Fishy conundrum

Here's a question for you: if you offered your super picky-eater toddler son some frozen (well, frozen and then cooked) breaded halibut pieces on Friday evening, and he not only dared to taste them but ravenously devoured an entire serving's worth, and you were all excited because hooray!--something the child will actually eat that isn't a Saltine!--but THEN, around 3 AM Saturday morning you were awakened by what can only be described as a Horrific Geyser of Halibarf, involving 1) two loads of unspeakable laundry, 2) multiple occasions of the Sorrowful Post-Barf Bath, and 3) an hour of your life you wish to forever banish to the dark recesses of your mind where the bad things live, and--and!-- for the rest of the weekend he had what you might call a touch of the old Diaper Mustard-Smearings, well . . .

Would you ever try feeding him frozen halibut again?

PS. I should clarify that both JB and I ate some of this fish and neither of us sprayed down the house with the contents of our stomachs afterwards.

PPS. The halibut came from WHOLE FOODS.

Comments

[Christa]

I guess I would maybe wait a couple of years and try again. He's too little to remember what made him soooo sick. I feel for you, by the way. We had the same experience with my mother-in-laws homemade pizza. The sauce was too much for my NOW 3 year old and we had pizza delight all over the living room floor. However, that was when he was about a year old, and now he can handle it no problem. I think at the time his belly was so used to the bland crap that they call baby food, and the spices didn't agree at all. Good luck!

[Cara]

Oh man, that IS a conundrum. Did he eat it plain or did it have spices and stuff on it? Maybe just give him a little bitty bit and see if it gives him yucky diapers. Or maybe try a different fish and see if it has the same effect? I mean, I know you don't want to go through that again, but I don't know how else you'd know if that's what made him sick. There is nothing worse than a sick, spewing baby. Especially when they look at you as they're throwing up as if to say, "why can't you make this stop, mama?" Heartbreaking!

[Marie Green]

Since allergies don't usually come in the form of puke, I'd probably try again. Then, I don't know Sh*t about allergies, so I'd probably not listen to me.

[Colleen]

Well... once the spewing episode was done... was it really done? Like, if you tried the fish for lunch instead, to see if he had the same reaction... at least it wouldn't be at 3 am? And if it happened again... you'd know for sure he reacts badly to halibut. I'm not sure... I'd be so excited if Zoe ate fish I'd give it a second try.

[Marie Green]

PS. One of the best differences between 2year olds and 3 year olds (for us, 3 was a HARD age) is that at 3 they can learn to spew in a bucket. In fact, my daughters had pretty good aim. So you can look forward to that- less puke on beds, carpet, and furniture! (Hot dang, I'm an optimistic one!)

[ShannonJ]

Poor baby - it's so sad when they throw up. The sucky thing about stomach issues is that it's no telling if it's a food intolerance or a stomach bug of some kind. We had the same issue with Josh around 10 months old - thought it might be an oats allergy so we waited a few months before trying them again. He's fine with them now, so who the heck knows? Sorry for such a literally sh*tty weekend.

[Liz in Australia]

Something fatty like crumbed fish might have been too rich for him. Maybe a smaller serving in a week or so, as a test?

[robin j.]

my totally allergy-free son threw up 3 times after having fish so i just stopped. now that he's almost 3.5 he can eat it no problem. i have no idea why he vomited but it just seemed like too much of a coincidence to me.

[DaisyCake]

I'd give it a week or so, then try just a little portion. Do seafood allergies present in the form of halibarf? I kinda think it is usually rashes and swelling.

[missbanshee]

My brother is allergic to fish, and trust me, if it is a legit allergy, it never would have made it through his throat before it came back up. Same thing with my grandma who is allergic to shellfish. Methinks it was either too rich or he just ate too much of it. Since it wasn't a horrific reaction (throat closing, etc) I'd give it another whirl, just with littler portions. I had a mom at my daycare who would send her kid with fish sticks with the breading pulled off. Little pieces, little portions, no richness. The kid loved it. I'm so sorry about the vomitorium, but I really don't think he's allergic. That's way too late in the digestive process for an allergic reaction to occur. Good luck!

[JMH]

"The halibut came from WHOLE FOODS."

ROTFL!!!! After your other posts about Whole Foods that line is too funny!!

Sorry about Riley....I hate it when they get sick like that!

[Eric's Mommy]

Ha Ha that the halibut came from WF! I would hold off until he is a little older and maybe try again, I'm sure he just ate too much of it. Eric actually used to eat pickled Herring around X-mas time with my husband's grandfather.......discusting, he never had a problem with it (digestion wise) but he doesn't eat it anymore. I think since he is a little older now he realizes how discusting it is/looks!

[Nona]

I didn't read all the comments, so I don't know if anyone else mentioned this...but allergies certainly do come out in the form of puke. Oh my, yes they do. I'd wait a while before trying again, and maybe ask your pediatrician about an allergy test before hand. You poor guys! I hope that you black that hour right out...

[Wicked Stepmom]

I would:

1) Call the doc; and 2) (assuming they gave me the go-ahead) wait a couple of weeks, and re-introduce it in smaller quantities. If he barfs again, I'd go for allergy testings.

[Jenna]

Um, NO. I fear the puke. I would do most anything to avoid the puke. I wouldn't give him fish until he was old enough to take his little self to the bathroom and wipe his own face and flush his own puke.

That said, I agree that it would probably have come up sooner if it was an allergy and I would have to guess that it was too much newness/richness for him. But there are doctors for this sort of thing, and I ain't one of 'em.

[jessica]

Halibarf:
1. That's really disgusting
2. That is totally hilarious

Poor little guy...maybe he ate too much??

[Amy]

I would ask around to see if anyone at his daycare or other children he hangs out with also experienced the barf episodes. Around here, it's going around. Random furious food-poisoning-esque barfing, and then they're fine within 24 hours.
I have that same halibut in my freezer. We haven't tried it yet though.

[Lindsay]

We went through the exact same thing a few months ago when my now 15-month-old was just really getting into grown-up food. We bragged and pumped our fists in the air as he devoured an omlette with spinach, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese because we had a foodie in the making--and then 2 a.m. came . . . and the barfing in the crib, on the changing table, down mama's back . . . and the baths, and jammie changes.

He still won't eat eggs.

After that smell, I might not either.

[Sarah]

Trader Joe's sells a box of frozen, battered halibut pieces. Going by your Whole Foods/Trader Joe's comments, if you're going to try the fish again, maybe try that one! Although, I'll tell you now, it's kinda rich. Fishy sticks??

[Kelsey]

Due to my daughter's peanut allergy I have become more educated than I'd ever hoped to be about many aspects of food allergies. While many people have the rashes and throat closing reactions, barfing is also a legitimate symptom of allergic reaction and doesn't have to be paired with another symptom for it to be an allergy. The other tricky thing about food allergies is that reactions can be different and more severe with each occurrence; definitely not something to mess around with.

Having said that, most allergic reactions occur within about two hours of coming into contact with the trigger (yes, it can take that long). So it probably isn't an allergy. Still I'd be watchful the next time he ate anything fish related, just to be sure. You might also want to look for culprits in the breading.

I second the notions that you should a)inquire about random daycare illness, and b)ask the doctor if you are still uncertain as to the possible cause of the barfage.

So sorry you had to deal with halibarf (which is disgusting, but your description was hilarious); I cannot imagine. Bananabarf is the worst we've had (I hate bananas). Fish barf. . . ew.

[omu]

I'd try it again in a week or two, but I'd probably limit quantities and get a different box of fish. I'd also make sure he's got something bready to go with it in case it was too greasy or rich for him.

My guy likes fish, but it definitely used to affect him in a bad way on occaision. Now, the spicy Mexican burritos we've been feeding him practically since he could gum them? Those are no problem!!

[LauraH]

My son is allergic to fish. His symptoms never represented themselves as vomitting. His throat closed off pretty quickly, and he (at 2) was able to say "ouchy" and brush at his tongue which led his allergist to believe it was the "tingling" sensation associated with a reaction. Usually (and I am reading this from his information packet) vomitting is secondary to the typical signs of a food allergy. Another interesting side note (from same packet), many small children have difficulty digesting the usually fatty breading on fish sticks, beer battered fish etc. and this can cause vomitting.

If it were me, I would try a few bites the next time you have fish and see what happens.

[Kris H.]

Halibarf!!! Disgustingly hilarious!!! I can't get the vision out of my head, but I also can't stop laughing...

Oh, and as for my opinion...he could have just been getting sick. I might try it one more time...I mean when you find something a picky kid will eat, it is hard to pass it up!!!

[Swistle]

Our pediatrician has a nurse we can call and talk to any time, and so I might call her and ask her if she thought it was allergies or coincidence. If he didn't have skin rash or trouble breathing, though, I might also opt to give him ONE SINGLE BITE on another occasion and see what happens. We've been visited by the Barf Fairy a few times when a child has just way overindulged.

[thejunebug]

"PPS. The halibut came from WHOLE FOODS."

Linda, I love you. You just made me laugh so loudly my boss told me he was sending me to Siberia. MWAH!

And, yeah, no more halibut. Does he eat fishsticks ok? Maybe it was the breading.