Rash on chest and tummy - allergy?

[rachelann]

I noticed a rash on my LO (7 months) about an hour ago, not sure if it started last night or not because we went to a birthday party last night, came home late and changed her in the dark.  She is sampling finger foods, and had grapes for the first time last night.  Peaches for the first time today (bad mommy, I know, for giving new foods so close together).  I don't think either would cause allergies, she's had lots of the known allergens like wheat and dairy and is fine.  However, the peaches were frozen and from a bag of mixed fruit including strawberries and mango.  Two questions:  could the mixed fruit have contaminated the peaches?  And does a slight rash on just tummy and chest sound like a food allergy reaction?  Looked to me like heat rash, but we hadn't been outside yet today and the inside of the house is comfortable with the A/C on.  What do you all think?     What are the common reactions to food allergies?  She didn't have any contact rash on her mouth or hands, and no sign of tummy trouble.

Thanks!

[~ Vik ~]

Hi!
It's so hard, just when you think you're safe from food allergies something like this happens
It *could* be a food allergy for sure, but maybe not, so you may have to do some investigation. The other fruit in the bag could definitely have contaminated the peaches, and strawberry is a very common allergen. And mango made my ds' eczema flare up badly.  I would:
-wait for the rash to go away, don't give peaches/grapes/strawberries/mango until it does
-once it does, offer 'pure' peaches for a couple days, watch for rxn
-after that, do the same with grapes and mango
I would hold off on strawberries for a while because they are so allergenic, but you could follow the same thing with them too if you want.
I've introduced foods too close together too, and had to do this very same thing. Hopefully it's nothing, but better to be safe!
Good luck
Vikki

[Mashi]

Agree with all that Vikki said.  BUT, that said, rashes - especially on tummy - are really so common in LOs at this age. Usually viral, often no other symptoms, just a random rash that lasts a day or two and goes away.  So, could be nothing. 

[rachelann]

I'm thinking viral, too.  She still has barely any hair on her head, and although there is no rash on her face, her scalp looks like it has red patches on it - ever heard of that?  I'm going to try to relax and just keep an eye on her in the next few days, with no new foods for a while. 

[rachelann]

A quick update:  we went to the doctor's today because her rash was getting worse and she went on a nursing strike yesterday evening until 9am this morning.  Our appt was late this afternoon and she did nurse throughout the day thank goodness.  Doctor says classic viral rash, kind of bumpy and lacey.  Her throat was a little red, which could by why she didn't want to eat (or because she had been biting me all day yesterday and I got a little frustrated with her by the evening  ).  She said an allergy rash would look more like excema.  So yay, just a virus and all should be well within a week or so.   

[Spectra]

Oh good!  Glad to hear it's not an allergy.  To bad she's sick, but at least she'll get better now and you don't have to worry so much! 

[Mashi]

Sorry to hear she's sick, but as Spectra said, glad to hear it's not an allergy!  And, viruses are all part of building immunity!

[~ Vik ~]

Never thought I would say this, but Yay! for a virus! LOL So much easier to deal with than an allergy. I hope she's feeling better soon!

[rachelann]

Here's a different allergy question for you:

Have you ever heard of a mango being a nut?  A friend of mine (whose daughter is allergic to tree nuts) said a mango is a nut and she doesn't give her daughter them.  Can this be right? 

[Mashi]

From wikipedia:

Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae.

I can't see any way that a mango could be a nut...however it's not that uncommon to be allergic to mangoes, perhaps she is just explaining herself wrong? As in, she's allergic to nuts so I am keeping her off of other allergenic foods