Potential Dairy Allergy in 12 month old

[tnt]

My 12 month old son has been breastfed since birth. At six months, we introduced cereal and then foods. I have not excluded anything from my diet. About two months ago, he grabbed an ice cream sandwich and licked his finger. He only had a very small amount. He broke out in red bumps around his mouth, like little hives. They were gone in about 15 minutes and appeared no place else other than around his mouth. We talked to our pediatrician and she said it would be unlikely for him to have a dairy allergy since he has been getting it from me in breast milk. I eat yogurt, cheese, and ice cream daily. Nonetheless, we decided it would be best to wait until he was 12 months to try any more dairy. Recently, we gave him some yogurt, two spoonfuls. Within five minutes, he broke out in small bumps/hives around his mouth. They again only appeared there and were gone in 15 minutes. Our dr said he clearly has some type of sensitivity and it would be best to avoid dairy until he was 2 or 3. The alternatives are soy or I guess I could keep nursing. My question is - if I keep nursing, do I have to exclude dairy from my diet. Again, he had no visible signs of a problem from what he ingests from my milk. But, I would think that if he was going to overcome the allergy/sensitivity to dairy, he would need to be completely free of it for an extended period of time. I'm a little apprehensive to go the route of soy just because there seems to be a lot of debate about whether it is truly healthy and he has the potential of being allergic to that as well. Please advise. He is now 12 months and 1 week old.

[Debbie Miller, RN]

Hello,
It sounds like a mild dairy allergy since your eating dairy isn't affecting him. Most babies who are sensitive to cow's milk protein do fine with their moms milk and only rarely does the mother need to alter her diet.

If I were you I would continue to breastfeed the second year, in addition to the other solid foods your baby takes. This will also help prolong his immune protection that comes from the breast milk. A sensitive baby will especially benefit from this. Many children who are sensitive to cow's milk are also allergic to soy so again, breast is best. Most children do outgrow this however, as your doctor suggested.

Best wishes.