What is Food Reaction Or Intolerance in Babies?

Does your baby have food allergies or food intolerance? How can you recognize food intolerance or food allergy in your baby or young child? Here is some basic information that every parent should know. First, there is a difference in food allergy and food intolerance with the latter being much more common. If you have tried to feed your baby certain foods and he or she experienced gas, fussiness, stomach pains, diarrhea, constipation or similar conditions, this is probably due to an intolerance such as lactose intolerance.

All this means is that the baby's body lacks the proper enzymes to process the food properly and the immune system sees it as a threat and will attack it. The symptoms are usually mild and will go away once the food is out of the system. Most babies will outgrow these intolerance as they grow older.

If they do not go away completely, they may lessen so that the food can still be enjoyed from time to time or in moderation, even if it does come with some uncomfortable symptoms.

True food allergy is more rare and more serious. This is when the body sees the food as a threat and fights it. In its worst case, it can present as anaphylaxis which may result in death. The reaction to allergic foods can get worse with each exposure to the food. If your baby has a food allergy, you should avoid exposure to the foods which cause the allergic reaction.

While a baby can be allergic to any food, there are some that are most common such as peanut, tree nut, milk, wheat, soy and fish/shellfish. If your baby already has a known allergy, be cautious introducing any of these possible allergens for the first time.