Dear doctor;

Can a baby be allergic to milk? My neighbour’s two week old baby throws up whenever given milk but takes soya meal well.

Diana.

Dear Diana,

Babies can be allergic to milk. Allergy is to protein present in milk which can manifest as recurrent diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. There may be one or more of these problems. Diarrhoea and vomiting would be apparent, the abdominal cramps may be manifest as excess crying of the baby. The baby may also refuse feeds.

Usually an infant becomes allergic to cow’s milk or soya milk. Allergy to breast milk is excessively rare unless due to some rare genetic disorders. However a baby may develop allergy to something mother has consumed. These kind of allergies mostly occur due to dairy products like milk, yoghurt, cheese or other protein containing foods. However, sometimes an infection can also cause upset tummy in a baby. Lactose intolerance can cause similar symptoms. 20-30 per cent of infants have allergy to milk, but they outgrow it by age of three to five. It is advisable that mother reviews her diet and changes likely allergy producing foods. If the baby is fed on cow’s milk it should be stopped and changed to mother’s milk. If throwing up continues it is better to consult a pediatrician and look for other causes.