Two weeks ago, my 17 month old son had hives on his mouth after eating a pb&j. Because he had been eating peanut butter without a problem for several weeks, we didn't think much of it. We took him to the pedi and gave him benadryl. He also got a fever later that night, which can cause hives. Well, yesterday we took him to the allergist just to make sure, and he tested positive for peanuts on the skin prick test. The allergist was baffled by his late reaction to it but said we had to remove peanuts from his diet, etc.

Anyway, I am just reaching out to moms with kids with allergies. I am feeling a little overwhelmed and emotional about this (exacerbated by pregnancy hormones). How did you cope? What kinds of foods are peanuts hidden in besides baked goods? What if you forget your epi-pen on an outing? Do you turn around and go back home? Where do you keep your epi-pens? Do you constantly feel like the annoying mom pestering others about her kid's allergies? What about birthday parties? Another thing I feel guilty about is not introducing it sooner since the studies show that can help, but the pedi wanted us to wait until 1 since he had eczema and other possible allergies. And then I dragged my feet because it was never the right time...

Would appreciate any tips or advice. Thank you!