Chris

I'm wondering why some children have so many allergies while others have none. Does it have anything to do with the immune system? Two of my children are allergic to a variety of things and the two others have no allergies. I just wonder if it's something I've done differently to have caused the allergies such as introducing foods to early etc.

SageMother

Allergies are pretty much determined at birth based on genetic history. Someone's becoming sensitive or allergic to a substance can be hastened by the timing of its introduction, but the possibility has to be there at birth.

Allergies are based on the immune system. receptors on the surfaces of cells either love something or hate it with a passion. When they hate it, they send out signals to the immune system to kick the substance out of the neighborhood. The reaction you see is the body trying to rid itself of the offender.

IN your situation, the tendencies might be from a genetic configuration not found in the two children that don't seem to have alot of alleriges. Check family histories on both sides of the family to find out where allergies and other health issues might be lurking so that you can be aware of possibilities.

Please avoid blaming yourself for the allergies. As you can see, each child has their own little world they are carrying within. You can't possibliy know what is in there! YOu sound like an extremely loving parent. Keep your cuddles ready to go!

jmeyer3131

Sage is right. It's nothing you did.

My daughter is slowly developing some. Her first one was as a toddler, allergic to amoxicillan. Other than that it's skin stuff. For example, the wrong shampoo or shower gel will make her break out. Her dad also has skin sensitivities.

I hope the allergies aren't too severe. Don't worry at all about what you've done wrong; it's biological.

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penguinmama

Agreeing - it isn't you. Sometimes exposure can worsen an allergy, but the allergy is not brought on by exposure, and as far as I know, there is no way to "make" someone allergic to something.

happy2bg33k

My son was born 6 weeks early and for the first year and a half of his life had a very compromised immune system; for some reason he wasn't building sufficient antibodies from immunizations, etc. He's beginning grow into a healthier child but we dealt with lots of allergies for a long time. I don't know what to think about causes but I do know that sometimes it's not unfixable.

tater03

Yes I think that alot of it is genetic. I don't see how you did anything to give the alergies to your kids. That being said I have heard that you should exspose your children to like dust and animals when very young because that might help them develp where they won't get the allergies. Don't know how true this is, I just remember reading this somewhere.

PattiS

Hi, I am new here and I also have children with allergies. I myself was tested and found out I am allergic to dogs (which I have had since I was born!), dust and mold. I had my daughters tested because they were always sneezing, coughing and having runny noses. The youngest-5 yrs-is only allergic to the Box Elder--she also has break outs on her lips that we don't know what causes it. The older girl 8 yrs is allergic to Box Elder, Marsh Elder, Red Cedar,Dog Fennel and cockelburr.

My mom was allergic to just about everything you can be allergic to when she was younger. She eventually out grew them all. My husband is allergic to Tide and his mother and brother is allergic to pennicilian(sp?). So, I also think it is genetic and maybe environment.

Patti

mamab

Bless your heart, Chris. I know that, as a parent, if anything goes wrong, our first response is, "What did I do wrong?" You're not at fault. Personally I'm allergic to chlorine bleach and musk cologne. No one else in my family is allergic to either of these things. Who knows? I guess it's just the way God made me.

happy2bg33k

The interesting thing that I've found with my children and allergies is that though the have a genetic component, neither of them have any of the same allergies as me or their father. I have to wonder if it's a genetic predisposition to allergies in general or certain allergies.

Stephanie2377

From what I understand, if you just have a tendency to have allergies, your child will have a greater tendency to have allergies. Your child might have totally different allergies than you do. But, they inherit that vulnerability.
I have many unexplained allergic reactions. Due to this, my dr. has advised not to feed my son peanut butter until he is 3. He might be more prone to developing allergies, and she doesn't want to take the chance.