Allergy to the mixture in infants
Food allergies are not uncommon for a child of the first year. Its most striking manifestation, forcing mom to look for causes and begin treatment, are skin rashes.
How does it appear and how does it look?
Symptoms of food allergies in infants include:
- Rash on the skin. The rash can cover the neck, skin folds, forearms, scalp, skin behind the ears and around the mouth, as well as other areas. Typically, these rashes are red and shiny, covered with a crust. They may also have the appearance of spots or itchy watery papules. These papules cover the back, buttocks, legs, genitals outside, cheeks and other areas. The constant itch of such a rash makes the crumbs whiny and irritable.
- Labored breathing. Allergies in a baby can manifest as a runny nose (clear), coughing and shortness of breath, which is considered very dangerous, because the baby still has little control over breathing, and cannot breathe and eat at the same time when the nose is clogged.
- Digestive upset. It is expressed by regurgitation, vomiting, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Unlike viral infections, which manifest themselves in the same way, with an allergic reaction, the body's body temperature will be normal.
How long does it take?
The first manifestations of an allergic reaction to the mixture in many children can be observed almost immediately after feeding - in 30-120 minutes. In general, the symptoms of allergy usually occur within 24-48 hours after the allergen enters the body of the baby.
What could be allergies?
The food allergen that the child’s body most often encounters in the first year of its life is cow's milk proteins. And because the occurrence of allergic reactions in response to the mixture, which feeds the baby, is often the case, since it is cow's milk that is the basis of most mixtures.
The main culprit in food allergies in babies younger than a year is predisposition (allergy in parents).
Among the factors predisposing to allergy in young children also distinguish:
- higher permeability of the GIT membranes for large molecules;
- lower enzyme activity;
- not yet developed beneficial intestinal microflora;
- insufficient secretion of immunoglobulins.
What to do?
The first step parents take when a child has a rash is to consult a pediatrician to make sure that the rash does have an allergic cause. The doctor will exclude the possibility of contact dermatitis, reactions to medicines, herbal teas, complementary foods and other sources. Only after that it can be argued that the mixture was the cause of the allergy.
Further actions will depend on the severity of the allergic reaction in the baby:
- If, simultaneously with rashes on the skin, the baby has regurgitation and excess weight, reduce the amount of the mixture given or its concentration (the mixture is diluted for better digestion and reduction of the fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract).
- With a moderate or small amount of rash, you can try to replace the mixture with sour-milk or adapted mixture with pro- and prebiotics. Such nutrition will be an incentive for the development of lactic acid flora in the intestines.
- When the previous options did not give effect or the baby has a very strong rash, then the allergen (cow's milk proteins) is excluded. Crumbs are transferred to the mixture, the basis of which can be goat milk, soy or split cow milk proteins.
Methods of struggle
The main steps against allergies are:
- Identify the allergen.
- Excluding contact with him.
In addition, it should also alleviate the manifestations of an allergic reaction. If this is a problem with the skin, you should exclude combing, reduce dryness, eliminate flaking. If the crumbs have runny nose, the nasal passages should be cleaned.
If your baby has shortness of breath, there is a digestive upset or urticaria, you should definitely call the doctor. In difficult cases, the crumb has to be hospitalized.
Blend Replacement
One of the preferred alternatives to the usual blend are products based on goat milk. Its proteins are complete and have the same nutritional value as milk proteins from cows. However, their structure is different, so they are considered less allergenic.
The second option to change the mixture is to feed the crumbs with soy mixtures. They include vegetable proteins, so their value is lower and assimilation is worse. You should know that they are not adapted, therefore they are recommended for children older than six months and only for a short period. In addition, soy proteins are also often allergens.
The third and most frequent variation of the mix - selected for the child hypoallergenic mixtures. We talked about them in detail in another article. Proteins in such milk mixtures are split - either fully or partially. According to the degree of cleavage, such mixtures are divided into prophylactic (in them proteins are only partially hydrolyzed) and medicinal. The first recommend to children who have a risk of allergies, and the second - to those who already have an allergy.
Transfer of the infant to another mixture should be carried out gradually over a minimum of three to five days (or better within two weeks). This rule works even in case of allergy, because the baby needs to get used to the new diet. If you enter the mixture immediately, there may be digestive problems and the refusal of the baby from the new mixture.
Allergy to hypoallergenic mixture
The effect after transferring the crumbs to a hypoallergenic mixture (skin cleansing, stool normalization and other improvements) can only be observed after a time. So, it is possible to evaluate the effect of the therapeutic mixture only after 2-4 weeks.
Hypoallergenic mixtures can also cause food allergies in an infant, since many of them have cow's milk proteins (although split), as well as lactose. If the doctor has determined that a preventive mixture (they often appear to have reactions as the proteins in these mixtures are not completely split), the baby also has allergies, he will recommend to transfer the baby to the therapeutic HA mixture.
Decide to transfer the crumbs to medical mixture should only pediatrician.
When mixed feeding full transition to breast milk
Breast milk does not cause allergic reactions and is objectively better than any mixtures, even hypoallergenic. That is why when a nutritional allergy appears in a crumbs at mixed feeding, it is recommended to refuse the source of cow's milk, leaving only mother's milk in the infant's diet.
Back to breastfeeding it should be gradual, then lactation will increase progressively and will be able to ensure full feeding of the baby.
