How do you know if your child has an allergy to cow's milk?

Question

My son who just turned15 months, I think has an allergy to cow's milk.
I started giving him whole milk about two weeks ago, and about 5 days after taking it he has had diarreah ever since.
But he is still drinking, and doesn;t have a fever.
I was just wondering if anyone else is going through this.
I have heard some information on a cow's allergy, and it says sometimes the child may outgrow it.

Answer 1

here is a website with tons of info.

milk allergies are very common and yes most kids grow out of them.

if he is allergic there are many alternatives, rice milk, soy milk, goats milk etc

Answer 2

Diahrea can be a symptom. Abdominal cramping and oily looking stools (undigested milk). Behavior problems (allergies can make you feel crummy and thus cranky!) Stinky gas. Now this is contriversial, but I believe it to be true - frequent colds, asthma, and raised bumps on the upper arms can be symptoms of the inability to digest milk. How was he on cows milk formula? Honestly there are a lot of people who will try to tell you it's "lactose intolerance" but think about it - cows milk was designed to grow a 500 lb calf in just a few short months, often human bodies cannot digest it too well... if the symptoms are the same on the lactose free stuff I'd find other food sources for the nutrients that he will be missing if he gives up milk. There are a lot of good websites about dairy free living nowadays!

Answer 3

My daughter is 15 months old also. When she turned 12 months old I started giving her cows milk. She started the bad belly aches and diarreah. Her doctor told me she had a intolerance to the cows milk, and to give her soy milk for a while. So I bought her SILK soy milk. She was fine after that. The diarreah stopped and she seemed to be fine. When she was about 14 months old I slowly started giving her Skim Cows milk to see how she would do with it. She did great. No diarreah or anything. I took her back to the doctor and her doctor said that she seemed to be fine and that she might have started to outgrow the intolerance to the cows milk. She is now 15 months old and I give her whole milk and skim and she does just fine. I hope that this will help you. Try and give your son soy milk and she how he does with it. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Take him off the milk and try soy milk. If the diarreah goes away that should be a good sign that it was the cow's milk. My daughter is also on soy milk and she is a very healthy 15 month old! I just make sure to put a drop of vitamins in her cup. Also does you child drink juice? My daughter can't have juice anymore... the sugar gives her diarreah. Call your child's doctor she may reccomend some good diet changes. Good luck.

Answer 5

My little girl does but it took me along time to figure this out. Usually diarehha is a common way of the body adjusting to a new change. The way I knew w mine is that she got constant ear infections, it was backing up in the sinuses and a cough and raspy. Not horrible just enough to never go away. If you are really curious take him to see an allergy doctor, never disregard your mothers intuition. If youre wrong, that could be the worst that could happen, but if youre right and do noothing then your child has to be uncomfotable in the meantime. Good luck and P.S. u can try soy milk this helped greatly w my daughter

Answer 6

Some children break out in hives, some throw up and some get the shits. I suggest you disucss this with the doctor. There are all types of alternatives from soy, to rice milk. But first it has to be determined if it is an allergy to only cows milk, have you tried goats milk? Or if it is lactose intolerance.

Answer 7

I recently read an article that talked about how recently milk allergies are becoming more and more common. The article discussed the usage of hormones and chemicals in today's milk and suggested that by switching to organic milk, from cows fed organic grass and given no hormones, will actually reduce "milk allergies". It's worth a shot!

Answer 8

It could be, or it could be that he just got a not so good batch of milk. The only way to be sure is to try it again and see, if then, maybe you should switch him to lactaid milk. But make sure you speak to the doctor first because your little one is still quite young.

Answer 9

go to your doctor and get an allergy test .. he may have an allergy to something else that he ate because usually you get hives or throat swelling when you are allergic to food .. but im not a doctor so it is best to go see a professional

Answer 10

how much milk are you giving after age one they only need one maybe two cups a day. too much milk can cause this too, since your child is now eating most anything you are. cut back on the milk and if this doesnt help see the doctor my son has problems with milk and this is what worked