Your Child's Health
Most Infants Outgrow Milk Allergies; Milk allergies and lactose intolerance aren’t the same thing
Milk plays a key role in most young children’s diets. But for some, drinking milk can turn sour. About 2 or 3 percent of infants develop an allergy to cow’s milk. Such allergies can cause symptoms ranging from eye and facial swelling, itching, trouble breathing and nausea, to rare but life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Illustration of mother holding infant“A child who is allergic to milk cannot have the milk, period, without a very strong reaction. There is no way to make it safe,” says Dr. William Neaville, an allergy and immunology specialist on the medical staff at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Up to 85 percent of children will outgrow their milk allergy by age 3, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Most of the rest outgrow it by the time they attend school.

There’s a big difference between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance.

Many people can’t digest lactose (milk sugar) because they lack the enzyme lactase. “The results may be very distressing — stomach cramps, bloating, gas and/or diarrhea,” says Dr. Neaville. People usually develop lactose intolerance as they age. Over-the-counter medications can provide the missing enzyme.

In a milk allergy, your immune system mistakenly decides milk is harmful. The next time you drink milk or eat dairy products, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms. Avoiding milk is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction. There is no cure or vaccine.

“People with lactose intolerance often can consume small amounts of milk without experiencing any symptoms,” says Dr. Neaville. “Those with true milk allergy often have symptoms after consuming even microscopic amounts of milk.”

Steps parents can take

  • Breast-feed infants and small children. “I’ve never seen an allergy for a baby with the mother’s milk,” says Dr. Neaville. “We do think it affords some protection against food allergies.”
  • Pin down the extent of your child’s dairy allergy by seeing a doctor for allergy tests.
  • Educate others who care for your kids about their allergies, including school or preschool staff.
  • Read food ingredient labels carefully. Casein, a milk protein, turns up in many non-dairy products.
  • Replace milk in baking and cooking with equal amounts of water or fruit juice.
  • Watch for hidden sources of milk. Deli meat slicers often cut both meat and cheese products, for instance.
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