The most common allergies in young children are food allergies. But how do you know it's an allergy and what exactly is causing it? Here we go through the symptoms of allergies and what diagnosis and treatments are available!

Common allergies

Food allergies, which are allergies to different types of food, are the most common allergies in young children. More uncommon in young children are airborne allergies, such as pollen and fur allergies. For infants (up to 1 year of age), reactions to milk and eggs are the most common food allergies, but they can also react to soy and fish, among others.

There are several ways to identify an allergy or intolerance/sensitivity, and some of the more common symptoms include these:

• Stomach problems such as colic, abdominal pain, vomiting and loose or hard stools.
• Skin symptoms such as generally dry skin, eczema of varying degrees, reddened rashes and scabs on the scalp with possible spread down the forehead towards the eyebrows.

How are young children diagnosed and what treatment is available?

Blood tests or prick tests are difficult to evaluate in children under the age of 1 year and are often "false" negative. The best approach for young children is usually to use the exclusion method and remove the food from the diet for two to three weeks and then evaluate.

If the mother is breastfeeding, one option is to exclude milk protein from the diet until 100%. If the baby is on formula, you can try a dairy-free formula (there are alternatives such as Nutramigen, Althera or Pepticate). You can often get a sample jar of milk protein-free substitute via BVC or BUMM and if it works, pediatricians can print out jars on the Order Portal that are delivered home.

For skin problems, you should apply emollient creams to the child several times a day to keep the skin soft and intact and to relieve itching. If, despite the emollient cream, itching and/or eczema become troublesome, Hydrocortisone 1% can be used if necessary. You should also reduce contact with water as it dries out the skin, so avoid bathing if possible.

If, despite this treatment, the itching is severe, you can be prescribed an antihistamine. Talk to your BVC or a pediatrician to get the right help!

Children with sensitive skin often react to red vegetables, fruits and berries without being allergic. This is because they contain a dye that causes an allergy-like rash. Try excluding the vegetable or fruit to see if your skin feels better.

To get a grip on allergies and what the underlying cause is, you have to be a bit of a detective as it is a difficult to navigate and tricky area. When you are looking for an allergy at a pediatrician, it is good if you have done the detective work before as it is not possible to test for general allergies, but you must know what you are testing for.

Most of the allergies that occur in young children tend to 'grow out' during the pre-school years and, fortunately, rarely follow them into adulthood.

An allergy in children should be followed up at the BUMM or BVC to determine when the food can be reintroduced into the diet.

A small number of children have more severe allergic reactions that lead to emergency visits due to general discomfort. These should ideally be followed up by a pediatric allergist.

To summarize the article, we can say this:

• Food allergies and skin disorders are the most common types in young children
• In order to make a diagnosis, it helps if you have done some preliminary work and tried to find the cause of the allergic reaction yourself
• There are prick tests and blood tests to do but these often show false negatives in young children
• Ask for advice at the child health center or from a pediatrician
• Most allergies grow out over the years
• Always follow up a child's allergy at BUMM or BVC

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