Baby allergic to cheese?

[TaiTai]

Hi,
I'd appreciate some advice. It occured to me earlier today that my nine-month-old daughter may be allergic to cheese after she threw up a cheese sandwich. She ate the same bread earlier today with no problems, but last week she vomited after eating a very small piece of cheese and also straight away after her first mouthful of a jar of cauliflower cheese babyfood. I put those two incidents down to her being unwell (cold, prompted by teething). However I also remembered that a few months ago she kept throwing up a past meal we made her which included cheese. At the time I put it down to her not being ready to move onto the next stage of solids.
She vomits a little when she's teething - which is now - but hasn't brought up other types of food repeatedly and instantly after eating them. My father is allergic to cheese; he is sick straight away after eating it. Seems to me my daughter is also allergic. Anyone got an opinion and/or experience with cheese allergies? Thank you!

[Heartmum2Jamie]

It sounds like she may have an allergy to me, although I would have thought it was more likely to be the dairy in the cheese, but I am new to all thsi, so what do I know?! My ds reacted to some pizza finger and I am sure that it was the cheese (as he has no problems with tomatoe that I know of). He doesn't vomit but gets hives, rashes and swelling of the lips. I think it would be worth staying away from cheese and perhaps seeing your dr to see if he will refer her for some kind of testing.

[TaiTai]

Thanks for your reply. It's not the dairy because she has had cow's milk with her cereal and in meals with no problem. My father has no problem with milk and ice cream, just cheese.

I'll speak to the HV next time I see her about this, but in the meantime, we had decided not to give my baby cheese.

[TaiTai]

Oh, and my baby loves petit filous and other fromage frais brands and has never been sick after eating them. It does seem to just be cheese.

[imation]

Hi TaiTai,
Hope your liitle one is ok now. My son is allergic to ...... God help me to find out what to!!! I've done soooo many elemination diets by now and still can't work it out. Do you remember what baby food was that? sorry i mean what make? so you can chake the ingridients in it. It might not be a cheese. Also i haven't heard of a single cheese allergy yet, normally its all to dairy.
I've never given him this yourgurt pots as from reading theirs labells i start feelin almost sick
how food producers poisen our kids.

[tatt]

processing milk to make cheese usually makes it less allergenic but changing the proteins could mean an allergy to cheese but not milk. Maybe the problem is the rennet though? Have you always given her the same type of cheese, the baby food could have been not being ready? Bottom line is that you need proper advice, from a doctor experience in allergy and you'll have to fight/ wait forever to get it. If you're lucky she will have grown out of it before you get to see anyone.

[TaiTai]

Tatt, I've given her different types of cheeses. I think you're right that it might be the rennet. I also think you're right that I'll have to fight to get proper advice from a doctor; I had a brief word with my GP about it today in passing, and she wasn't very helpful. Imation, I know people are more likely to be allergic to dairy rather than just cheese, but believe me cheese allergies do exist! As I said before, my father is allergic to cheese but not to other dairy products. The amount of ice cream he eats, he couldn't be. I'm going to speak to the HV and go from there and monitor things.

[tatt]

I'd probably just avoid cheese until she's at least a year if she was mine but you could try a goats or sheeps milk cheese to see if she can tolerate those. And I'd nag the GP again to try and get a referral if she still has a problem when she's older.

[Eaney]

My DS is allergic to several things and is under the care of a consultant. He used to be allergic to cow's m ilk but then grew out of it. I then gave him some cheese and he had very bad reaction. This has totally stumped the consultant as she cannot understand how he can eat choc and yoghurt but not be able to eat cheese. SHe speculated that it might be colouring but was unconvinced.

I know of other people who have allergy to cheese alone even if the experts seem stumped.