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

Food allergies are the most common allergies in small children. Something that is more unusual in young children is airborne allergies, such as pollen and fur allergies. For infants (up to 1 year of age), the most common reactions are to milk and eggs in foods, but they can also react to soy and fish, for example.

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

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

How is a diagnosis made and what treatment is available?
Testing using a blood sample or spot test are difficult to assess in children under the age of one and often show a false negative. The best thing for small children is usually to use the exclusion method and remove a specific food from their diet for two to three weeks to be able to evaluate it.

If the mother is breastfeeding, an alternative is to exclude milk protein from the diet 100%. If your child drinks formula, you can try a milk-free one (alternatives include Nutramigen, Althera or Pepticate). You can often get a sample of milk protein-free formula through child health care services and if it works, paediatricians can prescribe bottles that can be delivered straight to your home.

When it comes to skin problems, you should apply an emollient cream several times a day to keep your child’s skin soft and healthy and to relieve itching. If, despite using an emollient cream, there are issues with itching and/or eczema, you can use Hydrocortisone 1% if necessary. You should also reduce contact with water because it dries out the skin, so avoid baths as much as possible.

If the itching continues to be an issue despite this treatment, antihistamines can be prescribed. Talk to your children’s health centre or a paediatrician to get the right help!

Children with sensitive skin often react to red vegetables, fruits and berries without having any underlying allergy. It is due to a dye in these that causes an allergy-like rash. Try excluding the vegetable or fruit to see if their skin feels better.

In order to get a handle on allergies and what the underlying cause is requires a bit of detective work, as it is a difficult and tricky area to navigate. When checking for an allergy at a paediatrician, it is good if you have done the detective work beforehand, as it is not possible to test for a general allergy, instead you have to know what you are testing for.

Children tend to “grow out” of most allergies during preschool years and they fortunately rarely continue into adulthood.

A child with an allergy must be checked by child health care services in order to determine when the food can be reintroduced into their diet.

A small number of children get more serious allergic reactions that lead to emergency visits due to their general effects. These should ideally be followed up by a paediatric allergist.

To summarise the article, we can say this:

• Food allergies and skin problems are most common in young children
• In order to make a diagnosis, it is easier if you have done preliminary work and tried to find the reason for the allergic reaction on your own
• There are spot tests and blood tests available, but these often show false negatives in young children
• Always ask for advice at the children’s health centre or at a paediatrician
• Children grow out of most allergies over the years
• Always follow up a child’s allergy with child health care services