How to Handle Allergies in Children During Food Time of Breastfeeding Companion

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Allergies are a common disorder in infants and children, especially cow milk allergy. Read the proper handling here.

Food allergies are the body's abnormal response to certain types of food. It is important to distinguish food allergies and food intolerance. The cause of food allergy is a disorder of the immune system, while food intolerance is a reaction when the body does not have chemicals or enzymes to digest food optimally, or because the body can not absorb the digestion of the food.

Children generally have an allergic reaction to food after eating the food at least once before. The child may also experience allergic symptoms through breast milk since a small fraction of the allergens consumed in the mother's diet can be excreted through breast milk. In this case, IgE antibodies that have been formed in the mother are carried into the child's body so that if the child eats the food, IgE antibodies react and trigger the release of histamine, which causes the child to experience allergic symptoms such as skin rash, itching, difficulty breathing, asthma, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and so on.

Some foods that are often the triggers of allergies in children include:

• Egg
• Milk and dairy products
• Soy
• Nuts
• Fish
• Scallops
• Wheat, and so on

In some children, food allergies can "disappear" as the child grows to adulthood, or may also last a lifetime.

If you have a child just entering the complementary foods period, the identification of food allergies is very important to do. You can apply some actions to the following:

• When giving new types of food, do it gradually
• Give a new type of food, then wait at least 3 to 5 days before adding new foods in the Small menu. Pay close attention to the child's reaction to eating the food
• Keep the food that was previously consumed and has been proven free of allergy
• Avoid delivering several new foods simultaneously because when allergic reactions arise, you will find it difficult to identify which foods trigger allergies

If your child already has food allergies, the principle of handling is to avoid foods that trigger allergies. Until now there are no drugs that can eliminate allergies. Drugs available today aim to reduce the symptoms caused by allergic reactions.

Read also : Prevent Baby Food Allergy

If the child has an allergic reaction but you are having trouble knowing the type of food the cause is, the next step is to consult a pediatrician for the further evaluation, in order to do a related examination to determine what types of foods that trigger allergies.

If the child has experienced severe allergic reactions to food such as difficulty breathing, swollen tongue, narrowed throat, until unconscious, doctors can equip you with emergency supplies of epinephrine injections used to stop severe allergic reactions.

Another important thing is to provide vitamin and mineral supplementation for children if he cannot consume certain types of food, so the nutrients are maintained.

The most common type of allergy in infants is cow milk allergy. It usually begins in children under one year of age. Symptoms can be seen shortly after the introduction of cow's milk the first time. The allergy is about 1 in 50 babies, and half of them will recover within a year. Allergy symptoms will disappear after three years in most children. But unfortunately, there is a small percentage of the population who will continue to experience allergies to this cow's milk to adulthood.

The main principle of cow's milk allergy is to avoid foods containing cow's milk and all kinds of derivative products, such as cheese, yogurt, butter, and cream. However, the provision of food with a complete and balanced nutrition should still be considered.