Introducing food items to babies is an exciting time, but not every kind of food may sit well with the baby. Once the baby starts consuming foods other than breastmilk or formula milk, there may be a chance of them developing an allergy to certain food items. Food allergies in babies are common and in most cases are inherited from a family member. In some cases though, these allergies can be spontaneous too.
Food allergies happen when the body’s immune system sees a food item as an invader and thus reacts against it. Since babies are very sensitive, it is imperative to know about the symptoms and signs in babies to confirm whether they are allergic to a food item or not. In case a baby is allergic to any food item or if there is a known family history, you must consult your baby’s pediatrician to understand the further course of action.
In This Article
- What is Food Allergy?
- Are Food Allergies Common Among Babies?
- How Quickly Do Food Allergies Show Up in Babies?
- What Causes Food Allergies in Babies?
- Most Common Food Allergies in Babies
- Food Allergy Vs Lactose Intolerance
- Top Signs of Food Allergies in Babies
- Diagnosis of Food Allergies in Babies
- How Do You Treat Food Allergies in Babies?
- Preventive Measures to Avoid Food Allergies in Babies
- When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
- FAQ’s
What is Food Allergy?
Food allergy is a body’s immune system’s response against certain foods. Sometimes your body doesn’t accept certain foods and triggers an adverse reaction against those foods. When you are allergic to those foods, the smallest amount of intake can cause reactions. The common food allergy symptoms include itching, rashes, hives, digestion issues such as stomachache, wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling on the lips, tongue, inside the throat etc.
In most cases, food allergies cause mild reactions, but severe reactions cannot happen. If you are prone to food allergies, you should always have the necessary medications handy after talking to your doctor.
Are Food Allergies Common Among Babies?
Though not very common, food allergies are possible in babies. You will probably notice food allergies in your baby when you first start introducing solids to your baby at six months of age and above. Pediatricians routinely suggest following the three-day rule with every new food that you introduce to your baby. This will help you identify possible food allergies and isolate foods which are triggering the allergic reactions.
Some babies may also be allergic to cow milk, the lactose component in milk, and very rarely breast milk also. In all these cases, your pediatrician will guide you on how to handle such situations.
How Quickly Do Food Allergies Show Up in Babies?
Food allergy symptoms can usually take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to show up in babies. So, if you have introduced any new food item to the baby’s diet, it is always better to look out for the above-mentioned symptoms, or anything unusual in your baby’s health or activity pattern.
Also, you should always follow the three-day rule where you will not introduce any two new foods at the same time. Introduce one new food and wait for three days, check to see if there are any allergic reactions.
What Causes Food Allergies in Babies?
The exact cause of food allergy in babies is unknown. What we do know is that the immune system may fight certain foods and trigger allergic reactions perceiving them as a threat. We do know that the immune system’s role is to fight off infections. When this immune system, due to unknown reasons, considers the food as a danger, it can trigger allergic reactions in an attempt to fight off the “enemy food”.
As a part of the trigger reaction, the immune system releases Immunoglobulin E or IgE antibodies. These antibodies release chemicals known as histamines which will trigger various allergic reactions. Doctors routinely prescribe antihistamines to reduce these allergic reactions.
Most Common Food Allergies in Babies
Since for the first six months of their lives babies are only on a diet of breastmilk or formula milk, the introduction of any other food item may trigger an allergic reaction in their bodies.
1. Cow Milk Allergy
One of the most common allergies in babies is due to cow milk, which is why doctors don’t recommend introducing it before one year of age in babies. Babies have trouble digesting this milk and may have a reaction to it in the form of abdominal discomfort, loose motions etc. leading the parents to think they have lactose intolerance. But lactose intolerance is very rare in babies. It is just that their digestive system is not equipped to digest this animal milk at such an early age.
2. Peanut Allergy
Another most common food allergy in babies who have started solids is due to nuts and peanuts. It’s better to introduce one nut at a time and watch out for even the slightest reaction that the baby may have.
3. Egg Allergy
Eggs are again a very common food allergen in babies. They should be cooked well and then given to the baby.
4. Seafood Allergy
Fish and shellfish can also cause the baby to develop an allergic reaction.
5. Allergy to Soy And Soy Products
Some babies can be allergic to soy and soy products.
6. Gluten Allergy
Gluten allergy is also very real in certain babies.
7. Nut Allergy
Nuts such as sesame or til can also cause allergies in babies.
[Read : Milk Allergy in Babies]
Food Allergy Vs Lactose Intolerance
Mothers often confuse food allergies or milk allergies with lactose intolerance. Both are completely different and bear no relation to each other.
Food and milk allergies happen when your body reacts against a protein that it perceives as a threat. The immune system triggers a reaction resulting in the baby experiencing sections such as hives, itching, rashes, wheezing etc.
Lactose intolerance, on the other hand, is not an allergic reaction. The immune system doesn’t come into the picture in this scenario.
In lactose intolerance, the baby’s body doesn’t contain an enzyme called lactase. Lactase is responsible for breaking down lactose, a sugar common to most milk and milk products. Babies with lactose intolerance cannot digest lactose and show symptoms such as cramps, gas, diarrhoea, and bloating.
Top Signs of Food Allergies in Babies
Babies may develop certain symptoms after consuming a food item if they are allergic to it. Some of the common reactions to look out for are:-
- Sneezing
- Runny or blocked nose
- Vomiting
- Loose motions
- Coughing or wheezing
- Redness or rashes on body
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Itchiness
- Swelling of lips, face, tongue etc.
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Lethargy or inactivity
- Abdominal pain
While most of the symptoms may be mild, sometimes a baby can develop a severe reaction called anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. This condition is serious and requires immediate medical treatment. So even if it seems like a little reaction, it is always better to consult with the doctor.
[Read : Baby Sneezing]
Diagnosis of Food Allergies in Babies
Food allergies can be identified both at home and at the hospital. Once you have a suspicion that your baby is allergic to certain foods, you can approach the pediatrician who will advise you on the next course of action. Your doctor may or may not recommend further testing.
1. Identifying Food Allergies at Home
When introducing new food to your baby, you should follow something called the three-day rule. You must ensure that you introduce only one new food at a time and wait for 3 days to see if your child is showing any unwanted reactions. Usually, if your baby is allergic, you will see the reactions coming in immediately. But in some cases, it may take a few hours before the reactions show up. If you suspect your baby is showing a bad reaction to foods, you can take them to the doctor who may run some tests.
2. Diagnosis of Food Allergies by the Doctor
Once you meet a doctor for your baby’s food allergy, they will first ask you certain questions like the food that the baby had before the allergic reactions showed up, what allergic reactions were seen, how bad they were, how long they lasted etc. Then they may recommend doing a couple of tests for your baby.
a) Skin Prick Test
For this test, the doctor or the technician conducting the test will place a sample drop of one or more allergy-causing proteins in pre-marked areas. They will then push the sample drops down into the skin with the help of a prick (hence the name skin prick test). If your baby is allergic, the body immediately produces chemicals that will trigger a swelling reaction in the test areas which will confirm your baby’s allergy.
b) Blood Test
Your baby’s blood will be collected and sent to the lab where the sample will be tested for various types of protein allergies and pollen allergies too.
In case you are sure that your baby is allergic to certain foods and have been able to successfully deduce this through your three-day rule, the doctor may not do a skin prick test or a blood test. But they may do the test if you have a family history of allergies or if you want to rule out allergies in your baby or if you are unsure if your baby’s reaction to a particular food was allergic or not.
How Do You Treat Food Allergies in Babies?
Sadly, there is no medication for food allergies. Usually, if a baby has an allergic reaction to a food, the doctor advises stopping that food immediately. After a few months, the doctor may again ask the parent to introduce the food item in the baby’s diet to see if the baby is still reacting to it. That’s because usually, food allergies are short-term, and the babies outgrow food allergies as they grow up. So, a baby allergic to peanuts may no longer have an allergic reaction to them once he or she turns 3 or 4 years old.
In case of severe allergic reactions, the particular food item needs to be eliminated from the baby’s diet completely. Care has to be taken to avoid contact or cross-contamination of the baby’s food with the allergy-causing food item at all costs.
In case of an anaphylactic shock, the baby needs immediate medical help, so it is better to rush to the hospital.
Preventive Measures to Avoid Food Allergies in Babies
Here are some ways to prevent food allergies in babies.
1. Continue Breastfeeding
One of the best preventive measure one can take is to continue breastfeeding while starting solids in babies. Breastmilk is a natural immunity booster for babies.
2. Introduce One New Food At a Time
While introducing any food item to the babies, do it one at a time. Avoid introducing several food items all at once. It will help in identifying which food is causing an allergic reaction, if any, in the baby.
It is best to introduce a new food item around morning or mid-morning. That way you will have the entire day to gauge if the baby is developing any sort of reaction to the food item.
3. Follow the Three Day Rule
Feed the baby the same food item for at least three days before introducing a new food item to his or her diet. Three days is ample time to wait and watch for any allergies the baby might develop.
[Read : The 3-Day Wait Rule For Babies To Introduce Solids]
4. Introduce Common Allergens at an Early Stage
For common allergens like peanuts, eggs, nuts, soy, fish etc., it is better to introduce these foods into the baby’s diet early on—within the first 12 months of their life. As per studies, it will help to prevent food allergies later on in the baby’s life.
5. Keep Repeating Introduced Foods at Regular Intervals
Also, don’t stop any food item in the baby’s diet after introducing it once. If the baby is not allergic to it, then continue to include these food items in the baby’s diet so as to make their body accept them in a better way.
When Should You Consider Seeing a Doctor?
If you notice even the slightest symptom in the baby after introducing a food item, keep a close watch. Sometimes the reaction may be very mild and go away. But if the symptom persists even after a day or the symptom seems to be getting worse during the course of the day, it is better to consult the pediatrician.
As a parent, even a minute detail which causes you to worry should be brought to the doctor’s notice. In case the reaction is severe, then immediately rush to the hospital.
Food allergies in babies are unpredictable. One can never know if their baby may or may not react to a food item. The symptoms also are not consistent. So, if one time the allergy occurs as a rash, next time it may present itself as stomach discomfort or loose motion. But that does not mean that every stomach upset, or colic is due to a food allergy.
The only way to manage it is to be vigilant and careful. However, don’t let the fear of food allergies stop you from introducing the baby to a variety of food items as each food item brings different nutrition for the baby.
FAQ’s
1. How Do I Know if My Baby Has a Food Allergy?
If your baby develops any of the symptoms such as rashes, hives, redness, itching, blocked nose, difficulty in breathing, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, or swelling in the lips, tongue or face within minutes to hours after trying out a new food, it is most likely an allergic reaction to that particular food.
2. What Are the Top Food Allergens in Babies?
Most common food allergens in babies include cow milk, peanuts, eggs, fish and shellfish, soy and soy products, sesame seeds, and some nuts.
3. How Long Does it Take For My Baby to Show Allergy to Food?
In most cases, your baby will start reacting within minutes, in some cases, it may take up to 2 hours for the symptoms to show up. More serious reactions such as anaphylaxis of the appearance of hives can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours to show up.
Read Also: Lactose Intolerance In Babies – Causes, Symptoms, And Treatment
