A milk allergy is an immune overreaction to proteins in milk and dairy. Milk allergy is not the same as lactose intolerance, which happens when the body stops making the enzyme lactase and leaves the body unable to digest the milk sugar called lactose. Milk allergies are common in babies and young children, but children often outgrow them by age 3.
Step 1
Watch for signs and symptoms of a potential milk allergy. In a 1-year-old, these can include hives, vomiting or wheezing shortly after consuming milk or dairy products. More subtle indicators are diarrhea, a runny nose, watery eyes and the appearance of a red rash around the mouth or anus. A toddler with a milk allergy might also become irritable and cry without a discernible cause.
Step 2
Keep a diary of food and drinks your 1-year-old consumes. Record what he eats and when associated symptoms occur. See if you can correlate his symptoms with his consumption of milk or dairy products. If you are still breastfeeding, also record what you eat and drink and note whether symptoms occur after you consume dairy products. Milk protein might pass into your milk and cause symptoms even if your child is not drinking cow's milk.
Step 3
Put your child on an elimination diet. Stop feeding your child any milk or other dairy products -- including cheese, butter or ice cream -- for two weeks. Read product labels to make sure that any foods you feed her do not have hidden milk proteins. Items such as cookies, crackers and sauces often have milk or dairy in them, which is sometimes listed as whey or casein on the ingredients list.
Step 4
Ask your pediatrician about having your child tested using a skin or blood test. Ultimately, a skin or blood test is the most reliable way to diagnose a milk allergy, although both tests still fail to recognize existing allergies some of the time. For a skin test, a small area of skin is pricked, the allergen is applied to the area, and the doctor watches for a reaction. A blood test takes a blood sample, which is sent to a laboratory to be tested for the presence of antibodies against milk.
Things You'll Need
- Food diary
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