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Dairy Diaries
Recognizing Your Toddler's Milk Allergy
By Laura Cone
Dr. Rapp says if a toddler is allergic to milk, he or she must stay off all dairy products. "It will be their favorite food," she says. "If they don't get it they will cry and scream and holler. That's a good clue they have that problem. When you have a food allergy it's like an addiction."
In addition to noting whether your toddler has certain food preferences, Dr. Rapp also suggests keeping a diary. "I definitely feel you should keep a record of what is eaten, in particular an hour before you see a change in how your child acts or behaves," she says. "Milk will cause some children to have total changes in their personality within 15 to 45 minutes after they drink a glass of milk on an empty stomach."
She says a simple way to find out if your child has a milk allergy is to stop all milk and dairy products for a week. Then add it back on an empty stomach. "Within an hour you will see what it does," Dr. Rapp says. "Most food allergic reactions occur within an hour of the time you eat the food." Other signs of a milk allergy, which are delayed, include ear infections, asthma and bedwetting.
"Most toddlers will wet the bed anyhow, but as they get older, I found milk was a common cause of bedwetting in children over 5," Dr. Rapp says.
