05/11/2026
Allergies… just hit different when it’s your kid.
I’m new to this whole food allergy journey. Around 12 weeks old, we discovered my daughter had dairy, soy, and gluten intolerances. Eliminating them from my diet was fairly manageable at home, but holidays, eating out, and visiting other people’s homes quickly became difficult—sometimes even impossible. There were moments I truly felt left out.
Around 6 months, we started solids. We stuck to vegetables and fruits at first. As we slowly expanded into eggs, dairy-free yogurt, and more, we began discovering more severe allergies.
And I’ll be honest… it’s scary. It’s exhausting. It’s mentally consuming. Every new food introduction comes with stress, with “what if,” sitting quietly in the background.
Well today, the “what if” became our reality. We ended up in the pediatric ER after a reaction to her lunch—hives, rattly breathing, and two very panicked parents.
Thankfully, we were able to give her Zyrtec quickly, and by the time we arrived at the hospital, most of the hives had faded and her breathing had returned to normal. We met with doctors and nurses, voiced our concerns, got some much-needed answers… and still left with more questions.
We’ve now been prescribed an EpiPen and referred to an allergist.
If you’re an allergy parent too, I’d love your advice. Does it get easier? Will the worry always be there? And most importantly—how do you make sure your child never feels left out or different? 🤍
