Giving Kids Foods They're Allergic To

When it comes to kids and food allergies, the important thing is to keep them away from what sets off their symptoms. But that's not always happening.

When it comes to food allergies, especially to things like peanuts, keeping the food item away from the child is important to their health and safety. But a new study is finding that some parents and caregivers are actually intentionally giving them small amounts of what they are allergic to and this can cause big problems.

As a matter of fact, a recent study found that 1 in 9 food allergy emergencies was not because of a child accidentally getting a hold of the food. Instead, researchers involved in the study think it's because parents and caregivers purposefully gave their children food they knew they were allergic to.

Although they aren't sure why this is happening, some of the researchers involved think it's because parents might be testing their children to see if they've outgrown the allergy... a dangerous practice that can be life-threatening.

On top of this, the researchers also found that when it came to accidental exposures, over half of them occurred when food was being supplied by caretakers other than the parents. This includes grandparents and other relatives who might be watching the child for a few days and are not familiar with these types of allergies.

So the bottom line here is to educate everyone that might be giving a food-allergic child food, including relatives. And when it comes to finding out if they've outgrown their allergy, talk with their doctor to see if some testing in a controlled, safe environment, like a hospital or allergy clinic, can be done.