Treating a milk allergy

Breastfeeding will not protect your baby from cow's milk allergy as the milk protein that you have in your diet can cross into your breast milk. If your baby does have this allergy, you need to remove dairy products from your diet until she is weaned to avoid reactions. Consult a dietician to ensure that you still meet your daily requirement of calcium and other nutrients by eating an alternative diet.

If your baby is bottle fed, you may need to change the type of formula you are currently using. Soy based formulas are cow's milk protein free, or you may be advised to use a hypoallergenic formula, where the proteins are broken down into particles which is less likely to trigger an allergic reaction. Goat's milk, almond milk and rice milk are not safe alternatives for your baby and are not recommended.

Hypoallergenic formulas can come in the form of:

• Extensively hydrolysed formula. The cow's milk proteins are broken down into small particles so that they are less allergenic than the whole proteins in regular formulas. Many babies with a cow's milk allergy can take this type of formula, but it can cause an allergic reaction in some.
• Amino acid-based infant formulas. This formula contains the cow's milk proteins in their most basic form - the amino acid. This type of formula is only recommended if your baby can't tolerate the hydrolysed formula.

 

IMPORTANT!

You can also buy 'partially hydrolysed' formulas but there are not hypoallergenic, as the proteins are only partially broken down, and they can trigger a strong allergic reaction in sensitive babies.

 

A2 milk:
 

• Cow's milk contains two proteins, A1 and A2. Different breeds of cow have different amounts of each protein in their milk.
• It has been suggested that children with a cows' milk allergy may not be sensitive to the A2 protein in cow’s milk - although it is possible that your child may be allergic to both proteins.
• The A2 milk that is now on the market, comes from Guernsey and Jersey cows. Sheep and goats also produce milk high in A2 proteins.
• Don't give A2 milk to your allergic child without consulting a specialist first.

Prebiotics:

Prebiotics are non-digestible food fibres that help our body by encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut. At this stage, there's no proof that adding prebiotics to your baby's diet will help protect or prevent food allergies.

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This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include SA Government's Parenting and Child Health and The Cochrane Collaboration.