Milk allergies are rare in babies, they are estimated to affect 2 to 3 percent of babies only. It can be very difficult to understand that a baby is allergic to milk since it is not very common. Most people do not have the knowledge of milk allergy in babies due to which they become confused when the baby shows the signs of milk allergy.
What is a milk allergy?
When a baby has a milk allergy, his immune system negatively reacts with the proteins present in cow milk. Breastfed babies will react to the cow milk that their mother had while the formula-fed babies react to the milk because the formula milk also contains some proteins in the formula.
Whenever the cow’s milk proteins are given to the baby, his immune system will react to it as a foreign substance causing milk allergy in babies.
Symptoms of milk allergy in babies:
Whenever the baby drinks the milk containing cow’s milk proteins, his body releases histamine and other chemicals which are the cause of allergic symptoms in babies. Symptoms of milk allergy in babies are these:
- Blood in stool
- Skin rash
- Watery eyes and stuffy nose
- Swelling in mouth and throat
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Colic symptoms
- Coughing
- Trouble breathing
How to treat milk allergy in babies?
If you think that your baby has any of the above-mentioned symptoms, you should consult with the baby’s pediatrician. The doctor will probably check the baby’s stool or a skin prick test will be performed to confirm that the baby has a milk allergy.
If your baby is one of those 2 to 3 percent babies with milk allergy, don’t be worried. Many children outgrow their milk allergy by the age of 1 and most of the children outgrow their allergy by the age of 3.
What to do if a formula-fed baby has a milk allergy?
Even though the baby might outgrow this allergy themselves, the doctors still recommend some things that might help the baby.
When the baby is formula-fed, his pediatrician will suggest changing the formula. You might have to try various brands and types of formula until you can find the best match for your baby.
Many babies who have a milk allergy, are allergic to all types of milk proteins including soy and goat milk. But there are hypoallergenic formulas in the market which has hydrolysate protein. This type of protein is already partly broken due to which they are easily digestible for babies and they are less likely to cause a milk allergy in babies.
What to do if a breastfed baby has a milk allergy?
For breastfed babies, the only cure for any problem is to fix the mother’s diet. The mother will have to ditch dairy in her diet, it will have a direct impact on baby’s allergy.
Key takeaways:
Milk allergy in babies is very well-known but there are very few such cases that make the parents anxious if their baby is one of them. But every problem has a solution and this issue can also be resolved with the little help of the doctor.