Identifying possible allergin for toddler

[Mamalaoshi]

New here so not sure where to post but here goes...

I have a history of many allergies and my son has severe dairy and tree nut allergies.  My youngest daughter just turned two and is still breast-feeding.  Because of my own experiences and my experiences with my son, I've always paid close attention to foods they won't eat and look for patterns and reactions, etc.  The rule in our house is you always try a bite each meal but don't have to eat more than that if you don't like it (excepting food allergies of course).  Something is making my daughter constipated, which makes me think that something is making her GI tract inflamed or irritated.  Since she was old enough to eat solids, she has consistently refused more than a bite of baked goods containing wheat from stores or bakeries with the exception of pasta and sourdough bread and soda crackers.  So think of a 2 year old turning down doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies, plain ol' bread, etc.  If I make things from scratch at home, she devours them.  For instance, we've been busy lately so I've been buying bread at the store, a brand my son can eat.  She won't touch it.  Today I had time to make wheat bread (yeast, salt, coconut milk, canola oil, honey, and whole wheat flour) and she was shoving her mouth full of it.  Maybe she just has a very discerning palate but my gut tells me that something in the packaged food bothers her (especially since she will eat gross things like snails and grass in the yard). 

Any ideas what it could be and how to test it out? 

[PurpleCat]

Perhaps the store bought things have too much sugar or corn syrup sweetener for her pallet.  My kids did not have a sweet tooth when they were toddlers.  Now 2 of them do, and the third does not and he dislikes chocolate!  (how unlike his mother!)

My kids have always preferred me to bake over buying stuff at the store.  To them the stuff at the store is still too sweet.

What does her pediatrician think?  Mine was always reminding me to feed my kids fruits and veggies starting with the letter "P" to keep their poo normal.

[rebekahc]

Hi and welcome! 

I agree with you that it seems somewhat suspicious that she's refusing bakery items.  In addition to what PC said, my thoughts are:

1.  It's most likely not the wheat because she'll eat some wheat containing store bought things and your homemade bread.
2.  Maybe dairy?  Do you always avoid dairy at home?  I'm assuming many of the things she refuses have dairy (or nut/PN contamination? egg?).  If she eats those possibilities without issue in other forms, though, then I'd really be inclined to believe that it's just a palate thing.
3.  I wouldn't assume the constipation is due to a food intolerance or allergy - it'd be a pretty remote chance that that's the only symptom.  It seems many, many kids deal with constipation about her age.  Has she reduced her bf'ing?
4.  That being said, Celiac disease could lead to a wheat aversion and constipation.  Does she refuse other gluten containing foods or have any other symptoms?
5.  Sometimes it's best to NOT go digging for a food allergy since the rate of false positives when testing is very high and you could end up needlessly eliminating foods - it's hard enough avoiding foods you really need to, why risk unnecessarily adding, KWIM? 

Personally, I'd run the constipation and food refusal by the pedi, but I'd be inclined to take a wait and see approach - pay attention to all the ingredients of foods she refuses, don't make her eat things she has an aversion to, keep an eye out for symptoms of an allergic reaction when she tries new foods (esp. if it has an ingredient you know she's been avoiding), etc.

[Mamalaoshi]

Thanks PurpleCat and rebekahc.  I appreciate the advice.  It takes such a long time to get an appointment for an allergist with our insurance.  My son had such severe allergies that he went from being a ten pound baby in the 99% for height and weight when he was born to looking like a starving toddler in the 13th% with bleeding sores all over his body and his pediatrician said it was normal and nothing was wrong.  So I guess I'm a little paranoid since my daughter is pretty tiny also.  But her skin is clear and smooth and never has any rashes. 

My extended family has a history of GI issues and food allergies.  For instance, my mom had osteopenia in her early thirties and has always been extremely thin.  Vitamins and supplements would just come straight through her body with no absorption.  More than ten years after her diagnosis of osteopenia and diligently trying every medicine and exercise, she finally had a doctor who tested her for food allergies and found she was highly allergic to corn, wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, shellfish and some other stuff I don't remember.  Her GI tract was so inflamed that it was amazing she was getting any nutrition.  So anyway, that's another reason I guess I'm paranoid.  She never had any obvious signs of allergy to any of these things except for lots of stomach aches and she never made the connection because so many of those things are in almost everything she ate.


To answer your questions, my daughter loves milk and cheese- maybe too much dairy is making her constipated.  I hadn't thought of that.  She nurses three times a day.  She really doesn't seem to like wheat, unless I make it, even non-sweet things like flour tortillas.  So I'm wondering if she doesn't like some preservative or additive.  I know I can taste any kind of artificial sweetener and a lot of preservatives and think they taste nasty.  Thanks for the advice not to dig for allergies.  We'll just keep eating homemade stuff- it's better for us anyway.

[lakeswimr]

It does not sound like a food allergy, which is a good thing!  Good luck!

[hezzier]

I hope you figure it out

[rebekahc]

So it's been a few days, how's it going with your DD, Mamalaoshi?