https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:44:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925097 Fri, 01 Oct 2021 05:20:01 +0000 oldschooolmama 2925097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bhbee Well this confirms I need to push to have her tested for it. Thank you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925096 Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:45:15 +0000 bhbee 2925096@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oldschooolmama: we already knew she had some food allergies, then she started having terrible intractable constipation all the sudden that lasted months and months, and didn’t grow much for a while. I think it was still more a rule it out type thing, wasn’t strong evidence for it, but they checked it with a few other things. Thankfully a year later the constipation is finally under control and she’s caught up on growth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925093 Thu, 30 Sep 2021 18:36:57 +0000 oldschooolmama 2925093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you so much! Very helpful. </p> <p>@Baby Boy Mom I would like some more info. </p> <p>@bhbee What were the signs that made you test for celiac? We've been dealing with some gut health issues as well and I'm wondering if she has a gluten intolerance or even celiac. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925074 Wed, 29 Sep 2021 20:27:42 +0000 ineebee 2925074@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We found out through blood and scratch tests that DD has food allergies at 6mo. At 3.5y, she was getting random sniffles, so since we already go for annual blood draws to check for any changes in food allergies, I asked him to add environmental allergies to the list. He decided to do scratch test for the environmental stuff and then added them to the blood test. Turns out she’s allergic to dog dander. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925057 Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:55:53 +0000 agold 2925057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is such an interesting thread. My kid was tested for allergies, but it was only a blood test. So now I'm wondering if I need to request a scratch test. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925056 Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:13:13 +0000 hellobeeboston 2925056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. 2 years ago we did scratch tests for my older son. Turns out he's allergic to most trees and grasses, mold, animals, etc. He developed a couple new food allergies too so we saw those reactions on the skin tests as well.</p> <p>It is helpful to know what he is allergic to in terms of treating seasonally. For many, some seasons are worse than others, turns out my son is basically a year-round allergy sufferer, but in the spring on top of a daily claritin, we add in a nasal spray and eye drops as needed.</p> <p>Perhaps in the future we may do allergy shots, but we're not considering it yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925047 Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:19:52 +0000 periwinklebee 2925047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've had a lot of this done, both blood and scratch. Skin testing is much more accurate, blood tests have lots of false negatives and positives, but can be useful as a first pass. </p> <p>My son was first tested for seasonal allergies around 9 months. It sucked to get him to not touch the area where they were testing, which can cause cross-contamination, but ultimately it's just a short test. He has over a dozen food allergies, as well as various seasonal allergies, asthma, and eczema. For him the seasonal allergies are the least problematic part and haven't reached a level where we feel that we need to do shots. It's good to be aware when they are likely to be bad. It is most important to be allergy conscious in their bedrooms (no rugs, no stuffies collecting dust, frequently wash bedding, use a hepa filter, keep windows shut, etc). Obviously this depends a bit on what the precise allergies are.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925041 Sat, 25 Sep 2021 17:05:44 +0000 togetherthroughlife 2925041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: Thank you so much! I’m so sorry he had to deal with that, but I’m really glad that the flareups were mild enough to be taken care of by allergy meds alone! I have never heard of that syndrome but that’s really fascinating. I appreciate you sharing your experience! It’s good to know that kids can and usually do grow out of that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925040 Sat, 25 Sep 2021 15:20:25 +0000 JennyPenny 2925040@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@togetherthroughlife: so one of the first things they thought it was was a mast cell (the cells that cause allergic responses) reaction to a virus. But then given it’s frequency they kind of diagnosed him with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Basically his mast cells were firing at random causing allergic responses to nothing. Whenever it would flare up we’d spend 6 weeks on allergy meds and it seemed to take care of it. They can’t do the real formal testing for it when they’re that young and kids often grow out of it. In fact I’m pretty sure the last flare up we had was pre-pandemic so maybe we’re all done! Feel free to PM me if there’s anything else I can answer for you! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925037 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 20:48:05 +0000 bhbee 2925037@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We’ve done all the testing! Scratch testing for all. Unfortunately, crazy immune systems run in my family. </p> <p>Oldest was tested around 4.5. Allergist saw her before then but recommended testing when she was old enough for shots I believe. She was truly miserable in a life changing way during the spring tree season (and still symptomatic during all allergen seasons) but the only true fix was shots and they didn’t start until they felt kids were verbal and mature enough to say something if they had an adverse reaction. At any rate, getting a 4.5 year old to do twice weekly shots (during the build-up period, then it was every 4 weeks) was a challenge but I would 100% do it again because it improved so much. Now she just takes otc allergy meds sometimes and it’s nowhere near miserable. She did 4 years of shots before we decided to stop. They use the test results to mix the shot serum to the person. I’ve done many years of shots as well. Even if you don’t do shots at 3, it may just help you know there is a season where you need to shower every night before bed, or it’s indoor allergies like dust mites which have different precautions, etc. </p> <p>Middle child started having asthma flares at 1 and we had him tested then to see if there were environmental triggers we needed to know about. But he tested negative at 1 and now maybe has it mildly. (Viral illnesses are his trigger.) So, testing for a different reason. </p> <p>Youngest had her tests done for food allergies that showed up around 9m when she tried eggs and cow milk. She had an epipen until we retested this summer at 3 and she grew out of severe reactions! </p> <p>So honestly scratch tests are not that bad. I would usually hug them to me while they tested on the back and then distract with iPad and headphones during the waiting period so they wouldn’t scratch. My oldest got through it even though her back blew up with hives during the test. And my youngest has had blood draws done to rule out celiac at age 2 and I would recommend a phlebotomist who sees a lot of kids but it went fine. </p> <p>I hope you get some good info from the testing! Even before we could do shots the allergist gave us better ideas of how to manage and had a wider range of ideas. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925036 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:52:57 +0000 togetherthroughlife 2925036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JennyPenny: I came to this thread out of mild curiosity because my 2 year old has had random patches of hives this week. The past 4 days actually. They go away on their own and we have no other symptoms. There is absolutely nothing new in her diet so I'm perplexed. I read that it could be viral. Were you thinking some random viral cause was the case for your child? I am just so curious because we are very new to the world of allergies (luckily!) and have no clue. Obviously we called the pediatrician first but they are so slammed with pandemic-era workloads that they didn't give it much thought. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925035 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:28:10 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2925035@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oldschooolmama: I am years and years into dealing with allergies- food/environmental/seasonal etc. What I have learned is that ALL allergies indicate leaky gut, and that is something that you can absolutely improve with dietary changes. The younger the kid, the faster the improvement, but I was have been able to almost completely eliminate my own allergies as an adult. My DH is an MD and I know they were taught practically nothing about the subject in med school. All that to say, if you want to do something about it you may want to find a functional medicine doc. You can lookup histamine intolerance. Also, GAPS diet. (Happy to share more info. as it irks me when docs say there is nothing to do about it. ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925034 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 16:23:07 +0000 woodentulip 2925034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have had my daughter tested for allergies twice--with two different allergists who had slightly different approaches.<br /> Anyhow, they were both scratch tests, and gave us some insight to allergies as well as things that might be sensitivities that she experiences.<br /> As a result, we use OTC allergy meds seasonally, but know that we can turn to allergy shots if she stops responding to the OTC medications.<br /> Other than that, not much changed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925033 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:25:24 +0000 JennyPenny 2925033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had my son tested for allergies when he was almost 3, though it wasn’t specifically for seasonal allergies. He was having hives and we couldn’t identify the source. We had a scratch test which was a challenge because one spot is just histamines so it’s super itchy but you can’t let them scratch it. After some initial whining though DS handled it like a champ. It turns out the hives were likely caused by a some crazy other thing and no allergy but we did spend some time on allergy meds and it didn’t seem to bother my son. </p> [attach=2543/21/qzygqd.404x600.0C60C79A-401B-4B3F-9C59-5203632F5F8D.jpeg] https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925032 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:02:16 +0000 Jess1483 2925032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS2 has always had seasonal allergies, but after 2+years of near-daily stomach aches (originally we suspected anxiety), we had his ped do a blood test for food allergies. That came back positive for a few things, and then because he also has seasonal allergies, we had an allergist test everything with a scratch test. The scratch test was no big deal at all (other than the itchiness between administration and the benadryl cream.)</p> <p>In some cases, it is helpful. The doctor suggested times to keep the windows closed during a particular time of year based on the type of tree he reacted to, gave a different type of inhaler for has asthma, and suggested an anti-inflammatory med. It has all helped a ton. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925030 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:17:28 +0000 agold 2925030@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter was checked for allergies when she was about 4.5 years old. She has a sporadic throat clearing thing going on, so allergy check was a next step thing. It was a blood test. Unfortunately or not, my husband had to take her and I wasn't there. It went as you can imagine drawing blood from a 4 yo would go. :bummed: Results can back showing zero allergies. Best of luck to you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/has-anyone-had-their-child-tested-for-seasonal-allergies#post-2925029 Fri, 24 Sep 2021 12:28:03 +0000 oldschooolmama 2925029@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Daughter is three years old and we have an appt at the local children's hospital to have her tested. What was your experience? What test (scratch or blood) did you have done? What steps did you take once you had the test done?</p> <p>Edit- adding I know this is not a diagnosis. We are just doing to find out what she is actually allergic to. Ped has already told us there isn't much we can do other than allergy meds after the test. She is so miserable right now :( </p>