Food burns my little boo-bugs face

Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2003: Food burns my little boo-bugs face

My DS, Cooper will be 2 in January. Everytime he has something with "dip", it burns his face. Ranch, BBQ dip, sweet and sour dip, honey mustard dip, ketchup, and on and on. He'll dip his nuggets in ranch, and of course it gets all over his little mouth and cheeks. When I wipe him down, everywhere the ranch has touched is bright red. Almost welts (sp). When you touch it, it is hot to the touch, like a high fever.

He can smear mashed potatoes all over his face and it leaves no rash. Ice cream all over, and nothing happens. It's just the dips that get him.

He isn't allergic to anything that we know of. He's tried all different kinds of lotions and hasn't had any reactions at all. Same with soaps. DH puts shaving cream on his cheeks and nothing happens there either.

So, any ideas?

By Trina~moderator on Thursday, November 6, 2003 - 09:52 pm:

Poor kiddo! He's obviously sensitive to the dips. Perhaps the spices and/or a common ingredient in them?? Have you mentioned this to your doctor? I would keep a very close eye on him and watch for signs of anaphylaxis just in case. Both my kids have severe food allergies so this kind of stuff makes me wary.

More info at FAAN - Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network

By Sue3 on Thursday, November 6, 2003 - 09:57 pm:

It kind of sounds like he is allergic to something,
maybe call his Dr.`s office and talk with the nurse and see what he/she suggests?
maybe stop with the spicey dips for awhile?
I remember when my Dd was that age and she would break out like that from ice cream though she wasn`t lactose intolerant,
we just stopped giving her that for awhile.
Good Luck!

By Eve on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 08:12 am:

My DD used to not be able to eat ranch dressing or the ranch dressing that they put in individual dip containers. She was sensitive to the oil. It would turn her face red too in the spots it touched. I make my own and she does just fine with the sour cream and the Ranch dip mix. It only happened with the ranch dressing! (Hidden Valley)Go figure.

You can try hummus for dip. My DD loves it. You can even make your own, it's very easy and VERY good for you.

As for allergies, I'm not sure what is in all of the dips. Maybe the high salt content? It would probably irritate my skin if I got it on my face too! Who knows. It couldn't hurt to ask your Doctor. I know my DD has sensitive skin, just like my DH. I am not concerned that she has a food allergy. I, of course, keep an eye on her always. You never know! Good luck! I hope you can get to the bottom of it!

By Mommymindy on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 09:56 am:

Wow! This happens to my son, too. Except the red splotches on his face aren't hot. It happens when he eats ketchup, ranch, bbq, SYRUP, and a few other things. It doesn't hurt him, it just gets bright red. Then it goes away in about 1/2 hour. I thought vinegar or acidic first, but syrup too?? So I just figure that he's sensitive to something & I have checked all the labels to see what they have in common & I think it may be the preservative used in them?

By Mommyathome on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 11:28 am:

Very strange isn't it? Thanks for the link Trina. I am going to check it out.

By Kaye on Friday, November 7, 2003 - 12:36 pm:

sounds like an alergy to corn syrup! Try just karo and see what happens.

By Bka on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 09:42 am:

I was wondering if it could be vinager? I pretty sure it's in most all dipping sauces. Just a thought

By Kim on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 06:43 pm:

Same thing happened t o all of my kids when they had cinnamon at a young age. After they were two or so, it stopped. It could just be a reaction on their delicate skin, not an allergy. They have allergies also, and this is different.

By Mommyathome on Saturday, November 8, 2003 - 11:39 pm:

I am going to try karo and vinegar and see what happens. I am also going to check the labels for cinnamon. There are so many ingredients out there that it's hard to pinpoint what's going on. Thanks for the ideas. I will let you know what happens.

By Mommymindy on Monday, November 10, 2003 - 10:20 am:

Let me know what conclusion you come to please! Because I think the same thing is happening to my son!

By Vicki on Monday, November 10, 2003 - 11:14 am:

When my dd was young, it happened only with tomato based things. Ketchup and spgh. sauce did a number on her face. What kid can live with out ketchup?? LOL What we did was kept a wet wash cloth at the table and constantly wiped of her little face when something got on it. She eventually out grew it, but it did take a while.