Two-year-old Christopher Merrett has such severe food allergies that even the smell of pizza can send him into potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.
The toddler from Colchester in Essex, was rushed to hospital after touching a shopping trolley which had minute traces of milk on it and even the ingredients in Play Dough, paints and crayons can trigger a severe allergic reaction.
Christopher Merrett, pictured with his mother Michelle, is allergic to milk, egg, wheat, histamines and sulphites, found in soft and dried fruit
Christopher's mother Michelle Merrett, 35, is using her new found knowledge to help other families buy specialist allergy free foods imported from America.
Mrs Merrett said she first realised something was wrong with her son when he was weaned off of breastmilk at six months old and moved onto cows milk.
Christopher kept getting infections and was moved onto soya milk which he was also allergic too. Tests revealed he is also allergic to egg, wheat, histamines and sulphites, found in soft and dried fruit.
She said her son spent three weeks in hospital after sitting in a supermarket trolley which had tiny traces of milk in it.
She added: 'It looked clean. We put him in there and within minutes his feed and hands had gone blue and we knew there was something dreadfully wrong.
'We realised then he must have put his fingers in his mouth after touching the trolley and it must have previously had some sort of milk product on it.'
Mrs Merrett said: 'We cannot have pizza when he is in the house as his allergy is kicked off just by the smell. I remember going to Pizza Hut for my daughter's birthday and Christopher coughing and spluttering as soon as we got in there but it was only now I realise it is because he was allergic.'
Christopher's allergy band, which shows what foods might provoke an extreme reactionMrs Merrett, who took redundancy from her job to care for her son, and her husband Michael, 47, have spent hours reading ingredients labels and carrying out painstaking research on the internet trying to find specialist food their son can eat so he does not miss out on treats and goodies.
Because Christopher's allergies are so severe the couple have dedicated an entire cupboard to his food to try and stop cross contamination with other food. He also has his own shelf in the fridge and oven.
The couple, who also have an older daughter Katie and 14-year-old son, carry a special pen with them to administer lifesaving medication in case their son goes into anaphylactic shock.
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Little Christopher was taken out of nursery school when he was accidentally given cheese and he ended up in hospital. His mother now fears what will happen when he eventually goes to school.
She said: 'After the incident with the cheese, which was a total accident and can easily happen. The nursery confirmed what we were thinking - that they really could not guarantee he would not be exposed to diary.
'The school my daughter Katie goes to has been very good in terms of when I have to come to plays and things and bring Christopher with me, letting me know what food they are serving and things like that, but we are naturally worried about school.
'We have a friend in Scotland whose son has severe allergies too and since he started school he has been hospitalised four times. It is a worry.'
The family have had to throw out all their aerosols after they discovered from their daughter's hairspray that they can contain milk products.
The couple have now set up a website called AllergyEssex.co.uk to help other parents get hold of allergy-free foods, some shipped from America, and Christopher is the company's tastetester.
Mrs Merrett said: 'We have had to completely re-educate ourselves as to what he can and cannot have and then there is always the fear of cross contamination.
'Allergy Essex is built on the troublesome journey we have had to find food that is safe for our son to eat and that tastes and feels like the food his brother and sister can eat.'
