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What's the difference between an allergy and an intolerance and when it comes to children and babies what are the warning signs?

Once again we are supremely honoured to welcome the incredible team of experts from Riverside Cares to join us here on this very talk thread to answer your questions. The topic of the day is allergies however feel to pose any childcare-related question and our swat team of experts will do their utmost to answer you.

Get your questions posted as soon you can and come and join us (or just catch up when you have a moment) to read the answers to your questions.

Introducing the team:

Gaby Morris, co-founded professional childcare agency Riverside Cares 25 years ago and is regularly published in professional childcare magazines here and in the United States. Gaby chairs a charity focused on supporting youth among many other talents.

Jill Wheatcroft MSc, BSc Community Children’s Nursing, RSCN, Post Grad Dip Academic Practice, First Aid Instructor, A1 Assessor has extensive experience as a Paediatric Nursing Sister and Lecturer in Child Health at City University and is the co-founder of Riverside Cares. Her in-depth of knowledge of childcare in home, community and hospital settings enables her to support others working in the childcare sector, as well as providing sound well thought out advice and support for families, underpinned by her extensive knowledge.

Dr Emma Haycraft is a Senior Lecturer at Loughborough University whose research expertise includes parenting during mealtimes. MN Hackney was very lucky to attend one of her talks and you can read our blog post with just some of Emma's brilliant tips and advice here

POST YOUR QUESTIONS ON THIS TALK THREAD NOW AND JOIN US ON 24TH NOVEMBER TO RECEIVE YOUR ANSWERS.

Hi there team of experts!
I would really love some advice, my son is 5 and has mild eczema on the backs of his legs. It used to be a lot worse but the doctor prescribed some steroid cream which cleared most of it up. I'm not really a fan of steroid cream and don't really want to go back and get more as I'm sure there must something a little more natural I could use instead. At the moment I am applying aqueous cream every evening which seems to help but would love to know if there's anything if there is anything that might help clear it up rather than just easing the itching.
Thanks in advance!

Hi
My son is 4 next week. He has been intolerant to dairy since he was born. We have reintroduced everything apart from milk itself as he still cant tolerate it. He's a very picky eater and looks pale alot of the time. We give him a vitamin supplement but I am worried that he may not be getting enough of what he needs. We are having big behavioural problems with him and I have read up on the potential correlation between gut problems and behaviour, what do you think of this? Thanks so much. Kate

Great questions so far Mumblecrumble8 & Kate, keep them coming!

I stopped breast-feeding about 2 months ago and have been giving my 16 month old Growing up formula since then, instead of cow's milk because I always suspected a slight intolerance. I haven't dared put him on cow's milk, in case it keeps him up at night (sleep is a bit of an issue still!). How should I introduce it? Or is there an alternative? Many thanks

Hi My 4 year old is allergic to an additive (flavouring or colouring) in things like baby medicine and antibiotics. Obviously this makes it hard to treat him when he's poorly and we can't identify what the exact trigger is as antibiotics tend not to list ingredients. He seems less allergic now he's 4, so is this something it's likely he'll grow out of? Thank you!

Good morning from the team at Riverside Cares and Emma Haycraft. Looking forward to answering your questions today. If you would like to learn more about us visit us at www.riveridecares.co.uk

it's a Gif kinda morning

Just wanted to hop on to say a big Mumsnet Welcome to Gaby, Jill and Emma! Thank you so much for joining us and looking forward to hearing your answers! x

Hello! My 5 year old daughter gets a lot of bloating/cramping from time to time and someone mentioned to be it could be a gluten intolerance. Is that likely? She eats bread/pasta pretty much daily and some days she's fine so I can't really detect a pattern. Obviously don't want to put her through blood tests etc if not necessary!!

Hi from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares,

Hi Mumblecrumble81

Atopic Eczema is a condition that causes the skin to become itchy, red, dry and cracked. It is more common in children then adults but often occurs in families. Unfortunately they are no real cures for eczema although some children do grow out of it. If a bad flare up occurs then do go back to your GP for topical steroid cream, small amounts of mild steroids occasionally will not have any long term side effects, (always use as directed by the doctor)and is better than a very unhappy child or the eczema getting so bad it gets infected.
There are a number of factors which can affect eczema including the weather and unfortunately the winter tends to make eczema worse. Try and use cotton clothes where possible and try and avoid your son getting too hot.

The best moisturiser I have come across is Hydrous Ointment also called oily cream. It is more greasy then aqueous cream but less greasy than Liquid Paraffin/White Soft Paraffin 50:50 which although very good at treating eczema is a nightmare on clothes and furniture!!!! Oily cream can be applied multiple times throughout the day but does tend to last longer than aqueous so you may not need to apply as often.
Use the aqueous cream as a soap substitute and if the eczema is bad you can also use oilatum in the bath.

I wish there was a magic cure but unfortunately it’s a question of just keep going with moisturisers.

We are always interested to hear about areas of most concern as it impacts on the parenting sessions we deliver (we do tailor-made sessions too). I also offer a consultancy service which focuses on individual needs. Please visit at www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/ for more information

Hope this helps from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares

Visit us at www.riversidecares.co.uk

Hi there, thanks so much for your question. Jill and I have both responded and we hope this helps.

Emma: It’s really common for young children to be fussy eaters, whether or not they’ve had any previous allergies, intolerances or feeding problems. It can take 10-20 offerings of a food before a child starts to accept and like it, so we always recommend that you keep re-offering a food, without any pressure or force to eat it.

Hi from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares
Jill : Physically if he is gaining weight, growing ok and has energy to play try not to worry about food too much. If he is very underweight and consistently tired I would recommend going back to your doctor and they may suggest a dietician. Children can use food as a controlling mechanism so try and take the pressure off. There is no concrete evidence that gut problems cause behavioural problems, it is more likely the other way round, that the child uses food as a way of exerting control, remove any pressure around eating, very few children will starve themselves. Where possible try and give your some choices and some control over what happens to him but boundaries are also important as they help children feel safe so pick you lines and stick to them. Sudden sugar highs can be a factor in adults and children so as with any child avoid high sugar food starchy foods with slow energy realise are better, but an occasional treat is fine.

Emma: We’ve developed a simple tool for logging how many times a food has been offered and whether it was eaten or refused - you can access it here: www.childfeedingguide.co.uk/tips-and-tools/exposure-monitor If your child touches, smells, licks or bites a food, it is all good progress towards them starting to eat and enjoy it. Offer lots of praise to your child for trying a food but be sure not to pressure or coerce your child to eat something they don’t want to as it can unintentionally lead to them being less likely to eat it - you can read more about this here: www.childfeedingguide.co.uk/common-feeding-pitfalls/pressure-to-eat

Jill; We are always interested to hear about areas of most concern as it impacts on the parenting sessions we deliver (we do tailor-made sessions too). I also offer a consultancy service which focuses on individual needs. Please visit at www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/ for more information

Hope this helps Jill Wheatcroft from Riverside cares
Visit us at www.riversidecares.co.uk

Very best wishes,
Dr Emma Haycraft

Hi there, thanks so much for your question. Emma and I have both responded and we hope this helps. Jill Wheatcroft from Riverside Cares

Hi clioann,
If there is a family history of severe allergies or if you child has had an allergic reaction or become very unwell on having cows’ milk you should see your GP who may refer you for allergy testing. Food allergies are actually rare and only about 2% of the population and 8% of children under the age of three are affected (NHS Choices). Some children also grow out of allergies so if the reaction is minor, you can offer the food every 3-6 months and see if it is no longer a problem.

Food intolerances are more common than food allergies. If your child has a lactose intolerance your baby may have stomach ache, bloating and in some cases diarrhoea. Unlike allergies with lactose intolerance, you can have small amounts of milk – managing the symptoms tends to be about reducing the amount of dairy food that you eat.

It is helpful to actually know if a baby has lactose intolerance or a milk allergy as restricting diets can be issue. Always use full fat milk for children up to 2 years. Milk is in a lot of products and nutritionally has a lot to offer so it’s worth finding out if your child has a problem or not.
You mention problems with sleeping at Riverside Cares we are always interested to hear about areas of most concern as it impacts on the parenting sessions we deliver (we do tailor-made sessions too). I also offer a consultancy service which focuses on individual needs. Please visit us at www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/

Having taken account of what I have said above, try to introduce cows’ milk gradually, I would try and offer a small amount of cows’ milk once a day (in the morning if you think it might cause an upset at night) for a week, if no problem them gradually replace formula. If you baby does have a reaction or get stomach pain or loose stools then do see your GP - it could be a intolerance rather than an allergy either way useful to know.

Emma: Either way, if you’re trying to introduce/reintroduce foods, we recommend offering foods gently, without any pressure or force for your child to try them. There’s more information and support about child feeding in our Child Feeding Guide (www.childfeedingguide.co.uk).

Hope this helps from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares
Visit us at www.riversidecares.co.uk

Hi from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares,

Hi busyinbattersea,

The good news is that as you have identified children often outgrow allergies and food intolerance. It’s always a challenge with medicines and can be a bit of trial and error to find out which ones work best for your child. A pharmacist should be able to give advice on what a medicine contains but even then it can be hard to pin down the culprit. Glad to hear your child is getting slightly better.

We are always interested to hear about areas of most concern as it impacts on the parenting sessions we deliver (we do tailor-made sessions too). I also offer a consultancy service which focuses on individual needs. Please visit at www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/ for more information

Hope this helps Jill Wheatcroft from Riverside cares

Visit us at www.riversidecares.co.uk

Thanks Riverside team for your brilliant answers! Gold dust as always!

Hi from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares,

Hi Penny,
There can be a number of reasons for bloating and cramping however a food intolerance is probably high on the list.

Food intolerances are more common than food allergies. The symptoms of food intolerance tend to come on more slowly, often hours after eating the problem food or foods.

Coeliac disease is where a person has an adverse reaction to gluten, symptoms include diarrhoea, bloating and weight loss. It does not sound like your daughter has serve enough symptoms but do please see your GP if you feel I am underestimating the problem.

Another possibility is wheat intolerance, good news is lots of children grow out of this. If you think this could be the problem the advice is to cut out all wheat for four weeks then giving a wheat product such as weetbix and see what happens, if symptoms return you have found your culprit. Have a look at NHS choices www.nhs.uk/Livewell/digestive-health/Pages/cutting-out-bread.aspx.

With a food intolerance it does not necessarily mean you have to stop the food completely just cut back until symptoms are not a problem. With children it is worth trying the food again every so often to see if no longer a problem but always introduce gradually. If any sign of an allergic reaction see your doctor.

We are always interested to hear about areas of most concern as it impacts on the parenting sessions we deliver (we do tailor-made sessions too). I also offer a consultancy service which focuses on individual needs. Please visit at www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/ for more information

Hope this helps Jill Wheatcroft from Riverside cares

Find out more about Riverside Cares here www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/

Hi from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares

Hi Tazboo,

The general rule is never give whole nuts until children are five plus due to risk of choking. If there is no history of allergies you can give babies crushed or ground nuts and prawns from 6 months old onwards.

If you have allergies in the family have a chat with your health visitor or GP who will advise depending on family history when you should start.

Hope this helps from Jill Wheatcroft at Riverside Cares

Find out more about Riverside Cares here www.riversidetrainingcompany.co.uk/product-category/parenting-centre/

hope you enjoyed the session as much as we did! Enjoy Black Friday (we're posting offers!) and looking foward to our next webinar with Mumsnet Hackney