Could your baby's crying be caused by a milk allergy?

ONE in five babies cries frequently for no apparent reason, and the cause may be cow’s milk allergy.

It is one of the most common childhood food allergies in the developed world, affecting 2%-7.5% of under-ones, yet it can be difficult to identify, as symptoms are diverse, ranging from colic and eczema to vomiting and diarrhoea.

More than 90% of mums whose child had cow’s milk allergy knew nothing about the condition before the diagnosis. There are two types of cow’s milk allergy: IgE-mediated and non-IgE-mediated. IgE is an antibody that plays a major role in allergic diseases. In an IgE-mediated allergy, symptoms occur within minutes after eating or drinking anything that contains cow’s milk protein. In a non-IgE-mediated allergy, symptoms may not appear for many hours or for a few days.