Milk allergies and intolerances

Allergy or intolerance?

There are two types of reaction your baby might experience when it comes to milk; an allergy or an intolerance.

Milk allergy

What are the symptoms of a milk allergy?

The symptoms of a milk allergy can include rashes, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, hives, eczema and difficulty breathing.

What milks can cause allergies?

Your baby can react to cows’ milk, formula based on cows’ milk and even through your breastmilk if you’ve eaten or drunk dairy products.

If your baby is allergic to cows’ milk, it’s likely they’ll also be allergic to goats’ milk, as the proteins in both are similar. It’s usually quite easy to detect and requires a simple blood or skin-prick test, which are both available on the NHS.

Feeding and milk allergies

Thanks to the food-labelling laws you don’t need to guess about the milk content in any food or drink. All pre-packaged foods clearly state whether they contain milk. So if you’re in doubt, check the label before feeding your baby.

Are milk allergies common?

An allergy to cows’ milk affects 2-7% of babies under 1yr old. Children usually grow out of cows’ milk allergies by the age of three, but around a fifth will always be allergic, even as adults.

Milk intolerance

A milk intolerance is different to an allergy but some symptoms may be similar.

• The symptoms of a milk intolerance can include eczema, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps BUT NOT hives or breathing difficulties.
• A milk intolerance won’t show up in a blood or skin-prick test.
• It’s important to find out whether your baby is intolerant to the protein or lactose in milk.  If it’s the protein, your baby could still be able to have cows’ milk based baby milk in their diet. The best way to find out is to speak to your health visitor or doctor.