allergic to cranberries???

[*Becky*]

Hi,
My DS has recently come out in small spots around his mouth after eating. I cannot work out what is triggering it but in the last month he has been having some new apple and cranberry purees mixed with yoghurt for pudding. Has anyone heard of an allergy to cranberries? Yesterday he had the worst nappy rash I have ever seen on him and the only food he ate which was new was mango. He has had mango when he was much younger but not for ages.
Just wondering if this is possible or if it is more likely to be something else.
Thanks
Becky x

[scarlettsmom]

Hi there,

yes, you can absolutely have an allergy to cranberries.  You can be allergic to ANY food. 

How long has he been getting the rash?  Is it correlating within the same few hours of the cranberries?  Usually an allergic reaction that has symptoms of rash happen very quickly after consuming the offending food.

It could be the mango.  Usually an allergic reaction is more noticeable the SECOND time a new food is consumed.  That along with the diaper rash could be a huge indication. 

I would cut out the mango immediately. 

[*Becky*]

Thanks. Yes have cut the mango and the nappy rash is loads better. The little spots around his mouth are still there and tbh don't seem to be coming and going now but just there....not sure if they are food realated or not. x

[scarlettsmom]

Hi - just checking in to see if his rash is gone and how he's doing?

[*Becky*]

Thanks
Well the anppy rash cleared up fine but the spots are still there. The health visitor thinks it is food related but the doc says 'kids get rashes!'
No clearer. I have cut out berries and citrus fruits and mango but they are still there. They kind of come and go but there is always a little there.
Really stumped...is it food? environmental? Just don't know.
bx

[scarlettsmom]

Is it very dry and cold where you are now (guessing so from the pic?).  Could be weather related.  Both my girls get dry skin this time of year - I am constantly putting on hydracortisone, or aquaphor.  I actually just stopped bathing them every night and switched to every other night and that has helped a lot.

Glad the diaper rash is gone, those are NO fun!   

[*Becky*]

thanks....it is just in that one area and actually seems quite soft but I guess it could easily be weather related. x

[*Becky*]

it flared up at lunchtime today and all he had was bread, cheese and houmous. I am wondering if it is either -
1. A sensitivity to citrus fruit as I think houmous has lemon in it?
2. A contact problem - he got houmous around his mouth?
He is not itching it and it is not dry at all - seems not to bother him.
What do you think?
bx

[*Becky*]

I am a little unsure how to work this one out...do you think it is worth getting him allergy tested? My doctor unfortunately is hopeless with stuff like this. He once told me that 'babies do not get food allergies!' 
So it is up to me to sort out really. I am keeping a food diary but I have already taken out citrus fruit, mango and marmite and tbh not I don't want to just cut stuff out when I am not sure it is a problem iykwim.
Thanks
bx

[scarlettsmom]

Was that the only thing that got on his mouth (the hummus?).  If so, yes, i would cut it out.  And YES, I would for sure find a ped allergist to get tested. 

I know there are people/dr's who don't think kids get allergies - that is so crazy!  My own ped says that about environmental allergies, but not food allergies. 

Can you get an appointment?  He is getting some type of contact reaction, and yeah, you don't want to keep pulling things out of his diet.  I think taking out the hummus/citrus for now is a great idea.  Could just be an irritation as citrus is acidic.  That happened to my DD1 w/mango.  She's fine with it, just would eat so messily and irritated her skin..

[*Becky*]

Thanks. Yes I will stop hummus too for now. I will have to see someone privately but I am not sure how to go about it. Will have a think.

[deb]

We have a friend whose DD has an allergy to sesame seeds, which would be in the hummus.... might also be in some breads.

[*Becky*]

Just checked the bread and it is not in. It does have vinegar??? He seems very sensitive to food on the skin around his mouth. DH is convinced it is more of a contact sensitivity rather than anything else. Apart from the mouth he is fine. A puzzle?

[deb]

I find that Josie and I especially, and Nat to some extent, get a sort of "chapped face" around our lips during many winters. Not really chapped lips, but the skin around the lips is red and sometimes a bit scaly, like we're allergic to something. As far as I can make out,we're allergic to the dry air in the Winter, since we haven't found anything that makes it worse except for licking around our lips to re-moisten and frankly only Vaseline that helps make it better till we get someplace humid and/or warmer (like us in the summertime! .

[*Becky*]

well we went to the homeopath today and she has given us some remedies so we shall see. Her view is that it is not food related but who knows....he did have a vaccine on New Years Eve and the problems started very soon after. Probably not related but maybe?