Reflux and food allergies/sensitivies can sometimes be confused with high needs. These children scream constantly from pain, need to be held and comforted all the time and refuse to sleep. These symptoms though, could also be explained by reflux. Reflux is a medical condition in which the contents of the child's stomach is pushed back into the esophagus causing vomiting and/or heartburn.

If you think your child does suffer from reflux, you should contact your doctor. The test for reflux is usually an upper GI (the child is given a barium solution to drink and a series of X-Rays are taken) or an ultrasound. This is a medical condition that can be treated with medication, however, not all cases will be treated with medications. In most cases, the doctor will recommend that you keep baby sitting upright after feeding, that baby sleep on an incline, and that baby receive smaller, more freqent meals. Again, talk to your doctor about this, we are not medical experts and any health related care should be discussed with your pediatrician!

Three of us on the board are, in addition to dealing with high needs, are also dealing with food allergies or sensitivies. You can read our stories on the members site (bkmbaby, taylasmom and zzarkman). Food allergies are when a food causes an allergic reaction, ie rash, short of breath, and general fussiness. If you think you are dealing with food allergies, speak to your doctor at once and discontinue use of the suspected food. There are several foods that have high allergy rates, those include strawberries, eggs, and nuts. If you have a child with food related allergies/sensitivies, you might want to avoid these foods until after one year of age.

Food sensitivies are foods that your child has a difficulty digesting, but there is no allergic reaction. One symptom of food sensitivity is excess gas. You can try over-the-counter gas drops for babies, but these did not work for our daughter. I nursed my daughter and she was extremely sensitive to the foods I ate. One mouthful of chocolate, dairy or most fruits and veggies caused severe gas that my daughter had a difficult time getting rid of. I cut my diet down to simple foods that caused no sensitivies in my daughter. If you suspect food sensitives, chart the foods you eat each day and note any reaction by your child. You should be able to eliminate suspected foods and find a diet that is agreeable with your child. Do be careful that you maintain a balanced diet. Talk to your own doctor about supplementing yourself with multi-vitamins and Tums for calcium (if you cannot eat dairy).

If you formula feed your child and you are finding symptoms of food sensitivies, you should talk to your doctor about switching to a different formula. Nutramigen is a formula that is more digested than regular Similac or Enfamil and is much easier for your child to break down. You can also try a soy based formula, although some children are also allergic to soy.

When introducing solid foods, start one new food each week. If the child shows signs of sensitivities or allergies, discontinue at once. Some children can be allergic to the additives in baby cereal but not to the actual grain itself (ie rice, barley, oatmeal). You may want to try making the cereal yourself with breastmilk or formula rather than using a ready-mix cereal (this can also apply to store boughten baby foods, you may want to try grinding up your own baby food). We have also found that when my daughter has a reaction to one food, that we must cut back all foods, except rice cereal, for a few days and start over again. It is a long process but eventually you will find foods your child can eat and enjoy. Do not be afraid to retry foods that you child once was sensitive to, these types of sensitivies are usually outgrown and you will want to wait several weeks before retrying a food that caused a reaction. After seven months of going without dairy, my daughter is now ok when I eat dairy products.

Keep a journal of any suspected food sensitivity. Consider everything you eat or drink (zzarkman discovered her tap water was caused an allergic reaction in her son, she switched to spring water) and write it all down, even if you only take one bite of something. One Smartie sent my daughter into a huge gas fit! It has been our experience that our doctor does not understand how sensitive our daughter has been. Food allergies/sensitives are extremely rare, less than 1% of children will have severe allergies and your doctor may not have much experience with this. Be assertive and make sure you doctor understands how difficult it is for your child to digest certain foods. Most doctors will be reluctant to place young babies on prescription medicines because these medicines are not without their side effects. Follow your instinct, if you feel your doctor is not understanding the severity of the situation, get a second opinion. I am not saying you should request your child be placed on meds either, most children do fine with simple adjustments to their diets and do not require medication. I am saying, you know your child best and need to make sure you doctor understands exactly what is going on with your child.

Another thing I want to note here is that many of our friends and family do not understand how sensitive our daughter is to foods. We have routinely been told we are just exagerating and that our daughter couldn't possibly be so sensitive. It has been extremely frustrating for us and we found ourselves declining invitations to go out for supper, or if we accepted, I ate before we left. Have your husband help you out, ask him to avoid eating any foods you cannot eat in front of you, avoid going out for dinner, meet up with friends/family after they have eaten and visit the board often for support. Be assertive when daycare providers or family offer your child foods he/she cannot eat. It can be difficult at times but remember, it is likely that your child will soon outgrow these sensitivies!

We have found that when we carefully monitor our daughters diet, she is a much happier baby. She still exhibits some of the high needs traits, but she is no longer screaming constantly from pain. Talk to your doctor and start keeping a journal if you suspect any type of food allergy or sensitivity!

Click on this link to read Dr. Sear's advice on calming a gassy baby.

Tayla's Mom met with a dietician regarding her daughters diet. Click here to find out what the dietician said about toddlers that are picky eaters:

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