Your food is an additional protection against diseases for your baby. But what if a food allergy occurs because the baby is allergic to the mother's food? You hear from all over the world that breastfeeding is recommended until the baby is at least 6 months old. And that no toddler can be allergic to mother's milk. However, as it turns out, the latter does not have to be true at all. Your baby may react badly to what you ate and what has leaked into your milk.

What areFood Allergy Symptoms in Infants ? When allergensfoodmake their way through the mucosa, skin problems begin. Red spots and oozing lumps appear on the toddler's mouth and on the skin around the elbows and knee bends, the skin is dry and rough, and the child becomes tearful and restless. There are also stomach problems. Large amounts of mucus are produced in the intestines, which makes the little allergic person suffer from persistent diarrhea (with an admixture of mucus or blood), colic, pouring and vomiting. Often there is also a runny nose and wheezing, i.e. shortness of breath caused by the swelling of the nasal mucosa.

Food allergy in babies: causes

Recognizing what caused the problems is not easy at all. So at the beginning, it's a good idea to write down everything you've eaten and keep a close eye on your baby. You may come to the fact that you are allergic to e.g. citrus, fish, eggs or milk. Then it is often enough to eliminate these foods from the diet to make the problem disappear. If she is not married, you must see your baby's doctor for allergy tests. Food allergy in infants can be diagnosed by blood tests for specific antibodies and the so-called provocation test. It is usually performed in the second month of a child's life. The test must be performed under close medical supervision and lasts 10 days. It consists in introducing small amounts of cow's milk into the child's diet. The first symptom of an allergy is digestive disorders, i.e. abnormal stools (containing mucus or even blood), and there may also be heavy pouring and vomiting.

Food allergy in infants: when tests do not detect an allergen

Sometimes it happens that the tests will not detect anything. Doctors interpret this situation in two ways. Your toddler may be allergic to any of the preservatives or "enhancers" added to what you have eaten (such an allergy will not be detected by any tests, because there is nospecial reagents). In this case, you should eat as few artificially modified foods as possible (canned food, cold cuts, etc.). But the cause of trouble may also be atopic allergy, that is, one whose cause cannot be determined. Atopic food allergy can appear very early, in the first weeks of a baby's life. His immune system reacts incorrectly to certain nutrients. Suddenly he finds them inappropriate and starts fighting them. It then becomes an inflammatory process in the intestines, and then throughout the body, and the child becomes ill.

Feeding babies with allergies: special formula milk

When your toddler reacts to your food with an allergy, do not try to give him cow, goat or soy milk. It's best to see a doctor right away. If the pediatrician recognizes an allergy in the child, he will prescribe a special formula. You can only buy them at a pharmacy, and only with a prescription. Such milk is usually well tolerated by children because it has a similar composition to that of human milk. Its nutritional value is identical to that of milk intended for he althy infants. Give the mixture to the child lukewarm, because when warmed up it has a much more intense taste and smell.

When a child has temporary allergy problems

A child with mild digestive problems and colic can be given a mixture of HA (Nan HA, Enfamil HA), because it has significantly reduced allergenic properties. You can feed your baby with it from the moment of birth. HA milk must not be administered when the child develops allergic symptoms. No prescription. If a baby suffers from bloating, colic or abdominal pain, it may be deficient in one of the digestive enzymes and may not digest lactose, the sugar in milk. In such a case, they should be fed with low-lactose milk, i.e. milk with a reduced milk sugar content (eg low-lactose milk). No prescription. The preparation based on soy proteins can be administered to a child who is intolerant to sucrose, i.e. simple sugars (Prosobee 1, Humana SL). This mixture tastes much better than hydrolysates, but be careful, because your baby may be allergic to soy. Therefore, the preparation should not be administered without consulting a doctor. If the baby is having trouble pouring down and is already being fed formula milk, he can be given a viscous formula (NAN AR, Enfamil AR). This milk contains potato starch or amylopectin, thanks to which it thickens only in the baby's stomach and the food does not regress. No prescription.

When a child is allergic to cow's milk

When the doctor determines that the child is allergic to cow's milk protein, then the baby must be fed with a special milk, the so-called high grade hydrolyzate. It is a preparationmedicinal, in which the allergenic properties of cow's milk proteins have been completely removed (Bebilon Pepti, Pregestimil) (by prescription). An infant with a severe food allergy that can lead to malnutrition and rapid weight loss should be fed with a special elemental formula (Bebilon Amino, Neocate). It contains a mixture of amino acids that are the basic building blocks of proteins. Elemental mixture is also administered when the child reacts poorly to high-grade hydrolyzate. Prescription. A child with diagnosed celiac disease or suffering from fat absorption and digestion disorders is given food with easily digestible MCT fats (Bebilon Pepti MCT, Humana with MCT). They are quickly absorbed by the liver and provide the baby with energy immediately. Prescription.

When and what kind of allergy tests can be done in children?

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