Healthy Food Choices for Milk Allergies

Milk allergies are the most common food allergy in babies, though most children will grow out of the allergy by age two. Learn more about milk allergies in this health and nutrition video.

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Avoid dairy products
Try baby formula with simple milk proteins
Reintroduce milk to children slowly

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David Hill is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also works as the vice-president of Cape Fear Pediatrics, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. David attended Rice University and Texas Medical School of Houston. He writes a monthly column for the Wilmington Parent, as well as, grant regular interviews with television channel WWAY regarding health topics. Sharing his extensive knowledge in a way that is accessible, and maintains healthy lifestyles is what Dr. Hill strives to achieve.

DR. DAVID HILL: Today, we're going to talk about milk protein allergies. Milk allergies are the most common food allergy in babies and young children, affecting up to 2.5% of babies. The good news is, by age two; almost everyone has grown out of it. Milk allergies develops when the body's immune system fails to recognize that proteins in cow's milk are harmless. The body develops reactions against those proteins that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the stool, hives and even respiratory problems. Stool blood is a particularly concerning sign and you should seek care from your physician anytime you see that in your baby. Sometimes, an extensive evaluation is required to figure out where that comes from. Milk protein allergy can affect even babies who were solely breastfed. Why? Because mothers who are drinking milk may excrete small quantities of milk protein in the breast milk they give their baby. If your baby starts having symptoms, you might try going without any dairy products for a week or two to see if that improves. Some babies are also sensitive to soy or egg proteins, so mom might want to stop those temporarily as well. For mothers who can't nurse, they might want to feed their babies--if they have a strong family history, a formula such as Alimentum or Neocate with the cow's milk protein casein has been broken down into smaller chunks that are less likely to cause an immune reaction. Reintroducing milk is the question everybody has. Wait about four or five months after a milk protein allergy is identified before you try to bring milk back in. Then try a small quantity like a teaspoon. If that goes well, you can move up by gradual quantities over the course of a week or two. If on the other hand your child has a reaction to the protein, stop for another six months before you try again. By age two, most children can tolerate cow's milk just fine. To review, cow's milk allergy is the single most common food allergy in young children affecting up to 2.5%. Even mothers who exclusively breastfeed can have babies with cow's milk allergy if they are also drinking cow's milk. You might want to use a formula such as Alimentum or Neocate for children who shows signs of cow's milk allergy. By reintroducing cow's milk after a four or five month delay, you can usually find that your child has recovered, often by age two. That is cow's milk allergy.

Healthy Food Choices for Milk Allergies Video

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