If your child was eating a peanut and had a bad reaction, they may be allergic to them. It is important that you determine this, so you can keep your child safe. The first thing you should do is take your child to an allergist. Until then, below are some signs and symptoms your child will have, as well as treatment options they have so you can get them the help they need:

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of a peanut allergy can vary in severity, depending on how allergic your child is. They may only have a running nose, or they may break out in hives. The hives would swell and be inflamed. Your child may feel itchy inside their throat or mouth. Other symptoms are vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.

If your child has a very bad reaction to peanuts, they will feel their throat tighten up. They will then start to wheeze and have shortness of breath.

A severe allergy to peanuts is known as anaphylaxis. If your child has this their throat will swell not allowing them to breathe, they will feel dizzy or even lose consciousness. Call 911 in a case like this as this is life-threatening.

Get Your Child Help

An allergist can determine if your child is allergic to peanuts. The doctor will ask you to describe your child's symptoms, exactly what they were eating when they had a reaction, and how long it took for them to react after eating this food. They will want to know exactly what they were eating as there are different types of peanuts they may be allergic to.

The doctor can perform a skin test on your child to help them make a diagnosis. To do this test, the doctor places a small amount of a peanut on your child's skin. The doctor then pricks their skin using a needle. If your child is allergic, the area will become instantly red. The doctor will use different types of peanuts in different areas of your child's skin.

There is no treatment for peanut allergy other than learning how to prevent your child from eating peanuts. To do this, you must check all the ingredients of everything your child eats. If your child is old enough, teach them how to check the ingredients themselves.

If your child is found to have a severe allergy, the doctor will provide you with an adrenaline (epinephrine) injector to inject into your child. After you have done this you need to take your child to the emergency room.

Talk with a food allergist about this information and they can give you much more information on food allergy treatment.