Food Allergy Symptoms, Testing and Treatment in Babies

Food Allergy Syptoms, Testing and Treatment in Babies — Food Allergy Symptoms, Testing and Treatment in Babies 3

“If you suspect that your baby may have a food allergy, it’s important to be aware of the symptoms, testing options, and treatment options available. Learn about the common signs of food allergies in babies, including skin reactions, digestive issues, respiratory problems, and behavioral changes. Find out about the different methods for testing food allergies, including skin prick tests, blood tests, and elimination diets. Get expert advice on how to manage and treat food allergies in your baby, including how to identify and avoid allergens and how to use medications to manage allergy symptoms. Work with a healthcare provider to ensure your baby is healthy and allergy-free.”

Many unanswered questions arise in the minds of parents as their little puppies grow up and begin eating solid foods. The first concern for all parents, especially those who plan to start giving their baby solid food, is “What if my baby is allergic to any food?”

For this reason, we have prepared a comprehensive article on food allergies in infants for you. In our article, you can find answers to all your questions such as how to understand whether the baby has a food allergy, is food allergy temporary, what are the treatments.

What is a Food Allergy?

Food allergy is a disease that occurs due to the fact that foods that seem to be harmless to the body are seen as harmful by the immune system of some people. It can be said that there has been a significant increase in the number of patients with food allergies, especially in recent years. This is a situation that causes parents to worry. Food allergy is seen in 6-7 percent of children and 3-4 percent of adults.

What You Should Know About Food Allergy

Two people with a food allergy may not have the same allergic reaction when they consume that food. Allergic reactions can sometimes be minor things like sneezing and runny nose, but they can also create serious problems that can be life-threatening.
While it takes 1-2 minutes for some people to show an allergic reaction, sometimes the effect can be seen after 24-48 hours.
Childhood allergies may disappear over time. Sometimes it continues into adulthood.
If one of the parents is allergic, the probability of their child being allergic increases by 70%. So if you are allergic to any food, it is useful to share this with your doctor and do the necessary tests before starting additional food for your child.
Although all foods are likely to be allergens, 90% of allergies are seen in milk and dairy products, eggs, walnuts, hazelnuts, tree nuts such as pistachios, soy, wheat and shellfish.
We mentioned that as we age, allergies are more likely to improve. However, this is related to which food your baby is allergic to, because not all foods are equally likely to disappear over time. For example, while the recovery rate for babies with milk and egg allergies is around 70%, the recovery rate for nut allergies is around 10%.
Babies who are exclusively breastfed may experience an allergic reaction. Food to which the baby is allergenic; It can be passed from the mother’s food to the baby through breast milk. In such cases, the mother should remove allergenic foods from her own diet.
The most common allergy in children under the age of 1 is milk and egg allergy . Do not give cow’s milk to your baby before 1 year of age unless necessary. Breast milk contains all the nutritional values required for your little one and is the healthiest food for your baby.

Do Foods That Cannot Be Consumed Due to Food Allergy Cause Growth Retardation?

Another issue that confuses parents is whether the foods they cannot consume due to their allergic conditions will have negative effects on their health. You should supplement your puppies, who are allergic to basic foods that are said to be consumed especially in childhood, with additional foods according to the recommendations of the doctors.

Apart from this, it is possible to eliminate this disadvantageous situation by creating a diet list that includes foods that your baby cannot consume and different foods with the same nutritional values, together with your doctor or specialist dietitians.

What Are Food Allergy Symptoms?

How should you determine the products you will give to your child during the initiation of complementary foods? What are the reactions of food allergy? How is food allergy detected in babies? What should you do when you encounter any negative situation?

Food allergy does not affect everyone equally, nor does it affect everyone in the same way. It can occur with different symptoms in each person.
Allergies sometimes manifested as itching, redness, rash, eczema, redness around the lips, swelling of the eyes and lips; sometimes it can also affect the respiratory (runny nose, itchy nose, sneezing, cough, shortness of breath) and digestive (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gas pain, abdominal pain) systems.
Allergic reactions may take effect 1-2 minutes after consuming food, and this period may extend up to 48 hours . In other words, it is important to observe your baby for 3 days after he/she consumes a food for the first time and to understand whether he/she is allergic to that food.
If your baby shows symptoms early, it usually means the condition is serious. Especially in the first hour after taking the food that is tried for the first time, if you encounter an unfamiliar state of your little baby or if you notice that he is showing the reactions we have mentioned, you should apply to a health institution without wasting time.

How is a Food Allergy Test Done?

First of all, allergy specialists will determine whether your little baby will be tested for allergies. There are three ways to test if your baby has any allergies. These; skin prick test, blood test and food provocation test.

Skin Prick Test: It is the most preferred method because it is the most practical, most economical and fastest test for allergy detection. It is usually done on the back or arm. Certain solutions are poured into the chamber cleaned with alcohol or cologne, and these drops are touched with a very small needle. Do not be intimidated by the presence of needles in the application, because as we said, these needles are very small and usually do not hurt. Approximately 15-20 minutes after the application, the allergy test is concluded by looking at whether there is itching, redness and swelling on the skin.
Blood Test: The quality of the machine used in the blood allergy test is of great importance for the result. This test, which is more costly and less likely to give accurate results than the skin prick test, is not preferred much. Only in some rare cases is a blood test done. A blood test may be preferred if your baby is taking allergy medications or if your little one has serious reactions on their skin.
Food Provocation Test: Considering the foods consumed by your baby, giving those foods to your baby under the supervision of allergy specialists is one of the methods used to diagnose food allergy.

How Is Food Allergy Treated?

The easiest and surest solution to get rid of the reactions caused by food allergy is not to consume the food that shows an allergen response. Unfortunately, it is not a situation that can be determined by the diagnosis of allergy whether your little puppies’ allergies will disappear over time. However, you can eliminate the lack of nutrients that your baby cannot consume with a correct diet list. It is also very important to stay in touch with your doctor and dietitian and to convey the developments so that your child’s development does not adversely affect it.

Although food allergies in babies may seem like a frightening situation for parents, it is a problem that can be overcome without any problems if precautions and the right treatment are applied. Since it can be dangerous to have foods that they should not consume in a house with small children, we recommend that you keep the foods that your child is allergic to out of their reach, or at least not consume them for a while. As you know, young children often like to explore by biting and tasting things. You should consider this situation and take precautions. If you pay attention to these, there is nothing to be afraid of or upset about.

In this period when it is getting harder and harder to find additive-free and natural supplementary foods, we can imagine how difficult it can be to choose food for your precious puppies.

If you want to learn about the most beneficial supplementary foods you can give to your baby, you can read our “The Most 4 Beneficial Supplements for Babies” article.