17 Month Old with Possible Tomato Allergy??

Yes, my kids all use to break out a little from tomato sauce. I was told their father did also when he was little. They say that the tomatos are very acidic and causes the kids tender skin to react. My kids are now 9,5,3, and they have all since out grown it.

K.

I'm wondering if it is just from the acids in the tomato's. If it's only on her chin and no where else on her body, like hives or wheezing, I think it's just a reaction to the acid. I'm am by no means and expert...just someone with an opinion. I would still let her pediatrician know, just in case it is something more serious! Good luck!! :)

It might also be a reaction to high fructose corn syrup. When my sister would give my niece ketchup or ranch dressing or anything with high fructose corn syrup, she would have a breakout on her chin, cheeks, wherever the "sauce-type itme" would have touched. Now they buy organic ketchup and a brand of ranch that doesn't have the high fructose corn syrup in it and have not had any problems.

M.

My son had the same issue with tomatoes/sauce at that age. He would get a little red rash that would go away after a short while. He has totally outgrown that now and tends to be much less rashy in general. I'd ask your pediatrician, but I wouldn't worry about it too much! My son still loved pasta, etc

It could just be sensitive/reactive skin. Tomatoes are very acidic and the tomatoe sauce sitting on their skin for any amount of time could cause this. Our son occaisionally gets this from tomatoes, oatmeal, various foods. It's different then hives. Hives look like mosquito bites. Hives are what you may see when they have an allergy. However if it looks like hives to you, there are swelling present, or difficulty breathing then you are right to suspect an allergy and should not feed your child more tomatoe based products w/o consulting a Dr. Hives are one sign of a severe allergy that could potentially be fatal. Rash from the sauce will be an irregular pattern where the product came in contact w/ the skin. Also another clue (but not a determinant) does your DD get rashes easily from drooling, diaper rashes, skin irritants etc. That could be a clue towards senstive skin. However our son doesn't get these and still has rashes occaisionally. Good luck, we have a peanut allergic kid(with hives, wheezing and potential anaphalixis) who also gets rashes from some foods.

I think your child might have sensitive skin. Two out of my 6 had this reaction with tomatoes and one had it with citric fruit. I took them to the doctor and he asked if sensitive skin was in the family. I said yes, my father has that. I am happy to say that as they get older it gets better. I have heard of people allergic to tomatoes, but that involves hives all over the body. My children did not have that, it was only on their face, and once or twice on their hands. My one son did get diarrea with the rash on his face, from grapes and oranges, but not apples or bananas. He is now 12 and has no problems with that. We still have to be careful of any face products. Everything I get him for washing his face has to be fragrence and coloring free. With the 3 yr. old I automatically use "free" everything, even laundry detergent. I really think you need to observe your child when this happens, write everything down, then take him to the doctor and tell him what you have observed. I had to stay away from certain foods for a while, which both my son's hated, because they loved those foods. By the time they hit 2-2 1/2 I started giving them those foods again and did not have a problem. I should say once they could feed themselves is when the problem started to go away. I hope this is useful, and never hesitate to take your child in to see a doctor, better safe than sorry!

I have seen that happen with other children at our Center. Once the tomato is washed off-the rash goes away it seems. We do not feed children under one year anything with tomato base in it. I believe that children (and adults) can develop allergies at any time to any thing. Always good to keep on top of things!

My son has that and still gets the rash at 5 years old. I talked to his doctor when he broke out really bad and happened to have a well-child checkup. His doc said it was eczema. He suggested I put on AD ointment or cortizone cream on his face prior to giving him tomatoey (acidic) foods and at bedtime (when he sucked his thumb, he also got the rash).

We also used AD ointment for diaper rashes. I prefer the original ointment over the cream since it provides more protection than the cream. AD ointment works wonderful on chapped lips too. Put it on at bedtime and it'll be much better when you wake up.

He also ended up getting an athletes foot type rash on his feet last winter. Doc said it was the same rash that he got on his face. Kids under puberty age do not get athletes foot. He said to put in the AD Ointment or cortizone cream on his feet too. It worked wonderful.

I would let your doctor know what is happening in case she is allergic to it. Maybe take a picture of the rash and bring it in for her next well-baby check.

Have you noticed that she also gets the rash when she eats or drinks something red? Could be an allergy to red dye. But please discuss this possibility with your Dr. In my experience most kids outgrow this.

About me:
Mom, grandma to two and a preschool teacher.

I agree with those who suggested it might be the acidity in the tomatoes. Does it happen with any other acidic foods? Something similiar happened to my son at that age when he would suck on orange wedges. It probably wouldn't hurt to call your pediatrician just to be on the safe side.

If the rash is just on her chin it may not be an allergy, but sensetive skin. Tomatos are acidic and the juice can make kids breakout.

myself, along with many of my family members are sensative to tomatoes as well as other foods. tomatoes are difficult to digest for many people. a traditional dr. may not have an actual solution for you...my guess is a pill. i've had fantasic advice from my chiropractor about food allergies. if that is the case you could save your little girl a lot of problems down the road if you could be so lucky as to get to the source now. if you'd like to get the number to my chiro. in st.paul, please write back and i'd be happy to give it to you. she has been a blessing to my family! good luck with your baby!

Tomatoes and tomato sauce are/is very acidic. Since she is 17 months, I bet she drools a lot, and thus the skin around her mouth is very sensitive in the first place, and the acid in the tomatoes causes irritation.

I would be extremely surprised if your doc came up with something different. Let us know!

Could be a food reaction, rather than a full-blown allergy. My son's skin gets red from various foods but he does not seem to be actually allergic to any food. My parents alos told me I reacted that way to tomato products as a child, and I have never had a real food allergy. I now only react to hot peppers like that.

I wouldn't worry about it. My niece, Veda, had the same reaction on her neck and arms when she would eat tomatoes and the juice would run all over her. It's just a reaction to the acid in the tomatoes. They are a VERY acidic fruit. It's not a true allergy. Veda used to "beg" for tomatoes and we just learned to accept her "rash" and she eventually grew out of it. However if you are worried you should never be afraid to consult your doctor, that's what they are there for. Good luck!

Intolerance to cooked tomatoes (as opposed to allergies) is a sign that your daughter has a sensitivity to acidic foods for now indicating that her ph balance in her blood is off (she may grow out of this if you pay attention to it).

If you continue to give acidic foods to her it may compromise her bladder and kidneys ~ although the symptoms will be mild, including skin rashes on the backs of her knees, in the bends of her elbows or other places.

For now, keep her away from cooked tomatoes and other acidic foods: citrus (esp. orange/pineapple juice), vinegar/pickles, corn syrup and fermented products like soy sauce. Over time her intolerance may go away. You will know whether or not this has happened by the lack of skin symptoms...

My little one has very sensitive skin, and she reacts to the acid in tomatoes. It's not really an allergy, just a sensitivity. She doesn't have any other reaction than a short lived rash wherever the sauce been.

My daughter developed a nickel allergy and one of the many foods which contains nickel is tomatoes. Food allergies are becomming very common. An allergy to tomatoes is no longer rare - there's even a grandmother that developed a product called Nomato to help create foods for her granddaughter who is allergic to tomatoes. My daughter (now age 20) doesn't care for the product but a younger child, who hasn't previously loved the food item for years, may adapt to it more easily. At least it's an alternative to try in your cooking. She's got a "ketchup" and other products available, as well. By all means, have your daughter tested for basic food allergies. One other thing to consider is whatever spices are in the sauces you're serving. Check for the items that the different foods have in common and for any allergy-related information listed on the labels.

My two year old son absolutely loves tomatoes, but every time he eats them, if we do not wash his face immediately, it breaks out. We wash his face with warm water, and then put aquaphor on it, and this keeps the breaking out to a minimum. He also has issues with exema, you might ask the doctor if there is a link between tomato rashes and exema or just sensitive skin. Best to you both, hope you find your answer!

It may not be tomatoes that cause the rash, but rather a food coloring or additive. A similar thing happens to some of my children with certain tomato sauces and even fat free ranch dressing - which makes me believe it isn't the vegetable but something else in these products. Does the rash clear up in about a day's time? Most likely it is something else. But always check with your doctor!

Actually I know of several people with tomato allergies. It could also be just the higher acid content in tomatoes. A doctor would know, meanwhile I guess no tomato for your daughter. :(
Blessings,
S.
Homeschool mom and business owner

It could be a food allergy, or something called a "contact" allergy. All 3 of my children have food and contact allergies, asthma, and eczema, as well. My oldest can eat tomatoes, and pasta sauce, but if he gets sauce on his chin or hands, that skin with the sauce itches and turns red and bumpy. I rinse it off, put Benadryl creme on it , and it goes away. My middle child cannot eat tomatoes/pasta sauce without vomiting and getting stomach pains. SO, you'd have to watch your daughter for what symptoms she has: diarrhea, or stomach pain, or a contact rash? Watch her next time, does she get a lot of sauce on her face? Or does she get the rash whether or not the sauce touches her face? That's a big clue. Good luck.

It could just be the acid in the tomatoes. My 16 month old son gets a red bottom almost everytime he eats anything with tomatoes in it. Hopefully it's something they'll grow out of eventually. Good luck to you.

Hi!
My mother in law actually had the same reaction to tomatos!!!! She said the acidity in them is what caused the rash which would show up all over her chin, neck and arms, so she had to back off eating them for a while. She still eats tomatos, but sparingly. Good luck!
L.

I think she could just be sensitive to the acidic tomato sauce. My daughter has issues with canned tomato items because of the high mold content in canned tomato. Try a organic sauce and see if it still occurs. If so try putting some A&D or something on her chin before she eats-it might just be irritated. Good Luck!!

My daughter was the same way but with ranch dressing also. Her skin was just ultra sensitive to the acid. If you've ever had tomato touch a cut or hang nail you know what I mean. She is now 3 1/2 and has grown out of it. We would just try to keep her chin and cheeks wiped if globbed lots on when eating (she always did) and limit how often she ate those types of food. good luck!

A cousin of mine and a family friend both suffer from a Vitamin C (citric acid) allergy which means they can not eat anything like tomatoes, oranges (any citrus), etc. They both get rashes, but as they grew older the reaction worsened, and both have been hospitalized after they swelled up so bad that their eyes, throats and airways swelled shut. They also both suffered severe intestinal/stomach disturbances with those reactions.

My cousin always had mild symptoms such as you're describing until he shot a commercial for Pillsbury. They used to sell a premade short-cake and he had to eat something like 20 strawberry shortcakes for a commercial shoot. He almost died from the strawberries.

The family friend always sufferd minor symptoms until she was thrown a surprise party and wound up having to eat a big plate of spaghetti, tons of other tomato sauce based dishes, a strawberry torte, and some sort of fruit punch and just like my cousin almost suffocated to death after her face and throat swelled up during the party.

Until you hear more from the doctor, I'd be very careful about serving your child any foods (fruits high in citric acid) in the same vein as tomato (which is considered a fruit). In both of these cases, the people always had mild symptoms until some unusual circumstance came up where they ate more than a small amount of citric acid.

Hope this food for thought helps.

This is a definite possibility. My friend had a tomato allergy growing up and it kept her from eating sauce on pizza, any kind of red sauce for pastas, or even ketchup, even if it was used inside a meatloaf! She didn't discover she could eat them again until she was about 21, although her doctor said she was most likely over it as a child and didn't know it (since she didn't try it sooner). I would talk to the doctor, but it looks like she's got it!

my neighbor is 30 and has a tomato allergy. I've learned a lot about it as it is a common food and she's single so we like to watch out for each other.
her allergy is to an enzyme in the tomato but when it's cooked she's fine.

she can't have raw tomatoes-salsa, pico di gallo, on salads and sandwiches-her lips burn, her throat constricts, etc. most food allergies are anaphalactic - throat constricts, breathing difficulties,etc.

I have lots of food allegies and sensitivities in my family and most don't cause a rash where the food has touched as your childs chin.

hope that helps! I think you should consult your pediatrician about what you found oon the internet.

Hi ~

My son will be 6 years old in October and he still gets that way sometimes. In his case it is just a contact dermatitis. He can eat any of the pizza, spaghetti, whatever, but gets itchy and red on his chin also. We just give him a washcloth to wash his face frequently when eating these things....and other times he doesn't get it at all.

Hope this helps you some!

I would guess it's just a sensitivity. My daughter got that from tomato sauce until she was about 2.5 years. My one year old still gets it when she eats oranges, tomatoes and cherries.

The redness goes away after a few hours, doesn't it? If so, I wouldn't worry about it.