Dairy free & breast milk

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

My DD has a persistent rash around her mouth that has been there on & off since she started solids - now nearly 2. It has been suggested that it is an allergic rash, we had always thought it was a contact reaction. Taking her to GP tomorrow because she is now itching it but I'm not expecting much enlightenment. Friend who thinks it is allergic suggested I tried cutting out dairy but I'm not clear on whether I need to cut out dairy too - she breastfeeds about 2-4 times a day.

Any pointers for a dairy free trial?

If she didn't have the rash before she started solids it doesn't sound like breastmilk is a problem.
Is there any reason your friend suggested dairy? Perhaps you could keep a food diary and observe the rash rather than eliminating something random?

Good point! Friend suggested dairy as rash similar to other dairy allergies she has seen.

Rash is really constant, not enough changes to be able to identify a culprit by keeping a food dairy I don't think. It has got a bit better in the last 3 months actually but her diet hasn't changed (although I have cut down breastfeeds!)

Hmm. The GP isn't going to be able to do anything, are they.

I really wouldn't start cutting out major food groups from either her diet or yours given that her only symptoms are a rash around the mouth. If it was an allergy, there would be other symptoms by now. I would be more inclined to ask for a referral to a dermatologist if your GP doesn't have a definitive diagnosis. It could in fact be a fungal skin infection as these can be quite common around the mouth area and notoriously difficult to get rid of without the right treatment. As you suggested, it could be also be a contact allergy and there are certain foods like strawberries, tomatoes and other acidic foods that commonly cause rashes around the mouth in babies and young children. They are nothing to worry about and in fact the advice is normally not to avoid the foods in question but to apply a little vaseline around the mouth and chin beforehand and wiping carefully afterwards. Removing a food from the diet can sometimes lead to more problems in the future (the jury's still out but some research shows that avoiding certain foods can in fact lead to allergies in the future).

Vaseline is a really good idea, thank you. Doctor said it sounded like impetigo although it didn't look like it now so I have a cream for that, come back if no change.