Breast/chestfeeding Your Baby with Food Allergies

Important information:

If you have been told that your breast/chestfed infant has food allergies, you may be wondering if you can continue to breast/chestfeed. You may be surprised that in most cases, the answer is yes.

• Even a baby who has never had formula or food other than breast milk, may show signs of a food allergy or sensitivity. These symptoms include:

  • Diarrhea

  • Bloody stools

  • Vomiting

  • Colic

  • Eczema

  • Poor growth

• A common symptom is bloody stools which usually occurs between 2 to 6 weeks of age.

• Proteins from the foods that you eat may appear in your breast milk within 3 to 6 hours after eating them.

• Your healthcare provider will give you specific instructions if removing a certain food is recommended in your diet.

• You can continue to breast/chestfeed, but you may need to stop eating the food that may be causing the problem for at least 2 weeks. If your baby's symptoms do not get better, your baby's healthcare provider may have you start eating that food again.

• If your baby has vomiting or a rash after you start eating the food again, it should be discussed immediately with your baby's healthcare provider.

• Unless your baby's healthcare provider tells you to avoid a certain food, you do not need to cut anything out of your diet. Avoiding foods while breast/chestfeeding could actually increase the risk of food allergies in your child.

Instructions for breast/chestfeeding your baby with food allergies:

Foods most likely to cause allergic reactions in children are:

• Cow’s milk (all forms of dairy including milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream)

• Eggs

• Soy

• Wheat

• Peanuts

• Tree nuts

• Shellfish fish

• Sesame seeds

These ingredients must be listed on all food packaging labels as mandated by The Food and Drug Administration.

Remember that any food can potentially cause an allergy.

• Deciding which food is the problem can be challenging. One way to determine which foods are a problem for your baby is to keep a diary of the foods you eat along with a record of your baby’s symptoms.

• If you notice a pattern of worsening symptoms whenever you eat certain foods, then try eliminating these foods from your diet. If symptoms improve in about 3-4 days, discuss the period of elimination and future re-introduction with your healthcare provider.

• In certain situations, it can take time for the baby’s symptoms to improve.

• If your baby shows no signs of improvement or symptoms get worse after 2 weeks of a diet free of dairy, there may be other causes. This should be discussed with your healthcare provider.

• You may need to stay on this restricted diet the entire time you are breast/chestfeeding, or until your infant is 1 year-old.

• A registered dietitian can assist you in making modifications to your diet and provide you guidance.

Breast milk provides important benefits for your baby.

• Health benefits include protection from infections, higher IQ scores, and reduction in chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

• Breast/chestfeeding creates a special bond.

• In most patients, it is safe to continue breast/chestfeeding throughout the elimination process. It is important to discuss any diet changes with a healthcare provider.

• If your baby is developing symptoms and your healthcare provider has specific concerns about milk, you will need to carefully read all food labels to eliminate foods that might contain dairy. Milk is considered a major food allergen under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2006. All food products containing milk as an ingredient must list the word “Milk” on the product label. If you are unsure about any product, confirm ingredients with the manufacturer.

For more information about food labeling laws, go to www.foodallergy.org.

Look for the following words on food labels and avoid any of these foods:

• Artificial butter flavor

• Lactoglobulin butter, butterfat, butter oil, lactalbumin

• Buttermilk, lactoferrin

• Casein, lactulose, caseinates milk, cheese, nougat, cream, pudding,

• Cottage cheese, Recaldent, curds, rennet, casein

• Custard, sour cream, dry milk solids, sour milk solids

• Ghee, whey, half & half, yogurt

Other ingredients that may be clues to the presence of milk protein include:

• Caramel candies

• Chocolate

• Flavorings

• High protein flour

• Lactic acid starter

• Lactose

• Lunch meat, hot dogs, sausages

• Margarine

• Non-dairy products

You can have a well-balanced diet without dairy. Fish, beef, chicken, eggs, nuts, and beans provide protein. You can use calcium-fortified soy milk, rice milk or fortified orange juice to supply you with 1,000 mg of calcium each day, or you can take a calcium supplement. Continue taking a multivitamin. Be sure to read the labels on your vitamins and any medications that you are taking.

Reviewed Feb 2025 by Megan Lewis, MSN, CRNP, Laura Gober, MD, Rachelle Lessen, MS, RD, IBCLC