My name is Charlotte and I am the mum of a little boy who has multiple food allergies, hay fever and asthma. My decision to write this book came partly through my personal need to write down my experiences of my allergic little boy, aimed at no one in particular, and partly through a desire that no one should go through my family’s suffering and, most importantly, my little boy’s suffering, because of undiagnosed food allergies. The amount of pain, tears and heartache my husband and I went through watching our baby suffer, and the ignorance and lack of information we experienced when help and support should have been readily available, was almost unbearable.
Food allergies in children are not uncommon. They are, in fact, on the increase. Once diagnosed, management is straightforward and the child’s quality of life improves dramatically. Life with a child with food allergies has its challenges but it is not horrendous, nor hopeless. With timely support and accurate advice I believe that my little boy’s start in life would have been peaceful and calm. I also would have had more of a chance to enjoy becoming the mum that I always wanted to be.
My hope is that this book becomes a source of support, help and much more to you. It contains information, practical advice, recipes and tips to help smooth the journey from diagnosis to management of food allergies. This book is also an invaluable resource for grandparents, friends and childcare providers as it offers emotional and practical advice to help support the child and their family. The stories of the families that you will find in this book are invaluable, unique and personal. The journey through food allergies does not have to be a lonely one. There is a whole community of families out there, each with different stories, all hoping to achieve the same thing – a balanced, involved, happy and safe life for their child.
Dr Adam Fox is a consultant paediatric allergist and clinical lead for Allergy at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and a medical advisor to both Allergy UK and the Anaphylaxis Campaign. He was recently named among Britain’s top 250 doctors (Tatler, January 2013) and included in ‘The Times Magazine: Britain’s Best Children’s Doctors’ (2012). He was awarded ‘Paediatric Allergist of the Year’ by Allergy UK in 2007.
His clinical role involves the management of children with multiple allergic disease, including food allergy, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis, as well as children with difficult eczema where food allergy plays a role.
I first contacted Adam when I saw his name in a baby-weaning book. I sent him an email with my book proposal out of the blue and he was supportive and enthusiastic about it from the start. We then met in person when my husband and I took Zach to see him in his London clinic. We had been struggling with our local allergy service for months and felt that we were no clearer and making no progress with Zach’s allergies. Zach was nearly two years old by then and we had been managing his allergies with our local services since he was eight months. However, unfortunately it felt like we had been left to it. Despite six-monthly reviews, there was no plan and very limited support. Adam was brilliant, ordering repeat blood tests and doing skin prick tests there and then. He provided medical safety information for when Zach started at preschool and, most importantly, gave us pointers as to where Zach may be heading in terms of allergies and at what age he may grow out of them. More than anything, I had always thought that allergy management could be quite straightforward, with regular reviews, occasional tests and otherwise food avoidance, yet we had never actually experienced anything other than confusion and guesswork from our local service. Adam provided something concrete when we saw him and a definite structure to follow, which gave us a great sense of reassurance and allowed us to get on with our roles as parents.
It is important to point out that this book is not a medical book, nor does it aim to replace the role of the healthcare professional. The early involvement of your GP and referral to an allergy specialist and dietician to oversee the diagnosis and management of your child’s food allergies is essential. Nothing can replace the expertise of the people who have trained and who work within the medical field and more specifically the specialty of childhood allergy. This book is, however, a guide to help you through the first few years, to point you towards the healthcare professionals and provide useful advice and support from parents in a similar situation. It is written through personal experience by a mum with the support of an allergy expert. The quotes used in this book represent the real-life experiences of the parents that we spoke to who readily shared their stories. They are intended to illustrate and share what other families have been through, but might not mirror your own experiences exactly. They also do not necessarily represent the views of the authors. To make the most of this book, read a section as it becomes relevant to you and your child. Our website, which accompanies this book, contains helpful images and illustrations of allergic symptoms, reactions and the recipes. You will find it at www.allergyfreebabyandtoddler.com. The hope is that this book will act as a quick-reference guide for you to help promote the safe and efficient management of your child’s food allergies and so improve your own and your child’s overall quality of life.