Food Allergy Living is a resource for parents of children with food allergies, brought to you by Nutricia, the makers of Neocate. For more in-depth information about our purpose & authors, see our About Food Allergy Living page.
We've shared R.J.'s story before (and his little brother Ken). As a child he had severe,painful eczema that covered his entire body. His parents tried everything, but he didn't find relief until they switched to Neocate.
We wanted to share this sweet video that his parents sent to us recently. Today R.J. is 5 years old, and doing great! He is still allergic to milk, but Neocate has helped make him a happy and health little boy.
-Sarah
Here at Neocate, we often talk with concerned parents who tell us they’ve read other stories from parents whose children had a terrible rash that was only helped by Neocate after lots of trial and error. Frequently, these parents tell us they don’t feel their doctor is familiar with food allergies. Just yesterday a father told me that his pediatrician kept telling him that “every baby gets rashes, it’s normal; he’ll grow out of it.”
Some pediatricians and many parents are surprised to learn that about seven percent of children have food allergies. Many parents who eventually learn that their child has a food allergy, which can only be treated by changing the diet, wish their journey to a solution had been shorter and simpler. Here are some tips for what you can do if you feel your doctor isn’t recognizing your little one’s rash as a possible sign of a food allergy.
A rash is often the first sign of a food allergy that a parent notices. While it’s true that almost all babies experience diaper rash at some point, this is not the same as a rash caused by food allergy. Diaper rash, like many rashes, is caused by something on the outside: wet or rubbing diapers, scented lotion, rough fabrics, or even fabric softener. It’s important to rule out these other causes that might contribute to eczema, atopic dermatitis, or itching.
If you’ve eliminated potential causes, it’s more likely that the rash is caused by something on the inside: a food allergen. If you document all steps you’ve taken to eliminate other culprits, the doctor is more likely to consider a food allergy as the cause of your baby’s rash. If you notice that your baby has a rash and you think it might be related to a food allergy, check to see if your baby exhibits any other signs of a food allergy. It’s unusual for a baby with food allergy to only have a rash. Make a list of your baby’s symptoms which could also be caused by a food allergy to provide to the doctor.
Many parents tell us that they went through multiple different infant formulas before finally finding relief with Neocate. Some infants don’t even tolerate breast milk because of dairy foods in the mom’s diet. Make notes of the different symptoms that did not go away with each formula you’ve tried. Many doctors assume a soy formula or hydrolyzed formula will help if the baby has a milk allergy. However, many babies with a milk allergy also have a soy allergy and can be extremely sensitive to even small amounts of milk protein.
When you discuss your baby’s rash with the pediatrician, explain that you think you have ruled out other causes, and explain the list of changes you tried that did not help. Inform the doctor that food allergy is common among infants, and explain the other symptoms your child is experiencing which could be related to food allergy. Skin creams are commonly prescribed for rashes. While these creams may help to reduce inflammation and itching caused by a food allergy, they will not help other allergy symptoms such as diarrhea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or wheezing. Only a change in the diet will truly solve the problem.
When you see your pediatrician, you may also want to request a referral to an allergist (narrow your search by selecting the “Food Allergy” specialty). The allergy testing that these professionals perform provides the best information to help your child find a diagnosis and relief from a food allergy.
Finally, share with the doctor your knowledge of Neocate, the amino acid-based formula that makes such a difference for babies with food allergies. It’s important to follow the steps to help give your baby’s rash the best chance to heal. We know that it is so hard to see your little one feeling so uncomfortable but remember it may take some time, even after you start using Neocate.
What steps did you take to know that your baby’s rash was caused by food allergy?
- Rob
As a reminder for all of our customers who are currently on Neocate One+, we would like to inform you that Nutricia North America has discontinued Neocate One+. Although patients may still find Neocate One+ in circulation, Nutricia’s inventory is being totally depleted.
We encourage our Neocate One+ users to transition to Neocate Junior or Neocate Junior with Prebiotics. Neocate Junior provides the same if not better nutritional support than Neocate One+, including higher vitamins and minerals. Neocate Junior also meets nutrient requirements at a lower volume and is more cost efficient.
As always, be sure to consult with your physician before switching formulas. If you have further questions or need assistance with transitioning, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-365-7354, Mon.-Fri., 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST and ask to speak with our nutrition specialists.
-Sarah
Quite often, we receive calls from families who are distraught and worried after trying five or six different infant formulas that their child with food allergies was not able to tolerate before finding Neocate (an amino acid-based formula). Often, the formulas they tried in the past were hydrolysate formulas (such as Alimentum, Nutramigen and Pregestimil), which are labeled as hypoallergenic. So I often hear the question. “If this formula is hypoallergenic, why didn’t it work for my baby with food allergies?”
In order to answer this question, I’ll need to explain exactly what a hydrolysate formula is and how they differ from elemental or amino acid-based formulas. The main difference is: hydrolysate formulas have milk proteins in them! Amino acid-based or elemental formulas, like Neocate, are 100% milk-free and made up of non allergenic amino acids (the building blocks of protein) so there is a very slim chance of a child having an allergic reaction to them.
The reason hydrolysate formulas can say they are hypoallergenic is because the milk proteins they use in the formulas are broken down (or hydrolyzed) so that the body’s immune system may not detect the proteins as being an allergen. But with the number of calls we get from families in distress over their little one not tolerating the hydrolysate formula, I can tell you that it is not always the fix all for a child facing food allergies. This is where an elemental or amino acid-based formula comes in. It is sometimes stated that amino acid-based formulas are “super” hypoallergenic compared with hydrolysate formulas. This basically means amino acid-based formulas are more hypoallergenic than hydrolysate formulas.
In general, studies show that amino acid-based formulas are tolerated by 98% of severely allergic babies. Although many food allergy babies tolerate hydrolysate formulas, there is a subset that do not - often showing with symptoms like severe diarrhea, vomiting, rashes and failure to thrive.
A relatively recent study demonstrates the intolerance concern with hydrolysate formulas by stating that “there are clinical benefits from the use of amino acid-based formulas in both symptoms and growth in infants and children with cow’s milk allergy who fail to tolerate extensively hydrolyzed formula”1. Another study showed that up to 30% of babies with food allergies did not tolerate the hydrolysate formula2. This is important to know especially if your little one (or someone else’s infant) is still having food allergy related symptoms and is currently using a hydrolysate formula.
Did your child not tolerate a hydrolyzed formula? What did you do?
- Christine
1 Hill DJ, The efficacy of amino acid based formula in relieving the symptoms of cows milk allergy-A systematic review. Clin Exp Allergy. 2007.
2 Latcham et al, A consistent pattern of minor immunodeficiency and subtle enteropathy in children with multiple food allergy. J Pediatr. 2003.
One of my favorite parts about being a nutrition specialist is talking to parents. While sometimes I just answer questions, other times I am able to hear a family’s actual allergy story. This is great because it helps me understand what parents are really going through.
Unfortunately, one thing I constantly hear from parents is that it took months and several doctor visits before their child was finally diagnosed with milk protein allergy.
Since there seems to be a lack of awareness about the symptoms of milk protein allergy, I wanted to quickly run through some of the most common symptoms – the more allergy parents or soon-to-be parents know, hopefully the better the diagnosis process.
Because one of the symptoms of a milk protein allergy is extreme fussiness, doctors often dismiss the other symptoms and diagnose the baby with colic. This happens all too often, causing little ones to suffer for far too long.
For more information on colicky babies and milk allergies, check out the article: What is Colic.
Other common symptoms of a milk protein allergy include:
If you’re baby is experiencing any of these symptoms, visit your doctor. And in the mean time check out testforallergy.com to take a free test online that will help you determine if your baby has a milk allergy.
- Nita
A few weeks ago, I shared the story about a little boy named R.J. His primary milk protein allergy symptom, eczema, was much more visible than some of the other symptoms. I’d like to share another testimonial from a mother whose little girl displayed different symptoms with her milk protein allergy. What these two stories do have in common, though, is that both children suffered from symptoms that seem like just typical baby ailments so it took longer than it should have to get a correct diagnosis and start treatment.
From the first night that Jill brought her new little girl, Natalie, home from the hospital, she was sick to her tummy. Natalie suffered from painful gas, diarrhea and vomiting. Natalie was screaming constantly and it was taking a toll on the entire family. After weeks and numerous visits to the pediatrician, Natalie was finally given the correct diagnosis of a milk protein allergy and was put on an amino acid based formula. For the entire story, click here.
Unfortunately, I have talked to countless parents who experienced these, and the other symptoms of a milk protein allergy, often for too long than they should have.
If any of these symptoms sound a little too familiar to you, visit http://www.testforallergy.com/ for a quick “test” to see if your child is showing sings of a milk allergy. If so, the site will also provide you with helpful information you can discuss with the pediatrician.
- Sarah
We would like to let you know that Nutricia North America is currently transitioning Neocate Infant original formulation families to Neocate Infant DHA 
& ARA. Neocate Infant original will be discontinued October 1, 2011.
Neocate Infant DHA & ARA provides the same nutritional advantages as Neocate Infant original and has the added benefit of DHA and ARA. DHA and ARA are two nutrients present in breast milk and are known to help brain and eye development.
As always, be sure to consult with your physician before switching formulas. We are also informing healthcare professionals and have requested that they transition their patients to Neocate Infant DHA & ARA immediately.
If you have further questions or need assistance with transitioning, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-Neocate (Monday through Friday 8:30 am - 8:00 pm EST) and ask to speak with our nutrition specialist.
- Sarah