Medical expert of the article
New publications
Milk allergy in children
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
[ Why do children develop milk allergies?
Scientists have long proven that the predisposition to milk allergy in children is higher if the parents of these children also had an allergic reaction to this product in childhood.
Most often, milk allergy occurs in children who are bottle-fed. The most pronounced allergen is cow's milk, second place belongs to mother's milk, third place is goat's milk, and finally, fourth place is given to sheep's milk.
Cow's milk contains proteins that are resistant to high temperatures, so even with careful culinary heat treatment, the allergenicity of milk remains high. The main allergen is casein, a milk protein, but lactose, or milk sugar, is almost as strong. It should be noted that milk allergy in children should not be confused with lactose deficiency. Lactose deficiency is intolerance to dairy products due to decreased activity or complete absence of the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar, lactose. Both of these pathologies are very similar in their symptoms, so only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis.
An allergic reaction to mother's milk usually occurs if the expectant mother drank cow's milk during pregnancy. In this situation, casein penetrates the placenta into the fetal bloodstream, and the newborn already has every "chance" to experience an allergy. An allergic reaction to mother's milk is also possible if a nursing woman eats large amounts of allergenic foods: shrimp, nuts, chocolate, citrus fruits, etc. For this reason, even in the maternity hospital, the new mother is given a list of foods that are not to be consumed during breastfeeding.
How does milk allergy manifest itself in children?
The most common symptoms of this type of allergy are loose stools, bloating, vomiting, abdominal colic, nausea, crying immediately after feeding. Some children have skin rashes - diathesis. Also, many babies are prone to watery eyes, difficulty breathing, discharge from the nasal sinuses. In addition, milk allergy in children often manifests itself as loose stools with an admixture of mucus inclusions, feces can be watery with bloody streaks.
However, one should not jump to conclusions, because these symptoms are also characteristic of a number of other diseases, such as infectious breeding. For this reason, it is necessary to take the baby to the doctor as soon as possible to diagnose the source of the disease and eliminate its consequences.
What to do if a child has a milk allergy?
If a child develops an allergy to milk, especially mother's milk, you cannot immediately stop breastfeeding. It is only necessary to slightly adjust the diet of the nursing woman, and the child will begin to feel good.
In most children, milk allergy finally goes away by the age of 2-3, but in some it persists throughout their entire life. Such people are forced to constantly adhere to a special diet, deviation from which threatens health problems.
First of all, when treating this type of allergy, doctors prescribe the patient to refuse to eat foods that contain casein protein. Secondly, the mother should exclude allergenic foods from her diet. Thirdly, if the child still has an allergy despite the measures taken, he is transferred to artificial feeding with special mixtures.
Milk allergy in children is a fairly common disease and there are many ways to treat it. Therefore, at the first signs of such an allergy, you should seek help from a doctor.