Allergic Reaction to Formula

My son was not allergic to formula but was sensitive to the corn syrup solids in them. We put him on Alimentum. It was the only lactose free formula without corn syrup. He would scream all the time and have GI problems. It could be that or maybe an allergy to a baby food. Good luck! J. (mom of 3)

Is it possible that it could be eczema? My little one had varying degrees of redness and bumps on her neck, arms, and stomach. We took her to the doctor and she was prescribed an ointment. We also try to put lotion on to help before it can get bad. The lotion helps to maintain but when it was bad she needed the medicated ointment to get it under control. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I would try changing detergent or double rinsing his clothes. When i was a kid my mom discovered i was allergic to All.

Hi LaDreka,

If your son has been on the same formula for the last 8 months it is probably not an allergy to that, but it still could be allergies.

Seasonal allergies can cause skin rashes. It could also be exema (sp?). Two of my friend's children have it. It causes fine little bumps. Sometimes it is itchy and sometimes it isn't. She uses a Mustella baby bath and lotion and loves it.

Another thing to consider, I have an intollerance to UV rays from the sun. It causes a fine and extremely itchy rash. My mom had the same problem, so does one of my nieces and my youngest daughter. Even if she is out in the son for as little as 20 minutes she will break out in a rash.

Have you tried switching him to goat milk, regular low fat milk, or lactose? It may be time to make the transition.
As the baby is 8 months old are you feeding him foods yet? If so with baby vitamins he can get a lot of the nutrients, vitamins etc., from the food he is consuming and may not need the formula anymore.
Have a family member who had to take their baby off formula at two months and go to something else. If it is an allergy to the formula this may be the solution?
Where do you live? There is a dermatologist in Plainfield by the hospital who gets children in very quickly, like within a week. You might check into seeing him instead of waiting until August!

Is he eating any baby cereal? We had the same problem and it ended up being an alergic reaction to the Barley Cereal.

I would contact a dermatologist in a different city & see if I could get in sooner. I've had to travel 2 hours to get my child in to a doctor. Allergies, especially to a food, are nothing to mess around with. When did the rash start? Has he always been on formula? When did you start food or have you? Does he vomit? Four of my kids have had allergies, so I have a bit of experience with them. Please don't wait until August. Has your family doctor seen him? He can get him in sooner.

Our youngest has allergies, asthema, eczema, reflux, atopy, colic...he was a difficult baby. But we got him into Riley's and were able to figure out what he needed. Your son may have eczema. We use the generic, fragrance-free cream from Wal-Mart. It comes in a tub -- it does not have a hand pump. We also use Purex Free detergent -- it's free of fragrance & dyes. And sensitive baby wipes. We've tried the homemade kind, and they didn't help...sensitive/fragrance free was easier & seemed to do the trick. I'd recommend using some of those products. As for the dermatologist, I'd try to find another one. That's a long ways away for an 8 month old. :(

Good luck & hang in there. This too shall pass!

I wouldn't wait for the dermatologist appointment. You should take your baby to your family doctor for pediatrician. It very well could be the babies formula. They can assist you in determining the problem.

I can't imagine that if it was an allergic reaction to the formula, it would not cover his entire body (head and face included). It would not be just from the neck down. I would change detergent first. Are you certain that it is not heat rash? That could be in areas covered by clothes and not his head and face. Has he had a fever recently? One of my twins had a rash all over his back and belly after a fever, so I was told to keep him in two-piece outfits so those areas would not be so warm and continue to develop the rash, and it went away pretty quickly. His skin did dry out from the rash, so we are lotioning him up pretty good now trying to fix that. Good luck.

Switch to a soy based formula. Try Avenno products. If neither of these work than it is something else. My ped. has told me not to use any fabric softners until about one years old so if your using that try to stop to see if that helps. I am a mother of 8 so I hope my advice helps!

My daughter couldnt use several of the commercial brands (Similac or Infamil) made with a Lactose base... I had to take her to a lactose free (Soy) based formula thickened with a little cereal (she had reflux too)...after we did that, we didnt have much trouble!-- If the soy doesnt work, talk to your pediatrician and if he/she wont do anything about it, call a family doc...or vice-a-versa...Good Luck and hope this was helpful!

My daughter developed a rash and severe itching when she was just over 7 months old. We tried everything as well and finally was diagnosed with exscema. However, we had a huge issue with the Aquaphor. Since it is petroleum based, it didn't let her skin breath and made it worse. I found a water based soap and lotion called Little Docs. It comes in a green container and I currently buy it at Target. We still use it often when she is itchy from pollen allergens, etc.

Hope this helps. Good Luck.

since hes rash is everywhere his clothes touch, and not on his face... definitely switch to a free and clear detergent!

What has his pedeatrician said on the rash? you will get into see him/her before a dermatologist. Have you given her Benadryl for infants? These are just a few of the first ideas.

hi, my son was allergic to cows milk since he was around 2 weeks old...during the first week he is ok with it but suddenly red rashes appeared all over the arms, legs...( i thought it was eczema)we switched to soya milk the next day,(we went to the his pedia) and that day the rashes were gone...he is 6 months old now and still drinking Isomil eye Q, soya base...try switching to soya milk, if the rashes still there try using different detergent...God bless!

Hi LaDreka,
I have the SAME issue with my 11mo old son. He has what I think is excema. I too have tried everything from all kinds of lotions, to switching detergents, to switching to soy formula...and nothing has worked. My pediatrician says he might grow out of it, and is having us try cortizone but it doesn't work. I also made an appt with a dermatologist but can't get in until Aug. so I am going to call a homeopathic doctor that someone reccommended. I will let you know if it helps. Her name is Dr. Cortreau and her practice is in Centerville. I wish I had some advice for you but at least you are not alone. Good luck!

Hi LaDreka,

My son did not have an allergic reaction to formula but he was allergic to Dreft. Eventhough Dreft is babysoft it still has fragrances. We only use fragrance free laundry detergent for him (All-free, SUN-free or Shaklee). We also have to buy fragrance free bodywash and lotion.

S.

Hi, my son was allergic to his formula(Enfamil). We had to start giving him Isomil which worked great for him. He was 8 months old too before we found out he was allergic to his formula. He was constantly crying, rash & bumps on entire body, and fever. My poor baby, I hated to see him hurt and cry so much. I took him to 5 doctors before(of course)a female doctor figured it out and she's the one who put him on the Isomil. That was 20 yrs ago, so they might have something different or better available now. I have often teased my husband about the fact that it was a female doctor who figured out what was wrong with him. It's amazing to me that none of those other doctors knew what was wrong with him. When he was 4 months old I took him to another doctor to try to figure out what was wrong with him and he told me to give him orange juice. I knew as soon as he said that, that he was not someone that I should take advice from. I even asked him if I should dilute it and he said no just give it to him straight. Anyway, I hope you figure it all out and he gets better. Good luck to you. Please let us know what happens.

Get an appointment with ANOTHER doctor!

Where are you located? I know of a natural med doc you might want to see.

try a soy formula this may help sooth things down until you see the doctor . what does the pediatrician say about this rash?

I had this problem too with detergents and the doctor said to use these: Purex or Arm & Hammer for laundry soap and Downey for softener. Never use dryer sheets. For bath soap use the purest Dove liquid you can find and the same with lotion. The other laundry soaps bead up on clothes and cause irritations. Both my kids had problems with formulas but they showed it by having digestive problems.

I never had to switch because of an allergi reaction. I do have an idea for the rash though, strange as it might sound. Have you tried putting some desitin creamy on it? Give it a shot. That stuff works great. My aunt even uses it on her cold sores. She's diabetic and has to watch what she uses but the doc ok'd this and she said it works great! Let us know how it goes. Good luck to you and your little one! Shannon G.

Allergies can develop to any thing at any time, I personally keep developing new ones and it is frustrating. But if you have ruled out other possiblitles your child's regular doctor should be able to see him for a formula allergy. They see this more than you think. Another option would be to take him to a family doctor. An allergy like this needs pretty quick attention. My son had an allergic reaction to something unknown at the time so I know it can be frustrating. I personally wouldn't go to a dermatologist yet, his pediciatrian should be able to see him for this.

Our son was breastfed until 6 mos, then because of work, had to get on formula. It was terrible, he was allergic to every formula. An Amish women gave us some fresh goat's milk and he has been drinking it ever since, loves it, and has had no allergic symptoms. He is so healthy, and the other children drink it too and so far seem to be so healthy with no medical problems. Look up goat's milk online. Soy products did not work at all. I looked up soy online and did not like what I found.

Dreft has fragrance, which can be an allergan. Try Tide Free or any other fragrance free detergent.

Hello, I have had this problem but it was many years ago. Our daughter was allergic to her formula and the Dr. put her on Sobee. I am not sure if it is still in stores but if not they probably have a different name for it so you might like to try it??? It really worked for us. Good Luck K.

When our daughter was 5mo old she broke out over her entire body, it ended up being eczema. It took some time to get it cleared up with the help of a dermatologist. We had the same issue trying to get into see the dermatologist but after many phone calls found out the the dermatologist has a nurse practitioner and that they are easier to get into and if they can not diagnose they can pull the actual dermatologist in for assistance. We ended up bypassing the waiting list that way thank goodness... maybe your dermatologist could work the same way. Good Luck!