Not really allergic but maybe intolerant of acidic foods - what to avoid?

[Cathy_D]

Hi!

My DD doesn't seem to be properly allergic to anything (no rashes etc) but she gets horrid, mucous-y, vinegary smelling nappies and a VERY sore bottom, which seems to be triggered by specific foods. So far, I've identified oranges, kiwi and maybe apple as culprits.  Apparently these are all acidic?  Which makes me think thats the common factor.

Can someone who knows more than me about this kind of thing confirm if it might be the acid that is causing the problems?

And if so, what other foods are acidic and should be avoided?  I don't want to do too much trial and error as it seems to be really painful for her when I get it wrong!

How long should I avoid the problem foods for, and how/when should we re-introduce them?

Thanks!
Cathy

[Mom to M&M]

Your description to me DOES sound like a possibly allergy. Not all allergies result in rashes - our LOs can have gut allergies to certain foods too (which wouldn't show up in allergy testing). But whether it's an allergy or an intolerance I think you're doing a great job to identify and avoid these foods.

Fruits (other than banana) are much more acidic than veggies so you may want to focus on grains and veggies for now. I'd avoid any problem foods until she's closer to a year. A well-regarded pediatrician focusing on nutrition issues once told me that gut maturity starts to really pick up around 11 months.

Also, have you looked into fructose intolerance at all since her reactios all seem to be toward fruits? Is she BF or bottlefed? If BF did she react to foods in your BM?

[mella]

I keep getting the same thing with my LO, his poo sometimes burns his bum within seconds of it touching, although I haven't found out whats causing it yet. This last one a few days ago left him red raw, it looked like his bum was scalded, and I couldn't touch it for 3 days 

[Jimbob]

That is great advice that Maris'a Mama has given.

Kelly

[Cathy_D]

Thanks for the replies.

She's breastfed, and has never shown any kind of reaction to anything I've eaten the whole time I've been feeding her. And I've eaten exactly what I normally would have done, including a whole range of fruit, and things like tomato which I know some people avoid - the only thing I've changed is to only have the very, very occasional glass of wine. So I don't think my diet has affected her.

Bizarrely, she'd been having kiwi for a while and not had any problems with it. And she's had apple before and not been bothered by it. Which is why I thought she couldn't be genuinely allergic.  She is also teething at the moment, which someone told me stimulates more stomach acid because of all the drool. So I am wondering whether she might have been OK with mildly acidic things to start with, but now the combination of acid from fruit + extra stomach acid is proving too much. Does that sound possible? Or is the teething thing a complete red herring?!

She is absolutely fine with banana, pear and mango. No idea if any of them contain fructose, though.

Any suggestions on sensible things to read in this area ... I'm someone who really like to feel like I've read up on a subject to be able to make sensible decisions and I know absolutely nothing about nutrition, even in general, never mind for babies! So I feel at a bit of a loss. I don't even know what contains fructuse, or what foods are acidic!  Any good books/websites anyone can recommend.

[Mom to M&M]

Teething definitely does increase stomach acid and can cause different nappies and rashes. But if certain foods are triggering an increased reaction, even if those foods seemed safe before, I'd certainly avoid them for now. Banana, etc definitely contain fructose. I've found probiotics (they make special powdered formulations for babies/children) to be a big help with gut intolerances and with helping stabilize the digestive system. We've been using one here for 1.5 years now or maybe more...

[Cathy_D]

My health visitor suggested a probiotic (although she also said she didn't know anyone who'd used one so wasn't sure if it would help!) but I couldn't find a chemist that stocked it - they do make one for babies but it has to be specially ordered. As she was so unsure about it, I didn't bother ordering it. But if you've used them and found it useful then it might be worth a try - I'll definitely get the pharmacist to look it up and find out about ordering some for us.

So you give it to the LOs all the time, or only in response to upset digestion to calm it down again?

Thanks
Cathy

[Mom to M&M]

I give it to my LO every day (mixed in with either her milk or juice). I've tried to stop it a few times but notice that tends to correlate with her not feeling well so for now I'm continuing it. Good luck!

[Jimbob]

We also use a probiotic that we order from the internet. Ours has to be dairy and soy free though so it is harder to get.

Kelly

[TwiceAMomma]

I see that this thread started a while ago but I just wanted to let you know that my son cannot have oranges or orange juice or his little bum will pay for it.  I was desperate to figure out what was causing his horrible, even blistering like, diaper rash along with NASTY diapers and somehow figured it out by elimination and being very attentive to what and when he puts into his body.  He's has had preliminary allergy testing ( the basic blood work) and nothing showed.  But I think his skin is just so sensitive and the citrus acid from the oranges just don't mix.  So you're not off at all by thinking it could be acidic fruits.  Good luck!

[Cathy_D]

The list of things with the same effects keeps growing, so thought I'd add to it for the benefit of anyone else reading this who has the same problem.  As well as orange, kiwi and apple, she also can't have strawberries, raspberries, plums or tomato.  Im running out of ideas of new fruits to try, before she gets totally sick of banana, mango and pear (the only things that don't cause a problem!)

[fitfamily]

All the fruits you've listed that she's reacting too are acidic.  I had to watch acidic foods with my DS and pear, prunes and peaches were our friends.