Firefighters Save 6-Month-Old's Life After Allergic Reaction to First Solid Food

Within seconds of his first taste of solid food, this 6-month-old experienced a violent allergic reaction prompting firefighters to literally run in and save him. Photo by Hearst Stations Inc.

It only took one touch of egg on 6-month-old Henry Peters’ lip to trigger a terrifying allergic reaction that had his parents scrambling for help. “His whole face swelled up,” the infant’s mother, Kathleen Peters, tells WCVB of his scary first foray from formula to solid food this Sunday. “I could see he was having trouble breathing so I yelled for my husband to call 911.”

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Aware that doctors typically don’t recommend whole eggs until age 1, Peters, who lives with her family in North Reading, Mass., tells Yahoo Parenting that she had offered some because “egg yolks have been a traditional first food in many different cultures, even as young as 4 months.” Since her son had been on formula since two months in order to help with his digestion and colic after a suspected milk intolerance, she wanted to give eggs a try. “They are full of healthy fats and choline,” Peters says. “These nutrients are often lacking in commercial infant formulas.”

STORY: Baby-Led Weaning vs. Spoon-Feeding

But when Henry started to swell up, she says, “My heart skipped a beat and I could tell something was very wrong. I felt helpless.” Paramedics were running up her driveway within minutes of her husband’s call. “Had they not been there so quickly, my son may not be here,” she says. “In cases like this, seconds count.”

Photo by Hearst Stations Inc.

Firefighters immediately administered epinephrine and, as one tells WCVB, “Thirty seconds afterwards, swelling was already starting to go down and [Henry] was breathing much better.” Today, Peters is relieved to say, “Henry is doing excellent. He’s back to his old, happy self.”

And the parents have a new job on their hands: being gatekeepers at mealtime because of the laundry list of foods that their son can’t eat. Henry’s doctor has diagnosed him with a severe allergy to eggs, dairy products, and nuts. “I hope he will grow out of most of them,” says Peters, who was previously unaware of Henry having an allergy to anything.

Her takeaway from what she describes as this “awful surprise” can serve as a lesson for all parents. “You can try to be cautious with your children and follow guidelines and recommendations, but sometimes you just don’t know and that’s OK,” says Peters. “The point is, I think we all try to do what we feel is best. And if we make mistakes along the way, then learn from them.”

Introducing solid foods can be less stressful if parents follow a few simple steps, according to family physician Deborah Gilboa. She’s offered Yahoo Parenting a few tips to avoid learning the hard way, like Henry and his folks had to do:

Determine if your child is really ready.
“Kids need to hit certain developmental milestones before it’s advisable to start solid foods,” says the doctor. So even if your tot just turned 6 months, typical go-time for food, if she doesn’t have a pincer grasp yet or hasn’t grown out of the protrusion reflex that causes her tongue to push solids out of her mouth, she isn’t ready. “Check in with your baby’s doctor to get the OK before starting.”

Introduce veggies first.
New research has changed what many in the medical community think about when to introduce new foods in terms of allergy risk, says Gilboa, but regardless, vegetables are a good place to start. Single veggies — ideally one that you puree, such as cooked green beans mixed with water — is your best bet, she says, explaining, “You don’t want to start with fruit, because that gives kids a taste for sweets right away.”

Ask yourself, “Is this a choking hazard?”
“Avoid anything that isn’t easily swallowed because baby tracheas are so small,” advises Gilboa. “Choking is a far bigger hazard than allergies.” Look to mushy pureed veggies, baby rice mixed with breastmilk or formula, and then mashed fruits.

Don’t stop offering milk or formula yet. 
“Up until 9 months of life, solid foods are great for teaching babies about new tastes and textures, but not for caloric intake,” she says. “Children should still get all caloric intake from milk or formula. Ounce by ounce, that has tons more calories than baby food does.” So continue to offer milk and formula first for a while, because “baby food takes up a lot of stomach space,” she adds.

Take a picture of your child if you think she is reacting.
“It isn’t usually baby’s initial exposure to an allergen that will cause a life-threatening reaction,” says Giboa. “The body needs a first shot to get sensitive to a food.” So if you notice any red bumps around your kid’s mouth, hives or any difficulty breathing after eating, “Don’t be like, ‘I’m not sure she’s having a reaction. Let’s try that food again and see,” says the doctor. “Snap a picture of what you’re seeing and ask your doctor about it. What a physician sees hours later, once irritation or swelling subsides, isn’t going to help him or her figure out what has happened.”

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