5 Life Skills I Gained As A Food Allergy Mom
By: Katie L. Moreno
Tags: Food, Parenting, Parents, Advocacy, Food Allergies

From first reaction, to diagnosis, to hitting my stride — What I’ve learned from raising a child with food allergies.

Imagine the excitement of going to birthday parties when you’re a 3-year-old, where one of the most exciting parts is the birthday cake. Not so much when you’re the only kid in the room allergic to eggs. Just one of the many skills I’ve mastered as a food allergy mom is the ability to soften the blow beset upon the host when we politely decline the slice of cake passed his way. I prep myself for the response as they slowly make the connection: “Felix is allergic to eggs” and “this cake has egg in it.” “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even realize…”

At 11 months old I gave him his first forkful of eggs. Although he usually took great afternoon naps I thought the “No-Nap-Today-Mommy” attitude was perhaps the new, age-appropriate behavior I’d yet to be introduced to. But then he started to look at me funny, and pull on his ears. I had seen a lot of odd things in my first 11 months as a new parent but I don’t recall this one being covered in my “What To Expect, The First Year” manual. A diaper change was in order, a clean diaper would make anyone snap out of a funk. As I laid him down, he looked me right in the eye, and started to chatter his teeth. Adrenaline pumping, I scooped him up, grabbed my keys and headed to the car. We made it to the clinic just before the vomit started.

The blood antibody test concluded he was allergic to egg whites, almonds (tree nuts) and peanuts — three of the top nine allergens which cause the majority of food allergic reactions. Based on the potential for cross-contamination, the allergist recommended avoiding cashews and walnuts as well. While his first reaction didn’t result in “anaphylaxis — he did have vomiting, jitteriness, diffuse erythroderma, and some mottling, so he should therefore avoid all items with egg on the ingredient list, baked goods with eggs, casseroles with eggs and eggs of course.”

My job description was completely warped from one day to the next. I was scared to feed him anything at all. And even then, one month after receiving his diagnosis, I gave him pre-made lasagna from a grocery store for dinner, not realizing that it was made with egg noodle! A whole lot of hives, and one chunky baby thigh jabbed with an EpiPen later, we were back in the Emergency Room. I was failing at this.

Eventually, I found my groove. I realized that grocery shopping is made easy since most items sold in a store are required to denote any of the top nine allergens they may contain thanks to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). I researched eggless pancake and muffin recipes and really put a lot of effort forth (ask my husband) until I realized that some things are just better left to the experts. Thanks to Bloom Bake Shop, a neighborhood bakery (Madison, Wis.) that makes “allergy-friendly” part of its business model, we have never been without a proper birthday cake, OR a substitute, vegan cupcake for whatever kind of birthday party came our way.

Albeit with a lot more experience under my belt navigating food allergies now compared to seven years ago, it feels like we are making progress. The fact alone that I no longer have to go to specialty grocery stores to buy SunButter® or Vegenaise® is testament that slowly but surely, society is starting to accommodate the food allergy community. Nonetheless, I’ve learned some valuable life skills along the way, like how to: