Oh, Nuts! Nut and Peanut Allergies

Baby Allergies

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, almost 10 percent of children in the United States are affected by food allergies. Six foods account for 90 percent of allergic reactions being milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy and tree nuts. Half of those with a peanut allergy are also allergic to tree nuts like almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews (and often sunflower and sesame seeds as well).

Baby Allergies

Diagnosing a Nut or Peanut Allergy

Baby Allergies

Children generally do not outgrow a nut or peanut allergy. Diagnosing food allergies early in a child's life is difficult since babies cannot tell their parents when their stomachs hurt or their throats itch. Due to this, doctors recommend that parents refrain from feeding their children peanut butter or other nut or peanut products until after they are 2 years old. If there is a family history of nut or peanut allergies, parents should wait until their child is 3 to trial nut or peanut products.

Baby Allergies

Nut or Peanut Allergy Symptoms

Initial allergic reactions entail a runny nose, an itchy skin rash over their entire body, or a tingly tongue or lips. Symptoms can quickly escalate into nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat or other parts of the body, rapid drop in blood pressure, and dizziness or unconsciousness. Nut and peanut allergy symptoms generally appear within a few seconds to two hours after ingesting or being exposed to the allergen.

Testing for a Nut or Peanut Allergy

If your doctor suspects your child may have a nut or peanut allergy, they will recommend visiting an allergy specialist. To test for a nut or peanut allergy, the allergist will conduct a skin test or take a blood sample to send to a lab.

Treating a Nut or Peanut Allergy

Since there is no medicine available to treat nut or peanut allergies, the best treatment is to avoid eating nuts. This may sound easy, but keep in mind that nuts are often mixed in foods and young children are unable to read food label warnings. Those particularly sensitive to this allergy will need to avoid foods that are made in the same factory that makes nut products. The bulk of kids with this allergy will simply need to avoid eating nuts or foods containing nuts.

Handling an Allergic Reaction

Parents of children with a serious nut or peanut allergy should create a plan in the event of an allergic reaction. Notify teachers, the school nurse, coaches, friends, etc. so everyone will know what the reaction entails and how to respond.

The most serious reaction will involve anaphylaxis where several problems occur at once. To treat anaphylaxis immediately, doctors recommend that people with a nut or peanut allergy (or those supervising them) keep a shot of epinephrine with them. Epinephrine injections come in easy-to-carry containers that look like a pen. If the shot is administered, the child should go to a hospital or medical facility to make sure the reaction is under control.

Oh, Nuts! Nut and Peanut Allergies

Baby Allergies