>We were VERY conservative with Kyle because of this. I
>nursed him exclusively for 4 1/2 months. NO supplemental rice cereal or
>anything. At 4 1/2 months we added rice ceral. Then white potatoes. Then
>plums. Nothing even close to the "commonly allergic" list of items. We
>were "overly conservative" by our Dr's estimate in only adding one new item
>per week or more. But it turned out to be one of the best things we could have
>done. We were able to clearly identify food that he was mildly allergic to
>on an individual basis instead of getting to the point of chronic eczema with
>no idea as to the cause.
>The hardest thing with allergies as life-threatening as his is knowing what's
>bad but not life-threatening, and what means you need to call 911.  His
>wheezing
>really bothers me. The unknown also makes me nervous. How will he react to bee
>venom? Strawberries? The swimming pool?  Every day is an adventure.  I've
>told our
>doctors that the first time we try berries or nuts, we'll be sitting in
>their waiting
>room.  Our GP laughed. Our allergist said, "YES!".  They've both
>classified him as
>extreme.
>
>Enough of my jabbering.  That's our experience. Hope it helps.
>
>Theresa

I have been with this list for a long time.  Another good allergy list is at:
[log in to unmask]   (Probably just put "subscribe" in the body of
the email.)

We knew from birth our son was very allergic to dairy, and as Theresa we
went VERY slowly at introducing new foods.  We also feel it was the best
thing we could have done.  Our son is now 6 1/2, and doing very well with
his allergies, even the severe dairy reaction at birth is only about 50% as
severe now.

We never did "introduce" peanuts or brazil nuts.  I was too scared to try.
I said that if he ever got them by accident then we would know.  Sure
enough at 2 different times he quickly grabbed them and ate it (away from
home) before I could  catch him.  Luckily no reaction.  However, at age two
he got some strawberries and about an hour later had trouble breathing.  We
have never let him have them since.

The other encouraging thing, (especially as in our case when the allergy is
not life threatening (he gets hives and a stomache ache or vomits with
dairy), is that as they get older they start to take responsibility for
their own allergies.  He has had enough bad experiences to know know what
he is allergic to and to ask when out if any of those things are in the
foods.   (At this point it just seems to be dairy, strawberries, and
sunflower seeds).

Rachele Shaw