Resources for babies diagnosed with food allergies
We just found out that our babies have some significant food allergies and are hoping for recommendations for providers and resources. Any recommendations of clinics or specific providers? Great online resources or places to get information? Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.
Sep 3, 2020
Parent Replies
We love Dr. Gendo at Bay Area Allergy. We were frequent visitors to the Oakland office for oral challenges for my toddler who has now outgrown all of her allergies. I loved that Dr. Gendo references research and that the practice is evidence-based. He also gave us tips and resources so we felt confident introducing foods at home.
So sorry you're dealing with this!! Our son has been seen by both Morna Dorsey and Laurence Cheng at the UCSF pediatric allergy clinic at Mission Bay in San Francisco, and I recommend them both very highly. We're dealing with a complicated diagnosis with multiple auto-immune diseases plus multiple food allergies, and they've been thorough, patient, communicative, and compassionate. It's a bit of a hassle getting into the city, but it has been 100% worth it.
Sorry to hear about your babies' food allergies. The upside is that you are now on a path to get more information and potential action steps! I have an 11-year old with multiple nut and sesame allergies that are anaphylactic. We started this journey when he was 18 months old.
Dr. Joseph Hernandez is a great western medicine/mainstream doctor. He is Stanford based but has a clinic in Sutter/SF. I'm not a fan of Dr. Tam's clinic.
For the future when you get further down the path----
We are about to start the Tolerance Induction Program (TIP) at the Socal Food Allergy Institute in Long Beach. It is a food-based immunotherapy program with total food freedom as the end goal. Many doctors (even allergists) do not know about this unique program. There is a many month-long waitlist. (It is not the same as oral immunotherapy -OIT- that is prevalent here.)
Wishing you the best! You will likely find great support here talking to other parents.
Hi,
We have a toddler with several serious food allergies. We learned about her allergies when she was a baby, too. First, I want to say that it feels overwhelming at first, but when you find the right doctor and resources, it gets easier. We have been very happy with the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group of the Bay Area: bayareaallergy.com
We go to the Berkeley location and see Dr. Gilbert, who we love, but all the doctors there seem great.
Our favorite online resource is FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education): foodallergy.org
They have a whole online informational packet for families with a newly diagnosed child and lots of other resources. We also sometimes use Snack Safely, which lists products free from the top 8 allergens: snacksafely.com
Also, if I may add a little unsolicited advice, we have found that a lot of people don't fully understand what it means to have a serious food allergy and the most important thing to keep our daughter safe has been to really speak up to educate those around us and advocate for her safety. Dr. Gilbert and our pediatrician have been great resources and supports for us while learning how to navigate food allergies.
Good luck, and if you are interested, I would be happy to talk more.
All the best!