Allergy Update

We're still not excema-free, but his skin is much improved. There are so many factors though, it's impossible to single out what exactly is responsible. He does manage to grab things he can't have. And I struggle to get any medicine in him at all. Let alone twice a day. He's very strong, he spits out most of what you manage to get in him, and he appears to have radar for when it's in his food/drink and avoids it. But just because of long daily baths and wet pj wraps and cream applications two or three times daily, his skin is mostly normal to the touch (except for his bad spots, like his ankles and wrists). It was always somewhat scaly, now it's much softer. He's not waking up as often. Most days he's not scratching as often either. Today was bad, he was scratching all day and wasn't as happy as he usually is. (was it a food he accidentally ate? Some dust mites? Pollen in the air? Who knows!)

I'm trying to purposely say to Jacob, "No, you can't have that. You're ALLERGIC." when he tries to eat or grab something he can't have. I'm trying to emphasize the word so he starts to learn it and eventually grasp the meaning. It's very hard for him right now. As much as I can I'll replace products with safe ones, and try not to buy much that he can't have. But we're not really in a position right now to be able to afford to just throw out foods that he can't have, especially when his older siblings could eat them. I try to tell his siblings as well when I find a food that he can or can't have, so they know not to give it to him, or to take it away if they catch him with it.

(Sidenote: the sunbutter has no bad ingredients, but I one day noticed on the allergy statement that it notes that it's processed in a peanut and tree nut free facility. That part I saw when I bought it. But in small letters above it that I hadn't noticed it says made on equipment that processes soybeans. Doh! well, I figure it's still safer to have around than regular peanut butter and at least I never gave any to Jacob! Label-reading can be tricky)

I'm not sure what our options are for Halloween this year. I mean, we have three older kids who know and look forward to the holiday. So it's not like we can just ban the holiday. And it's going to be tough to manage with the older kids having food around that Jacob can't touch and to keep people from handing something to him or putting it within his reach. What I've thought of so far is to simply research safe candies for him and buy some of those. Then keep a few in our pockets to hand him as we trick or treat (to keep him from reaching into the treat bag) and have a bag of the safe stuff waiting to switch to afterwards. He'll probably still be in the stroller anyway, so it's not like he'll get that much candy anyway. Let him do it for the experience, but outline strict rules for all the kids for eating candy during/afterwards and where it will be kept. That's what I've come up with so far.