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Food Allergies in Children
While childhood food allergies are commonly suspected, healthcare providers diagnose them less frequently than most people realize. These allergies occur in up to 6 to 8 percent of children under the age of three. In some cases, kids will outgrow their food allergies (especially when they are allergic to milk or soy). Breastfeeding can delay the start of food allergies by delaying exposure to allergens.
Food allergies occur in up to 6 to 8 percent of children under the age of three. If your child has an unpleasant reaction to something he or she has eaten, you might wonder if he or she is allergic. While food allergies in children are commonly suspected, healthcare providers diagnose them less frequently than most people realize.
Adults usually keep their food allergies for life, but children sometimes outgrow them. Children are more likely to outgrow food allergies to milk or soy than allergies to peanuts or shrimp. The foods to which children usually react are those foods they eat often. In Japan, for example, rice allergy is more frequent. In Scandinavia, codfish allergy is more common.
Most patients who have true food allergies have other types of allergies, such as dust or pollen, and children with both food allergies and asthma are at increased risk for more severe reactions.
Some babies are very sensitive to a certain food. If you are nursing and eat that food, sufficient amounts can enter your breast milk, causing a food reaction in your baby. To keep possible food allergens out of your breast milk, you might try not eating those foods that could cause an allergic reaction in your baby, such as peanuts.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD