I recently talked with a woman whose youngest daughter had dark, red circles under her eyes. I casually asked if the child had any food allergies. The mother wasn't sure, but explained that her daughter was struggling with her third ear infection this winter.

Boy, did that conversation bring back memories! You see, my two girls – now 11 and 18 – had severe food allergies when they were babies, but I didn't know enough to recognize the signs. It took numerous trips to doctors' offices and emergency rooms and many illnesses before we knew the skin, ear and eye symptoms were related to food.

I still wonder how we got through those days. Both my girls were diagnosed with seborrhea (a skin inflammation involving the glands often confused with atopic dermatitis) at two weeks old and I was warned they might also develop atopic dermatitis – which they did! The folds behind their knees, ears and wrists would crack and bleed from the irritation and their scratching. I can also remember the terrible cradle cap (a crusty scalp condition) they both had as infants.

Whenever I would introduce Katelyn to a food that did not agree with her, her fingers would get red and itchy and she would rub them together viciously. Alyson, on the other hand, would react by rubbing her eyes. She would also get an itchy throat. One time when she was close to two years old, she had a peach for breakfast and started to wheeze immediately. We spent that morning in the emergency room. Strangely enough, her scalp also became completely encrusted.

From time to time, the girls would break out in itchy hives all over their bodies. Mild hives and itching often go hand-in-hand with food allergy, but if the hives cause the child's throat to close up, that is a life-threatening reaction that requires immediate medical attention.

People would always ask me if the girls were tired, pointing out the red rings under their eyes. They both had chronic ear infections and fluid on their eardrums many times. And Alyson had pneumonia three times in one year.

Do my girls' symptoms sound familiar to you? If your child seems to be sick a lot or has chronic ear or upper respiratory infections, it's a good idea to see an allergist. Who knows? A food allergy diagnosis might be the missing piece of the puzzle like it was for my family.

Look out for these food allergy clues:

Mouth: itching and swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth
Throat: itching of the throat and/or tightness, hoarseness or coughing
Skin: hives, itchy rash, swelling or eczema
Gut: nausea, cramps, vomiting or diarrhea
Lungs: shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
Eyes: itchy eyes or red/dark circles underneath the eyes