Food dyes....in strange places

It was a nice day to be out of the house...cloudy, windy, and freezing!  Brrr! We even went back to the house to grab a warmer coat and hats and mittens.  Yup...it's cold.  We enjoy going to kid's resale shops with our friends... and then going to craft stores like JoAnn and Michaels.  Today was no different.  Once we enjoyed searching the racks at Children's Orchard we entered JoAnn.  *sigh* yarn!

Part way through our adventure, Miss Ballerina asked to go to the bathroom.  We happened to be right next to it...SCORE.  When we were washing hands, that quiet little voice whispered that I should check the label on the soap; which was on sale with a cute sign next to it. It was some lemon scented soap that was bright yellow.  It made the entire bathroom smell delicious...which says a lot.  Guess what the last ingredients were...RED 40, BLUE, and YELLOW.  ACK!!!

I washed my hands, and since they were out of paper towels, I ended up wiping them on my jeans.  Ugh.  But...oh well.  Then Littlest Miss said, "Hands!" She wanted to get in on the hand washing fun!  But after reading that label there was no way I was going to wash her hands with that soap.  So, I just rinsed her hands.

We exited the bathroom and began looking at the yarn selection again.  A couple of minutes later Littlest Miss started acting like her bottom hurt or something hurt.  I picked her up and tried to console her and instead of getting happier...she got more upset, agitated and angry.  Her poor mood escalated until I could barely hold onto her.  She thrashed and threw her body around in pain.  I flipped her over and looked into her eyes...her pupils were tiny...constricted.  Somehow that hand soap had affected her even though it was on my hands and not hers.  She never touched the soap directly.  Wow.

I quickly paid for my yarn and made a bee line for the car.  I buckled her screaming, thrashing form into her car seat and got out the baking soda.  I added the baking soda to her sippy cup of water and shook it up.  But she refused to drink it.  I needed something to get her to drink the water.  I remembered that I had a small container in my purse that was empty.  I took it out and poured a little water into it.  She happily sucked down the water from the tiny cup.  After about 4 small cups of baking soda water she started to calm down.

Not only do I have to be aware of all the different types of food that have food dyes but I also have to be aware of hand soaps.  I stopped into the health food store on the way home and grabbed a bottle of hand soap that would be safe for her little hands.

I never realized how difficult it would be to keep a toddler away from dyes.  They are everywhere.  I found them, yesterday, in mayonnaise.  REALLY??? They couldn't make it without?  Crazy!!!

We are now home...relaxing...and enjoying the happy baby.  *huge sigh*

My quest continues...to make sure my home is as dye free as necessary for my little one to be as happy as possible.

Oh food dyes...

The sweet little angel’s eyes constricted, turning into tiny black dots. Her eyes glazed over and she began to scream.  The transformation was gradual; gradual enough so it took me a while to realize the cause.  She wanted me to pick her up, hold her, make it better, but when I reached for her she would arch her back and scream and squirm.  It didn’t feel good for me to touch her skin, or so it seemed to me.  She lay on the floor thrashing and screaming.  And I sat on the floor wondering what in the world was wrong.  I offered snacks; grapes, apples, nuts, bananas, raisins.  Nothing worked.  I offered a bath.  To which she shook her head.  I got up and went to my bathroom, since she didn’t want me to touch her anyway and she screamed harder; following me in her tantrum.  I came back and sat with her.  She stilled screamed, but I didn’t try to touch her.  I smiled at her every time she looked my way.  Somehow this seemed to calm her.  She tried to sit on my lap, but instantly her back arched and her arms flailed and she slid off my lap. 

She lay on her back, her bare belly facing me with its red scribbly marks all over her round tummy.  She had been coloring with a red pen at the table next to me and inevitably the pen ended up on her skin.  Red pen. On her skin.  Could that be it? The red dye in the pen? I got up and got out the baking soda, a small sippy cup of water and mixed 1/8 of a teaspoon into the water.  I put the lid on the cup and tried to offer the liquid to her.  She pushed it away.  Several times.  I finally had to force some into her mouth 3 or 4 times before she took it on her own. 

Gradually her pupils began to normalize.  She climbed onto my lap and lay there, stirring occasionally.  After a few more minutes I was able to touch her skin without her pulling away from me.  I rubbed her back.  The baking soda began to work through her system and she passed a little gas.  She smiled and it reached her eyes and she giggled.  Her eyes were clear again. 

The symptoms are not completely gone.  She still fusses for no apparent reason; but I KNOW the reason.  But she is sitting quietly watching Blues Clues.  I can breath and step into the next room.  The hour has passed, but I won’t forget.  The red pens will disappear. 

Food dye sensitivities are real.  And the sensitivities do not stop with food.  They can be caused by pens, markers, clothing and other fabrics too.  It makes me want to run out and buy everything in white!  LOL!