Julia looks to be about 4. The thing is, many children who were highly allergic to peanuts (eggs, corn, whatever) as toddlers "outgrow" it at around 5-7. Not all, by any means; I have a brother in his late 60s who is violently, life threateningly allergic to peanuts. On the other hand, a son who broke out in hives with his first bites of peanut and egg did "outgrow" it by 7. Cracking walnuts near him caused an asthma attack, and even 1/12 of an egg (like in a muffin) gave him serious diarrhea. We did food allergy blood tests on those two when he was 7 because the egg allergy was preventing him from getting vaccinations (MMR?) needed for school. You can get around that, but it's a pain.

What I'm saying is that regardless of the outcome, there is always the possibility that Julia will/would have resolved this issue on her own if they'd just wait a bit.

not all children grow out of peanut allergies. My son was diagnosed at 3 yrs old with a peanut allergy, and he still has it at age 8. We too were told he would out grow it, but that has not happened.

Interesting.

Older DS now 5.5 was allergic to peanuts and dairy. Our allergist told us roughly 80% of kids outgrow the dairy allergy, but roughly 80% of kids do NOT outgrow peanut allergies. So far that's held true for us. He outgrew the dairy allergy at 4, but still allergic to peanuts. He'll be re-tested every year.

Now our little one (14 months) appears to have a dairy and egg allergy.

It does seem like a huge expense to incur at this young age for something that might be outgrown. I also think peanut allergies are the "easiest" to manage, just because there is now so much awareness and most schools are nut-free, etc.

Good luck on their journey!

You're right about peanut allergies being "easier" to manage. The worst was corn, it's in everything - corn sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, even baking powder. At some point I figured out how to make marshmallows so he could have some with the other kids at a campout. I had to run around to the neighbors at Halloween giving them things the kids could eat!

When the kids were small I wrote a cookbook called The Allergic Person's Cookbook because #2 son was allergic to peanuts, eggs, and corn, #3 child was allergic to milk and chocolate, and #1 child had very bad reactions to some artificial colors and flavors. Feeding the family was exciting. It's pretty outdated now, but it's still around in some libraries, and Amazon has a couple used. All the copies from our county library system "disappeared" long ago, which, I suppose, is kind of flattering.

Julia is 6 and 1/2. Up to 20% of children might outgrow a peanut allergy, meaning at least 80% do not. And peanut allergies are among the most dangerous because they are so variable. Someone that has had only mild reactions for years may still have a full blown anaphylactic reaction the next time with similar exposure.

Please do not trick yourself into thinking it is an easy allergy to manage. I am very accustomed to reading food labels. Have you ever noticed how many items say they are made in a facility that processes peanuts, or a product that is made on equipment also used to process peanuts? For the most part ALL those items are off limits. Most baked goods are suspect due to possible cross contamination. Thai and Asian restaurants are off limits unless you know a staff member that speaks English well enough to understand your concerns. Do you take the family for ice cream or stop at a bagel shop for lunch? Those are among the places contamination is a very big concern.

It's not harder necessarily than other allergies, but please do not think it is any easier either.

This is a risky process Julia is starting. I'm absolutely sure there is a strict screening process and informed consent involved. This is not the type of process a doctor would even consider if the benefit would not outweight the risk, since in this case the risk is significant.

I did not intend to start a debate here, I just wanted to share the chance to see this from the inside. At least in my circle of friends, I am not likely to know anyone else that might try this, unless I try myself. It's an interesting opportunity for those that want to follow along.