's a really dangerous way of thinking.

Eh, actually there was a poster on the other thread who was explaining that what OP was asking of her was specifically hard because she was doing OIT with her kid for allergies and asking her to never bring an allergen to the playground would make it hard to follow the OIT recommendations (once you are beyond the phase of only doing controlled exposures with the doctor and start building up tolerance at home through frequent exposure).

I mean, yes, there are people on the other thread who are claiming the OP is to blame for her kid's allergies and those posters are terrible. But the conversation about OIT is more nuanced and since everything is framed within OP's original request, which included never brining any common allergen to the playground (which would be hugely burdensome for many parents, including the parents of kids with allergies), it's all being framed in extreme ways. The issue in the other thread is not that people don't care about the OP's kid, but that the OP is asking other parents to do something that just is not feasible or realistic, and therefore probably isn't the right solution for OP's problem.

Anyone legit doing OIT knows that their child has a prescribed rest period after dosage. Increasing heart rate and body temp can trigger a reaction. I know several people doing peanut OIT, and the kids all have to rest a minimum of 1-2 hours after dosage. So I don't buy that someone is doing an OIT dose and then letting their kid run around on a playground.
I wish we could find someone doing egg OIT near us for my younger DD's egg allergy, but we've had no luck with that. Many allergist don't offer OIT, or only in limited programs. We have peanut allergies, too (myself and my DD), but the egg is far more concerning to me out in society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Around the time DD was born, there was a study out about peanut allergies in different countries, and one of the takeaways from it was that peanut allergies are very, very rare in Israel and they think it might have to do with the extreme popularity of bombas, a puffed snack covered in peanut powder. This was part of what drove the theory that peanut allergies were increasing because people were avoiding exposing their kids to peanuts, preventing them from developing healthy immune response to the allergen.

Now you are encouraged to expose your kid to small amounts of peanuts early (around the time solids are introduced) and kids who are found to have a peanut allergy are generally treated through progressive exposure. It doesn't always get rid of the allergy but it can reduce it's severity a lot, which is a big deal because, as you will learn in the other thread, having a kid who has a severe food allergy to any common food is incredibly stressful and limiting. Even if your kid never loses their peanut allergy, you could get to the point where exposure to small amounts, especially on your hands or just traces in food, would cause a mild reaction, not a deadly one requiring an epi pen.

In any case, we were nervous about introducing our baby to peanuts because we'd heard all these horror stories about allergies. Our pediatrician suggested bombas, which they now sell at Trader Joe's under their house brand, and now it's a favorite snack in our family.

The availability of treatment programs such as OIT, SLIT, and TIP isn't nearly as widespread as some of you seem to think, particularly for other food allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and it’s opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

Are you saying YOU ate nuts in pregnancy or your kid ate nuts before one year old?
If the first, you are crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and its opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

When did your kids start eating peanuts and nuts?

[Anonymous]

I’m 100% blaming one parent I know. She gave no nuts to her kid and then tested him at 7 years old. And she was righty!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and it’s opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

Are you saying YOU ate nuts in pregnancy or your kid ate nuts before one year old?
If the first, you are crazy.

Why would someone eating or eating nuts during pregnancy mean they are crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and it’s opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

Are you saying YOU ate nuts in pregnancy or your kid ate nuts before one year old?
If the first, you are crazy.

I did. How does it make me crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and it’s opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

Are you saying YOU ate nuts in pregnancy or your kid ate nuts before one year old?
If the first, you are crazy.

Why would someone eating or eating nuts during pregnancy mean they are crazy?

Right! You're supposed to eat peanuts during pregnancy. You also can just touch babies with peanut powder hands and that's enough of an exposure. The goal is early and often. Peanuts should be a baby's first food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and its opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

When did your kids start eating peanuts and nuts?

Reaction to sesame after I let him taste some dressing I made at 6 months old. Peanut was somewhere between 6 months and year. For my other kid she had rashes after someone touched her after eating peanut at a year old more or less. She was already allergic to so many things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and it’s opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

Are you saying YOU ate nuts in pregnancy or your kid ate nuts before one year old?
If the first, you are crazy.

Why would someone eating or eating nuts during pregnancy mean they are crazy?

Right! You're supposed to eat peanuts during pregnancy. You also can just touch babies with peanut powder hands and that's enough of an exposure. The goal is early and often. Peanuts should be a baby's first food.

Actually, initial exposure through skin may trigger allergies.