My boy twin - 6.5 mths - ate some cheddar cheese today, and reacted to it quite badly. He went bright red in the face, a hives rash came up. His bottom lip and tongue seemed to swell up, though it's hard to be sure, and he coughed a lot. It passed in about 15 mins and he seemed fine afterwards.
I took him straight to the GP who will refer him for allergy testing and advised to avoid dairy in the meantime.
He's fully breastfed now, but has had formula in the past with no obvious ill effects. He had a small amount in scbu when he was born, and from 6wks to 3 mths he had one bottle a day, usually taking about 4 oz. At 3 mths he refused the bottle and I didn't push it, so he hasn't had formula since.
So my questions are:
Could he be allergic to cheese but not all dairy? I feel a bit thick here, but what is in cheddar cheese, apart from milk? It was definitely cheese that caused the reaction, a it was a stick of cheddar he was eating, not, say, a sandwich, or something with cheese as an ingredient.
If he is allergic to dairy, how come he seemed to tolerate the formula ok? Do they develop allergies as they get older?
He's got nasty eczema patches on his face around his jawline, and also cradle cap. The rest of his body isn't too bad. If I went dairy free, might that help the eczema?
I'd be grateful if anyone can enlighten me on any of this - feeling a bit at sea with this one!
His twin sister is also being tested as she had a rash round her mouth after eating a tuna mayo sandwich yesterday. I'm thinking egg is probably the likely culprit for her? Cooking family meals in this house is going to be challenging!
Thanks in advance 