16 of the strangest things kids can be allergic to.

My son’s egg and nut allergies are boring, compared to some of the things kids are now allergic to these days.

I’ve heard of some strange allergies in my time, but these are ridiculous.

Child food allergies in Australia have officially reached epidemic proportions, with 1 in 10 babies developing a food allergy. Most will grow out of them by the time they are eight, but for some unlucky ones, they will suffer from them for life.

Nobody knows why rates are so high or how to stop them from climbing. There is no cure.

This week is Food Allergy Awareness Week. According to Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, “Australia has one of the highest reported incidences of food allergies in the world, and the numbers are growing at an alarming rate.”

This week we are being asked to paint one finger nail, to symbolise the 1 in 10 babies born with a food allergy, adopt an allergy, download a badge, make a donation and help spread the word about the importance of food allergy awareness.

Here are 16 of the strangest things kids can be allergic to. Not all of them are foods:

1. Rockmelon and other fruits like kiwi fruit.

2. Red meat.

4. Chicken.

6. Mustard seed and other spices.

7. Chocolate.

8. Dust mites.

Trigger.org is working hard to raise awareness of children’s food allergies in Australia. Check out their latest video on how serious it can be and what you can do to help.

9. Chamomile tea.

10. Weeds.

11. Grass.

12. Sand.

13. Wool.

14. The ocean.

15. Balloons (latex).

16. Pet hair.

To find out what you can do to help raise awareness of life-threatening food allergies in children visit foodallergyaware.com.au.

Here are 8 food swaps you can make for kids with food allergies. Click through our gallery here.

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This woman believes food allergies are "just another word for fussy".

"It's the part of getting my kids ready to go back to school that I dread the most."