Little Bailey Anderson will never lick an ice cream, slurp on a milkshake or tuck into a bar of chocolate. Just putting one of those treats to the two-year-old’s lips could cause an allergic reaction so severe, it might kill him.
His mother’s breast milk was the only milk Bailey ever tolerated. But the first time mum Tania began to supplement his feeds with formula at the age of six months, his allergy revealed itself in a shocking way. “He started crying and swelled up like a balloon, with bright red welts all over his body. His lips turned blue. It was terrifying. I had no idea what was happening.”
The panicked mum (32) called an ambulance and Bailey’s dangerous milk allergy was later diagnosed in hospital. “I thought all babies needed milk and it was Bailey’s entire diet at the time. I wondered what on earth I’d feed him!”
Tania soon discovered that Bailey was also allergic to soy-based baby formula and could only tolerate a specially made milk product that comes from overseas. Then, once he started on solids, his diet became a minefield of danger foods.
“Even things like sunscreen are often based on milk products,” says Tania, whose other children, Georgia (5) and Claudia (3), are allergy-free. one day, a well-meaning relative gave Bailey a single potato chip. “He ended up vomiting, swollen and covered in welts,” recalls Tania. And a friend once gave him a taste of ice cream, with the same result. If Bailey is asked to a party, Tania sends him with his own container of “safe foods”. “He doesn’t miss things like chocolate because he’s never had it,” she says, but that doesn’t stop her own cravings. “I have some hidden away at the top of the pantry and if I want some, I eat it when he’s in bed.”
When Bailey started daycare recently, Tania admits she was terrified. “I worried about what would happen if someone forgot, or another child shared his lunch. I wanted a constant reminder to warn other people of the risk.” That’s when Tania came up with the idea of creating warning t-shirts that read, “Stop, I have food allergies, just ask me!” She also made stickers, wristbands and posters to remind people of food allergy dangers.
Although Tania has no formal business experience, her passionate approach has quickly found support from local suppliers. With information and support from Allergy New Zealand, she now sells her allergy warning products through her website www.kiwikidswithallergies.co.nz
Her husband Phill (34) helps out packing and taking orders, and the whole business runs from their Christchurch home. “I’ve had to learn very fast,” says Tania. “But when I get a nice email at the end of a hard day’s work, the satisfaction makes it all worthwhile.”