If your toddler has been diagnosed with a food allergy, you may need to work with his doctor and a nutritionist to formulate a plan to meet his nutritional needs. While this is less true if your child is allergic to a food that is not extremely prevalent, such as shellfish, a wheat or dairy allergy can impact the types of food that you buy and serve.
Allergy Symptoms
Your child may show symptoms of a food allergy the first time she tries a new food, or she may eat it for several months or longer before you realize that she has an allergy. Some allergies start gradually, with skin rashes or diarrhea, and others present themselves suddenly, with your child experiencing the wheezing, swelling and rapid heartbeat of anaphylactic shock. Other symptoms of a food allergy include nausea and vomiting, hives, nasal congestion and fainting. If you suspect an allergic reaction, take your child to the doctor or, if she is having trouble breathing or her mouth or throat is swollen, call 911.
Finding Substitutes
Once your child has been tested and you know what he is allergic to, you may need to find substitutions for foods that had been an integral part of his diet. For example, if your child has an allergy to dairy products, ask his doctor about switching to soy-based products, goats' milk or milk made from almonds or rice. If your child is allergic to wheat, look for gluten-free pastas, breads and crackers. Try to choose products that are fortified with the vitamins that he would otherwise be getting from the milk or the wheat. For example, look for soy milk that has vitamin D added, and iron-fortified wheat-free cereals.
Reading Food Labels
Ask your child's allergist for a list of the different names for the substance that your child is allergic to. Milk protein may be listed as casein, for example. If her allergy is to nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, fish, shellfish or soy, food manufacturers list them at the end of the ingredients list in most cases, so read ingredients lists carefully. If her allergy is severe, she may not be able to eat foods that have been processed in the same facility as those to which she is allergic. For example, a severely peanut-allergic child might not be able to eat cookies that, although they don't contain peanuts, are processed in a factory that also processes cookies that do contain peanuts.
Cross Reactions
If your toddler is allergic to certain foods, it may indicate a propensity toward an allergy to other foods. For example, an allergy to mangoes might also lead to an allergy to pineapple or avocado. If he is allergic to crab, he may also be allergic to shrimp or lobster. Ask his allergist about possible cross-reactions, and avoid those foods.
