Scratch Tests for Allergies

My daugher had that done at 28 months or so. Like someone else said it is a strip of pins and they did it on her back. Then we just sat and played together while we waited out the time.

She was totally unphased by the whole thing, she even wanted to go back and play with the toys again!

they look like little combs. both of my boys didn't even notice they were done until they got itchy which was the worst part for them was having to wait the 10/15 minutes before it gets checked. Our allergist said it feels like someone taking a metal hairbrush and pushing on your back he said it is a lot less painful and a lot less stressful then having blood work done. Make sure your son has been off of allergy meds for at least 48 hrs my youngest had to be off for an entire week one time.

I have been through it as well as my daughter. I wouldn't call them pins...it is more of a piece of plastic. The plastic is not even as pointed as the tines of a plastic fork. I don't even believe the plastic punctures the skin. Imagine a piece of plastic scraping against your skin that's pretty much the scratch. Not a big deal. The bothersome part...it is the waiting while your skin reacts because the allergens cause the area to become itchy, pink, and a little swollen. While I can wait it out, it is hard for a little one to not touch or scratch at it or want to wipe it off. I would recommend that you take something to distract him whether it be a DS game or portable DVD player. It's not going to keep him from wanting to wipe it, scratch it, etc but it will help pass the time. When the time is up they wipe it down and you get relief from the itchiness.

Two of my three kids have had this done. They make little scratches, which didn't seem to hurt at all - even for my son who is a hypochondriac of sorts. The toughest part is this: if your little guy is allergic to anything, those scratches will start to itch and react and get a bit "rashy". He CAN'T scratch them. My poor son was allergic to about 10 different things - some majorly and some minorly. He was squirming about because of the itchiness, so I had him sitting on my lap facing me with a TV behind me so he could watch it while I held his little arms under mine (kinda like hugging him) so he couldn't reach back there and scratch. My daughter went through the same thing and was also allergic to a bunch of stuff, but had no problem ignoring the itch. I guess it depends on the child, but I would be prepared to distract him for 1/2 hr while you wait for the skin reactions. Other than that, it's not too bad as far as "tests" go.

They are like these strips with little pins attached that they stick in and wiggle -- each one has a different potential allergen. They only do the TOP allergens so it gives you an idea if you have an allergic child that is allergic to milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, etc. for foods and cats, dogs, and some environmental stuff for the other set. My baby cried when he had it done (6 mos at the time) but only for a second and my daughter who was 14 mos at the time didn't cry at all and even though she is HIGHLY allergic to milk, peanuts, eggs, fish, cats and dogs and had HUGE welting reactions, she was pretty chill. A four year old, what you have to worry about is scratching. They cannot touch them or lean against anything while the test is "testing". I would bring something to distract him (like a handheld game or something else super fun) that he will sit still sideways on your lap or on a chair to play while you wait it out. Our allergist has a play area and kids can go out there and play while the egg timer is waiting to check the results but again - same rules of no leaning on anything and no scratching applies. Best of luck!

We are thinking of doing a few specific fish blood tests and stuff now that she is almost 3.5 yrs old.

Sorry that I don't know first hand but since you're asking, I can only tell you that my sister and grown daughter didn't complain at all about that. So, hopefully it is no big deal. Hope you get an answer from a mom that has a young child to see if their skin is more tender. Don't forget to take along a treat of some kind for them being a brave little darling.

I can't say it is the most pleasant experience, but it is certainly not as horrible as needles being stuck in you like they did years ago. Good luck to your little man!

My daughter had allergy testing done 3 years ago and we started shots, until they caused her fever to spike and she seized. We stopped immediately. We knew what was causing her breakouts, like we knew before we got the official word. And now, she has outgrown her allergies. She still has sensitive skin, but she has outgrown them. My youngest broke out in a huge hive from head to toe and had soft tissue swelling on the back of his head/neck area. The doctors said it was 95% an allergic reaction to SOMETHING, but they are not advising to not do the allergy testing. Because our bodies change every 7-8 yeas anyways, and if it is not something happening all the time AND not life threatening, they are not recommending it for my kiddo's. Just a thought. But no, my daughter did not really complain when she got them donw at 4.