What to do if your baby is allergic to milk protein? Parents’ feeding is crucial

Many mothers find that their babies seem to have adverse reactions when they try to feed their babies milk powder, such as rashes, vomiting, etc. At this time, parents should pay attention, because it is very likely that the baby is allergic to milk protein. So what should I do if the baby is allergic to milk protein? Can he still drink milk powder? What aspects should parents pay attention to.

What to do if your baby is allergic to cow's milk protein

When infants and young children must eat dairy products, they should switch to hydrolyzed protein formula milk powder if they have milk allergies. This type of milk powder is divided into three levels: the first level is the amino acid formula, strictly speaking, this milk powder is a combination of plant amino acids; the second level is the deep hydrolysis formula, this milk powder is the real whole milk protein hydrolyzed into very small short peptides; the third level is the partial hydrolysis formula, which has longer short peptides than the deep hydrolysis formula. The first two are the main choices for treating milk protein allergies.

Pay attention to children's allergies

1. It is best to breastfeed for more than 6 months after the child is born. Breast milk can reduce the immune system's intake of food protein and reduce food allergies. The area around the nipple is actually a bacterial environment, so breastfeeding can promote the establishment of intestinal flora and reduce allergies.

2. During breastfeeding, mothers should eat as many kinds of food as possible. After digestion and absorption, the food becomes small molecules and enters the mother's body, which is basically harmless to both mother and child. In this way, the baby will develop tolerance to the food through breast milk, and will not be easily allergic.

3. Introduce complementary foods at the right time: The best age to introduce complementary foods is 5-6 months. Do not add complementary foods to your child before 4 months.

4. Add each food for about 3 days first to make sure it is not an allergic food before eating them together.

5. Use antibiotics less and avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics to promote and protect the establishment of intestinal flora.

How to prevent milk allergy in babies

Generally speaking, compared with ordinary infant formula feeding containing complete milk protein, breastfed babies have a lower risk of allergies, so breastfeeding is a more convenient way to prevent infant milk allergies. Because the protein in breast milk is the same protein as the baby, it is very low in allergy; breast milk also contains probiotics such as bifidobacteria, which can help the baby establish a healthy intestinal flora and train the baby's immune system, thereby reducing the risk of allergies. When breastfeeding is not possible, a clinically proven and effective moderately hydrolyzed whey protein formula should be used. Authoritative organizations such as the Pediatric Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), ESPGHAN (European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition), and the French Pediatric Society emphasize the prevention of allergic diseases through nutritional intervention. It is of great significance for babies, especially those at risk of allergies; if breastfeeding is not possible, formula milk that has been clinically proven to help reduce the risk of allergies should be used for at least 6 months after the baby is born, and contact with solid food and milk should be avoided. The U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved in May 2011 that for infants who are unable to be breastfed and have a family history of allergies, feeding them with a moderately hydrolyzed 100% whey protein formula from birth to replace regular infant formula with complete cow's milk protein can effectively reduce the risk of allergic eczema in the first year of life.

Will a child who is allergic to milk protein have an allergic reaction to drinking breast milk?

When the child is just born, many mothers do not have breast milk. In order to avoid starving the child, they will feed the child with formula milk first, which is a particularly bad thing. Formula powder and breast milk are very similar. If the child is allergic to formula powder at the beginning, it is particularly easy to be allergic to breast milk. Many mothers are very frustrated and say: I have insisted on exclusive breastfeeding, why am I still allergic? In fact, she is not doing exclusive breastfeeding, but full breastfeeding. From the moment the child is born, he only eats breast milk, which is called exclusive breastfeeding; at the beginning, he uses formula powder, and then he only drinks breast milk, which is full breastfeeding. This creates the problem of "milk and egg allergy under breastfeeding", which is actually caused by milk protein, but it persists during breastfeeding. It is recommended that mothers of such children avoid food appropriately, at least avoid milk protein, to see if the child's allergy can be improved. After most mothers avoid food, the child's symptoms will improve, but there are also individual cases where the mother only eats rice and vegetables, and the child is still allergic to breast milk. At this time, you can only stop breast milk and use amino acid formula or deep hydrolyzed formula milk powder. The incidence of this situation is extremely low.