Milk Allergy / Milk Intolerance ?!

Updated on February 06, 2013
K.A. asks from Myrtle Beach, SC
6 answers

Hi. My 17 month old little one was diagnosed with an egg allergy at 12 months old. During the time we had her tested for milk, wheat and peanuts. They all came back perfectly fine via blood work. She was breastfed until she was 8 months old and then on a milk based formula until now. I held off giving her milk because she wasn't eating. I started giving milk on Thursday last week. We did 1 oz of milk and 3 oz of formula. We did that for 2 days and then we changed it to half and half. And she's been on half and half since. Yesterday when I got home from work I went to change her diaper because she told me she pooped. She wouldn't let me do anything to her because she had such a horrible diaper rash. The only new thing she has had was milk. Should I stop the milk even though all the test pointed to her being fine with milk. Or should I keep going and treat the rash. I know it's something new and it may take some time to get her body use to it. I'm just so paranoid now with her egg allergy that I watch her every move and I'm making myself crazy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You may want to do a skin test for milk. Bloodwork can be unreliable for diagnosing allergies until a much later age.

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D.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I would stop the milk. Wait for the rash to go away completely. Then try milk again. If the rash comes back as soon as you give milk again - you have your answer.

Blood tests of allergies aren't always accurate at a young age. Plus, person can develop a new allergy at any time in their life.

I think it's unlikely that it's the milk, if she's been on regular milk-based formula without a problem. But I would still wait until the rash is gone before giving it to her again, just to make sure.

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

My youngest (2.5) is severely lactose intolerant, and one of the key symptoms for her was a really vile diaper rash. Does it circle her anus, look angry/purple, almost like a chemical burn? For my little one, that was the sign. Remove the milk, see if it improves, wait 'til it does, and then give her a nice dose of milk again. I know that seems cruel, but if she has the rash back within a day, that's what it is. Of course, you can have her tested at the doctor as well for lactose intolerance, but it's easier (in my opinion) to just test for yourself and treat as necessary.

Lactose free milk is fairly expensive, but WIC will provide it upon request without a doctor's order. There are lactose free yogurts and lactose free ice cream, and many hard cheeses (cheddar, etc) are okay for lactose intolerant people.

I also keep LacTaid chewables (except I buy WalMart's generic brand at half the price) for my little one, in case we run into a situation where everyone is having ice cream. It happens from time to time...I keep them in my purse, so she doesn't have to be left out.

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Does she eat yogurt and cheese, or other dairy products? What about butter? Can she tolerate those? If she's been on a milk-based formula for nine months, she's probably not allergic to milk. I'd give it a few more days to see if she just needs time to get used to it.
For allergy tests, false negatives are very rare. I hear a lot about false positives, but I haven't heard of people testing fine for something and then turning out to be allergic to it.
My son is highly allergic to milk and can't tolerate even a single drop of it. He's also allergic to eggs and peanuts. His reaction has always been pretty severe for milk.

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B.D.

answers from New Orleans on

Have you asked the doctor for help?He may be able to give you a cream.Have you tried baby sauseges?My daughter is 12 and still eats them!Try fruit cups as well.Sorry i can't be more of help!Hope everything turns out okay!

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Trial and error. Take away milk then give it back. If the rash returns, you have your answer. Just curious why you had her tested for allergies at such a young age.

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