Allergic to something in formula, but NOT milk or soy

poemmom

Tue, Nov 18 2008, 10:43 am

Has anyone had experience with this?

DD tried formula for the first time at 5 months old-- a TINY bit mixed with rice cereal. Suddenly she got a red raised rash around her mouth, but was fine otherwise. It went away in less than 1 hour.

She is fine with the cereal without formula. Has been breastfed only till now, and I plant to continue that -- I just want formula for mixing in cereal, and for occasional babysitting, so I don't have to pump for that.

Doc thinks this is NOT a milk or soy allergy, because I eat/drink lots of milk & soy and it doesn't bother DD for nursing, and also because those allergies usually manifest themselves more digestively, not just a rash. So she thinks it is something else in the formula, but doesn't know what.

We decided to bring a different formula to her 6 month check up and feed it in the docs office in case there is a more serious reaction (since that can happen on a second try), but I'm a little nervous.

Any thoughts? The formula she tried was Enfamil Lipil (my other kids were fine with that), so I'm thinking next time we'll try Similac. I noticed the hypoallergenic formulas are not kosher, and obviously DD doesn't medically need them since I am nursing, so those are out. Also, she was 1 month premature, so I'm thinking maybe her digestive system is less mature, so there is a chance she will outgrow whatever reaction that was next time I try.

poemmom

Tue, Nov 18 2008, 11:49 am

The ingredients don't list corn syrup, unless they are calling it something else. As far as I can tell it is sweetened with lactose (the sugar naturally found in cow milk). And as I mentioned, she has no symptoms of lactose-intolerance OR of milk allergy.

montrealmommy

Tue, Nov 18 2008, 9:16 pm

corn products can be disguised as glucose-fructose. My ds was severly allergic to corn. also, some formulas have albumin which can be egg derived (also a common allergen). Some also have "vitamins and mineral" added, which can cause allergic reactions (rashes) in babies. Call the company and ask to speak with someone in the lab/development - when I did that, I mentioned I was looking for specific allergen information; they were very helpful.

poemmom

Tue, Nov 18 2008, 9:53 pm

montrealmommy wrote:

That's good to know. But how do I know which ingredient is the problem, since there is nothing to compare it to? It could be any or all of them. It seems like there is no choice but to just try our luck with a different formula?

ganizzy

Wed, Nov 19 2008, 1:20 am

if ur desperate - which ur not - but if u have time and money u can take her to a "dr" that can tell u what specific thing she is allergic to based on her reactions to those items in test tubes.

I would try changing the formula and seeing what happens

the hypoallergen (whatever theyre called) formula are very expensive but some are kosher. elecare is unoficially kosher with the ou and neocate is fine as well. medicaid would cover it if she needs it