Do hives always mean a food allergy?

Everyusernameistaken · March 2015

Hi ladies! I'm wondering if anyone can give me some insight into what's going on with my son. He is 6months old and often gets hives, like almost every day. Usually just one or 2 small ones but the day of his 6 month shots (when I also gave him strawberries for the first time, stupid right?) he got lots all over his torso 6 hours after he'd eaten the strawberries and 8 hours after his shots. That day I gave him Benadryl but the hives usually go away on their own very quickly.

The first time I noticed it was before I started solids with him but I had absentmindedly let him suck my finger after I'd been cutting up an orange for my toddler a few minutes before he broke out. I can't find a pattern though. I don't give him a huge variety of foods yet, just oatmeal, avocado, sweet potato, peas, peaches, pears, and lentils. Are any of those known to be allergenic?

My Dr is not concerned because the hives aren't spreading, they go away within 30 minutes on their own and he isn't having breathing difficulty or anything. I've asked for an allergist referral though. For those of you who have kids with food allergies, does this sound familiar? Any ideas or insights?

mrs.willie · March 2015

I would try going back to doing one food at a time for a few days to see if the hives seem to appear with any of the food. Did he get hives prior to introducing the foods? Your DS could possibly be allergic to any of those foods (out of those you mentioned, my DS is allergic to avocado, peas, peaches, pears and lentils but has different reactions than hives) or it could be something else causing the hives - ie. laundry detergent, pets, pollen, virus, etc.

Everyusernameistaken · March 2015

Thanks @mrs.willie. Do you know how long I need to go back to single foods to check for a reaction? Does 3 days and no hives probably mean not allergic? I introduced most foods 2-3 days apart with no reactions, could it be that it's taken some time to build up?

mrs.willie · April 2015

My DS had reactions the first time he tried the foods or within a day, but from what I understand it is possible for a reaction to get worse each time they have the allergen. I'd try one for 3 days just to see if you notice anything with it. Won't hurt to try and then you can rule certain things out. I'd say if no hives in those 3 days, then most likely not allergic. If he seems to have hives with everything still, I'd make the appt with the allergist to see if they can come up with any reasons for the hives and it'll give you peace of mind. Good luck!

kaitykins · August 2015

Everyusernameistaken said:
Thanks @mrs.willie. Do you know how long I need to go back to single foods to check for a reaction? Does 3 days and no hives probably mean not allergic? I introduced most foods 2-3 days apart with no reactions, could it be that it's taken some time to build up?

Usually 3 days is enough.

melissa11015 · August 2015

We had to quit every except soy formula and rice cereal for 1 month to thoroughly clean out his system. My LO was diagnosed with milk, eggs, and cat allergies. We had to stop everything for the month and then slowly add one new food every 4 days not every 3, like most kids can do. I would push for the referral though. We ended up switching pediatricians because our previous one would not send us to an allergist. Our new pediatrician saw him once, with hives, and sent us to an allergist without question. Best thing that happened to us. Even though he's a month behind trying foods, we know why he had a rash and hives and we can move on without worry. Good luck!!

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