Possible Milk Allergy

Updated on January 15, 2008
J.L. asks from Lafayette Hill, PA
16 answers

We recently started introducing whole milk to my son last week (he will be one on Friday). Since then, he has been very irritable/fussy and on Sunday night he broke out in a rash all over his face and body. We immediately cut out the milk and took him to the doctors who prescribed a steriod for him. He has not had whole milk since Monday morning and is definitely getting better. My question is, he has been eating american cheese, pasta shells and cheese and margarine since he was about 9 months and never had a reaction. Is it possible to just be allergic to whole milk but not other milk products?

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S.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

It is possible to be allergic to whole milk and not the milk products, since they are cooked. Hopefully it is something that he will outgrow. (FYI ... margarine is not a dairy product.:))

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T.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My son had a milk allergy and just recently had been cleared of it. he had it from day 1 (we were in the ER 3 times before he was 3 months old before it was finally diagnosed). he just turned 3. Everyone reacts differently. through out the last few months when we were told to try to reintroduce he was able to eat about 4/5 cheese cubes or 2 sticks before he would have a reaction but when I tried yougart 1/2 spoonful and he would throw up for hours. he still refuses to try yougart and remembers it. all food is made differently. Was he tested? THis will help you to determine what he can and can't eat if he is allergic or intolerent. ALso some pastas and margarines dont contain the milk proteins that you are allergic too. like the organic or natural brands. Or the amount is so small that is wont cause a reaction, such as formulas. I was lucky that a good friend of mine is a dietician and she was a great help in determining everything and answered all my questions and explained everything to me.
Hope this helped some. once you get it figured out it really isnt that hard to deal with. let me know if I can help with anyone more.

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S.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

It could be posssible just to be an allergy to the milk. It seems that it may be the cause for now since the rash has cleared up since the milk was removed from the diet. You should wait and see to make sure it isn't the steroids that has kept the rash gone tho. Allergies are a result fromt the protein in the food. Margarine has no protein so it wouldn't have an effect. American cheese may not have much of the same proteins either because of it being so processed. If he ate much real cheese it would tho. It also could be a result of a larger amount and greater frequency of the milk than cheese consumption in the past. Furthermore, allergies can build up over time. The exposure to milk proteins can give a general build up and then suddenly one day you have an allergic response. Continue follow-up with your physician with alternative milk products for you child. Good Luck!

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi Jamie,

You'd be best seeing an allergist to determine exactly what the allergy is. My daughter is allergic to cows milk protein and breaks out if it touchs her skin. She too had tolerated cheese and other foods containing milk prior to being tested. But the allergist said that the best chance you can give them to outgrow the allergy is to completely eliminate it. So now I have to watch ALL foods for milk, whey, casein, etc.

When cooking I use rice milk. Also Fleischmann's UNSALTED margarine does not contain any milk byproducts. All others do.

I think you need to have him tested to see where you stand because eliminating milk can be difficult, especially in processed foods.

Good luck!

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J.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi J.,
My 2 year old has had a milk allergy since birth. She was supplemented with regular formula as an infant and for 2 weeks, we couldn't figure out why she was congested and her stools were a little bloody. Finally, through research and pediatricians help, we realized it was milk allergy. Fortunately, she did great on soy formula. Off & on, we tried to reintroduce regular milk, but she continues to have a reaction. Funny thing, though, like your son, she has no problem with cheese, ice cream, or mac & cheese. Not sure why this is, but we experience the same thing! She loves soy milk and her pediatrician agrees it is a healthy alternative.
Jess

B.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I guess it's possiable to be just allergic to milk, but if he is eating other dairy products like yogurt & cheeses it's more likely that the rash was due to something else. Usually if your going to have a reaction like a rash to food it happens right away, not after a few days. Did you change anything else in his diet or laundry? Could he have come into contact with something when you were out with him? Actually he could have had a form of strep as well. Once the rash is all gone give the milk another try...you might want to try 2% instead of whole milk. Good luck

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T.H.

answers from Philadelphia on

yes it is possible my daughter is the same way she can eat cheese and things like that but when she drink milk her mouth getts red and her gums swollen so it is possible . he may need soy milk .good luck!

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S.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

probably. my husband cannot have milk, even lactaid, at all. but he eats all kinds of dairy products, such as ice cream cheese, anything like that. he's okay with all of it, but give him milk and he gets really bad stomach cramps and is in the bathroom forever. (sorry-tmi)
i would assume that's what it was. my nephew gets diarrhea from milk but tolerates lactaid, he's a little over one. maybe you could try that.
good luck!

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C.M.

answers from York on

Yes it is deffinetly a milk allergy my son had the same symptoms and he was also allergic to soy. I did try goats milk though and he had no reaction to it they say it is the closest thing to breastmilk and alot easier on the digestive system then cows milk. I have also heard rice milk it is sold in a box usually with the dry milk and condensed milk. I would try one of these two things they say cows milk is not good for our stomachs and can cause inflamation of tissue and alot of other side effects.

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A.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

1 of my children suffered from milk (formula) intolerance & it followed an episode of antibiotic use around age 4 mos. I started him on yogurt, gave him time & tried restarting quite a few times over about 3 mos. (in 1986, docs suggested cow's milk @ 8 mos.) A predigested formula was suggested (expensive, too) & even that didn't work. Messy stools, lots of gas, tummy aches & crying. I made the decision to stop trying & at 7 mos, since he did well with yogurt, called the doc & told him it was my decision to stop & would the yogurt be adequate for what was needed, nutritionally. YUP. Until 15 mos., that & a little cheese was all I gave him. I started the milk slowly & he did fine...but, even ice cream created a rash before that. FYI, at 22 yrs. old, he's my healthiest child (out of 3) with no allergies or chronic conditions. Go figure....

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S.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Our son had a similar reaction when we went from his soy formula to cow's milk last year when he turned 1. He could eat yogurt and cheese, though. Our ped. just had us wait another month or so on soy milk before we tried cow's again, and he was fine with it then. If you're worried about an allergy(or it runs in the family), it would be good to rule it out, but some children just take a little longer to be able to handle cow's milk.

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R.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi J., we had a similar problem with my son (now 23 months). We were giving him dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc) before he was one and things seemed fine (now that i look back on it there probably was some irritability) but when transitioned from breast milk to cows milk he started becoming supper fussy and lethargic. We tried lactose free milk and got a similar reaction. Anyway, to make a long story short, we finally found out that he has a GI allergy to dairy(they do this with a patch test). This means that if he has dairy he's not going to have a reaction immediately, but lots of dairy over time will make him fussy, crampy, irritable, etc. We saw it with the milk and not the other dairy because he was getting such a high concentration of it. The good news is they usually grow out of this allergy, so we've eliminated all dairy products from his diet (it's tough) because this should make the allergy disappear faster. Anyway, that could be the case with your son. If you have questions, want to know more details and what we feed our little guy, feel free to send me a private message. Good luck!

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T.H.

answers from Allentown on

It seems that there is def something his body doesn't like about it! My daughter had the something similar and we stick to organic milk and other dairys as well when we can. This works for her. Real milk allergies have very extreme reactions so he might not have full blown allergy but a sensativity or just his body can't handle it yet and it can be tough for you and your son. People didn't believe me when I said something was wrong she was so fussy and irritable and jsut miserable. All of the hormones and what ever they give to cows my daughters body just can't handle, but if it's organic shes fine. Now shes three and if she does have whole milk not organic she has very hard bm still and her excema gets worse so I do believe in the organic food thing. Doctors can' always know everthing esp when it comes to your child, do what you feel is best for your child, do some research, maybe go to an allergist and get tested.Hope this helps you and good luck!

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T.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi Jamie -
I am mom of 5 and run a daycare in my home, one of my darecare kids that is 18 months old has a lactose allergy.
He is able to eat cheese and cream cheese, but no yogurt,
whipped topping, ice cream and definetely no whole milk.
He drinks Lactaid milk that comes in different percentages.
I also have a friend whos 3 yr old developed a whole milk allergy at 2 , she can eat lactaid just not in a milk form so she substitutes her w/ Silk milk. I hope this info helps and
as a retired health care professional, i would follow up w/ your pediatrician, take care- T.

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J.Y.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Yes, this is possible. The reaction can depend on the amount. If you're not having trouble with the other stuff, don't cut it out of his diet.

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K.D.

answers from Scranton on

Hi Jamie, this can be possible. My mother is the same way she can handle milk products but not milk itself. My niece is the same way also. They put my niece on soy milk and she is doing fine on it.

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