Allergy in the baby: symptoms and treatment
Even a baby can develop an allergy to completely harmless substances. Find out here why a baby can get an allergy and how you can reduce the triggers at an early stage.
Why does a baby get an allergy?
Basically, you can get an allergy at any age. This means that your baby can already produce specific antibodies in the womb. However, the risk increases considerably if you or your partner are allergic yourself. However, only the predisposition to develop, for example,asthmaorneurodermatitisis inherited, but not a special allergy.
What causes an allergy in the baby?
Your baby’s body is hypersensitive to certain environmental substances that are actually completely harmless when you have an allergy. It is very different whether the allergic reaction is triggered by inhaling, injecting, drinking or touching a substance. Unlike adults, who have a fully developed immune system, even small amounts of an allergen are sufficient in infants to cause violent reactions such as swelling, diarrhoeaor rash within minutes. Whether chemical, animal or plant – substances that can trigger an allergy in your baby are, for example:
- Substances in cosmetics
- Plant protection substances
- Ingredients in food
- Bee pollen from grasses, shrubs and trees
- Poisons from insects, especially bees and wasps
- Animal hair and skin
- Mold spores
- Dust mites
- fabric softeners, detergents and other detergents
Detecting allergy in the baby
Recognizing an allergy in the baby is not always easy. For example, many newborns wheeze during a cold just as they would with an allergy. Only if the wheezing does not disappear even after a cold, this could be an indication of an allergy. The most common symptoms that speak for an allergy in your baby are:
- Eyes: Inflamed or swollen eyelids that are either damp, sticky, or very dry
- Skin: Flat, itchy reddening of the skin with blisters, crusting and dandruff, very itchy wheals, water retention
- Gastrointestinal tract: Vomiting, bloody stools, diarrhea, colicky abdominal pain
- Lungs and respiratory tract: Asthmatic symptoms, hay fever, inflamed throat, narrowing of the airways up to acute shortness of breath
Preventing allergy in the baby
Whether your baby gets an allergy depends on the circumstances in which he grows up. Both too early and too intensive contact with possible allergy triggers such as animal hair, dust mites and pollen play an essential role. Although your baby may be prone to developing an allergy due to a predisposition, there are things you can do to minimize the risk of getting sick:
- Smoke: Whether active or passive smoking – you should strictly avoid cigarette smoke during pregnancy, lactation and after birth and keep it away from your child.
- Breastfeeding: It is recommended that you breastfeed your baby for the first four to six months.
- Complementary food: Introduce complementaryfoodsonly gradually and slowly, after the fourth month. You should always introduce new ingredients and foods a few days apart to see if your baby can tolerate them.
- Pets: If your baby has a high risk of developing an allergy, you should refrain from buying a cat or dog as a precaution.
- Stuffed animals: Since your baby’s fluffy stuffed animal collection is a real magnet for dust mites, you should wash the cuddly toys regularly. Alternatively, you can put them in the freezer overnight and knock them out in the morning – so the dust mites simply fall out.
In the worst case, anaphylactic shock can also occur. For this reason, you should always have an emergency kit with you, especially in the summer months, if your baby is allergic to a bee or wasp sting, for example. It is best to discuss with your pediatrician what such a first aid kit should contain.