Allergies can be disruptive to people of all ages, including young children. Developing a milk allergy can be a complicating obstacle in making sure your child receives the proper nutrients. Without suitable substitutes to provide calcium and other nutrients, your child may be at a greater risk of developing conditions like reduced bone density. Breastfeeding your child is one way you can protect your child from developing an allergy, but if you do think a milk allergy has developed, testing can be done to confirm your suspicions.
Milk Allergy
Milk allergy often refers to a child's resistance to a protein in cow's milk. This makes it difficult for a child's body to process cow's milk, which often serves as the basis for many formulas. According to KidsHealth, a milk allergy develops in 2 to 3 percent of babies. Although many outgrow the allergy as they get older -- usually around 3 to 5 years of age --, some children do not. Milk allergy is also different from lactose intolerance, which relates to the body's inability to digest the sugar lactose.
Breastfeeding Effects
Breastfeeding can reduce a baby's risk of developing a milk allergy, in comparison to infants fed with formula. But it is believed that allergies are passed down genetically from parents to children, meaning that breastfeeding may not improve the prospects of every child. Researchers endorse families to breastfeed their children not only to defend against a milk allergy, but also to reap the numerous benefits provided by breastfeeding.
Formula Effects
Exposing your child to cow's milk-based formula earlier in life may increase their risk of developing a milk allergy. There are hypoallergenic formulas on the market that claim to reduce the occurrence of allergies in high-risk children for up to seven years, but research suggests that the benefits of these formulas are overstated and possibly nonexistent.
Allergy Testing
Testing for the presence of a milk allergy is similar to regular food allergy testing. If formula is the only thing being consumed by your child, though, it is often much easier to determine, since the options for allergies are limited. Your child's doctor will want to hear about all the symptoms and abnormalities that have developed. A skin test may be conducted by placing the allergen on your child's skin. If that is inconclusive or ineffective, a blood test may be ordered.
