When a baby seems to be reacting badly to your current European baby formula you are probably wondering what is causing the issue.
You might think it is a cow’s milk allergy or perhaps cow's milk intolerance, these are two very different problems but, they are often used interchangeably, resulting in confusion and improper treatment.
Let’s take a look at each one and the European baby formulas that can help to ease your little ones tummy troubles.
Milk Allergy
An infant's immune system reacts negatively to the proteins in cow’s milk when there is an actual milk allergy. The baby's immune system sees the cow’s milk protein as an invader and then releases histamines and other chemicals to fight the unwanted substance.
When an infant with a cow’s milk allergy is exposed to proteins in the milk, it binds to IgE antibodies made by the immune system. This triggers the little ones immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe.
Allergy to cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in infants and young children. About 2.5 percent of children under three years old are allergic to milk. Nearly all infants who develop an allergy to milk do so in their first year of life.
Most children eventually outgrow their allergy to cow’s milk by the time they are around 3 years old. If young children who are allergic to fresh milk but can eat food with baked milk without reaction, they will be more likely to outgrow their milk allergy at an earlier age than young children who also react to food made with cow’s milk.
Lactose Intolerance
Involving the digestive system: milk intolerance occurs when an infant body does not make enough lactase-the enzyme needed to digest lactose.
Instead of digesting normally in your little one's stomach and small intestine, undigested lactose moves into baby's colon, where it’s broken down by bacteria and causes bloating and gas.
It can be uncomfortable for an infant, but it’s not dangerous and can be easily remedied with the right nutrition.