5 Signs your baby needs a hypoallergenic formula

Child nutrition experts recommend breastfeeding your baby whenever possible, at least for the first year of life. Breastfeeding has many benefits. Studies have shown that it protects the baby from bacterial meningitis, otitis, allergies, intestinal infections, and respiratory tract infections. If breastfeeding is difficult or impossible, your baby will need to be fed through a bottle. Although artificial formulas do not contain the components of breast milk that provide immune protection, they do meet the nutritional needs of the child during the first year of life. The most common formulas are based on cow’s milk, and you will probably get a nutritionist to recommend them.

Is it worth changing the formula often?

If you notice eating disorders when feeding your baby or if your baby becomes restless because of the food, you usually want to switch your baby to a different formula. Unfortunately, this does not solve most of your baby’s eating and restless behavior problems.

In fact, you can change the formula once to see if it is causing the problems mentioned. But you have to remember that the child needs 3–4 days to get used to the new product, so do not expect results immediately. If a week passes and you do not notice any improvement, then you should agree that the problem is not in the formula. Instead of buying more and more expensive breast milk substitutes, it is better to go to the pediatrician and explain that you tried to change the child’s diet, but it did not affect the situation, so you decided to examine the child.

What are allergies?

An allergy is the body’s inadequate reaction to any irritant, which can be both external and internal. Unfortunately, allergies in children today have become a very common disease.

Food allergies in infants need special attention, which is in first place in terms of frequency of occurrence.

If a breastfed baby has food allergies, the cause is a violation of the mother’s diet. In this situation, the mother should closely monitor her diet. Foods that can cause allergy in the baby, such as products of the so-called “Big Eight” (cow’s milk protein, chicken egg protein, fish, crustaceans, seafood, soy, peanuts, walnuts, wheat, and all products made from it), should be avoided.

If a formula-fed baby is found to be allergic, he should be transferred to a formula with high protein hydrolysis; the european formula is an excellent choice. 

Read Also: Advantages That Come With Using Homeopathic Medicines

Signs of allergic reactions in food allergies

When something strange happens to your baby, everyone in the family worries. Let’s look in detail at what the manifestations of allergies may be.

On the skin side, it can be:

1) hives;

2) itching;

3) rash;

4) redness;

5) dry skin.

Newborns have an underdeveloped gastrointestinal tract and an unstable enzyme system, so the body has difficulty assimilating some substances, particularly proteins. Reactions indicative of gastrointestinal allergies:

1) vomiting;

2) colic;

3) diarrhea;

4) blood in the stools;

5) flatulence.

Common manifestations of allergies can be considered: difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, and lacrimation.

If you find manifestations of allergic reactions in a child, you should first analyze what may have provoked it, interrupt contact with the allergen on the child’s body, and consult a pediatrician and allergist.

Choosing a hypoallergenic formula for your baby

The main thing to know when choosing a hypoallergenic formula is that it is a therapeutic food, which, like any other medication, is prescribed only by a doctor.

So, a hypoallergenic formula is one that does not contain components that are most likely to cause a negative reaction. The pediatrician identifies a particular symptom after the child presents it on the basis of tests. Today, there are several types of hypoallergenic formulas, and each one is designed for children with a specific illness, which is why it is so important to choose the right one; otherwise, it will only worsen the situation.

Hypoallergenic formulas are not recommended on their own. If there is a need to transfer the child to artificial feeding, if possible, it should be done after consulting with a pediatrician who knows the characteristics of your baby.

Problems with the environment, the use of various modified ingredients in food, and the use of all kinds of pesticides in the cultivation of plants have led to the fact that today a large number of babies are born with allergic diseases. As a rule, these symptoms appear as early as the first days of life, but sometimes they can occur when a child switches to mixed feeding or if the mother loses milk and needs to feed the baby artificial substitutes. Ordinary baby formulas for allergic children are not suitable, as they contain some components that cause allergies, so it is advisable to switch to hypoallergenic baby formulas.