Yesterday I gave my one year old a bottle with half and half breastmilk and cow's milk for the first time ever. Afterwards I noticed that her cheeks were really red. But she had no other symptoms of milk allergy -- no tummy issues or diaper rash or anything. She's had this red cheeks thing off and on all winter, and I've just been putting calendula lotion on and it seems fine, but then this milk thing kind of freaked me ovut and started me wondering if it's an allergic reaction. Is it possible for this to be an allergy with no other symptoms?
Just to clarify, could she have been allergic to other stuff all along and I'm just now making the association? Sorry if this sounds totally paranoid here. I'm a first time mom and I feel like I've read so much stuff about milk allergies that it's freaked me out a bit.
I've given her a couple more bottles of half and half with no red cheeks afterwards. I'm going to follow the recommendations to take it slow with the cow's milk and will bring it up with the pediatrician at our visit next week. Thanks, everybody!
If she has had the red cheek thing on and off all winter, I doubt it had anything to do with the milk, right?
it could be just dry skin, i wouldnt worry about it, my daughter gets red cheeks too mainly when her skin is dry or she is cold
Boiled milk is best. Let it just start to boil for a second or two. Let it cool a little and "always" serve it warm.
For her cheeks. Petrolium jelley works great. Try it and you will see.
Good Luck!
S.
My daughter (now 11 yrs old) used to have this EXACT reaction to milk. At first I noticed her cheeks would get red. Occasionally it would spread to being red around her mouth. I asked the pedi and he said just hold off on the milk for a few more months and try again later. When she was a bit older - say maybe 3 years old - it would still happen occasionally if she had a LOT of dairy in a day - say maybe her milk plus a yogurt plus an icecream plus some cheese - and would again occasionally spread around her mouth. When I noticed the signs, I'd cut way back. Honestly I can't remember now when she totally outgrew it - maybe around 5 years old. She's now 11 and drinks milk by the gallons and LOVES it and has no problems at all. Good luck!
I would stay completely away from cows milk, especially so young! Recent research shows cows milk is implicated in the development of type 1 diabetes, among other things. Food sensitivies do not often show up right away as well, and have many types of symptoms. Cows milk can is also associated with chronic earaches, lowered immune function and ezcema. There are so many options that you can try like unsweetened almond and hemp milk. I'm a health coach, and have done a lot of research on this. Try some alternatives(or just stick to breastmilk). Good luck
Sounds like eczema, with is a symtom sometimes related to environmental or food allergies. Take it slow with the cows milk and see if that helps.
If her cheeks have been red off and on all winter and she just had the milk for the first time yesterday I would say that there is NO correlation there.
My ds gets red cheeks sometimes in the winter too from being so cold & dry skin.
Red cheeks do most often equal a food allergy.
"Is it possible for this to be an allergy with no other symptoms?" Yes!
Contrary to popular myth your DD does not need to drink cow's milk...though interestingly unpasturiezed (raw) cow's milk is shown to be less allergy producing.
She can get her iron/Vit. D from other sources (yogurt, kefir, greens).
My husband and I have noticed that our 3-year-old seems to get red cheeks everytime he has something with ginger in it. There are no other symptoms, but there does seem to be a correlation between ginger and the redness.
I would talk to you pediatrician about it. Red cheeks certainly aren't dangerous. It would only be concerning if there were some additional reaction or the possibility for a stronger reaction later. We haven't stopped letting our son eat things with ginger in them.
