8 mon old infant allergies??

I have an 8 month old infant who was breastfeeding until 3-4 weeks ago. Also was taking formula during last four months. Has been eating infant food for 2 months. Two weeks ago, started a rash on the face. Has some crusty looking yellow stuff behind ears. Some light rash on legs and arms, none any where else. Doc said food allergy, probably formula?! Switched to soy based - vomited immediatly after having. Went back to regular formula. Have cut food down to peaches, pears, bananas, and rice cereal. Not helping. Heat also seems to aggravate it. Suppose Im dealing with something such as a fabric detergent allergy instead of food allergy??? Or perhaps a pet allergy? We had a chiuaua in the house up til four months ago, who loved to mark anything he could. But Ive shampooed & steam cleaned floors and furniture. Any thoughts appreciated.

I'm not a health professional, but I have some experience with kids and allergies that I can share. I've got a son who has food allergies. We had to put him on hypoallergenic formula.(It tastes terrible! But it does help if your infant is allergic.) Unfortunately, a child can develop an allergy after eating a food for awhile, so you might have to check out the lowest allergen foods. Since you've cut back your little one's solids and it's not working, you might want to look at formula alternatives. You can get goat-milk based formulas -- I made my own, but you can also buy them over the Internet. I looked at the Dr. Sears site and found more information on infant allergies there. He indicates that goat milk appears to be better tolerated by infants who have problems with regular cow's milk. I also purchased the Dr. Sears Baby Book -- it had information on infant allergy too. Best of luck to you!

I understand totally. When my son was almost 9mths old he began the same rash. It got worse. Come to find out it is called atopic dermatitis (eczema). If I were you I'd have a dermatologist look at him and treat this as soon as you can. The best thing we've found for our son is to take 2 sets of PJs. One damp with tepid water dress him then put a dry pair over the damp one. This allows the skin to absorb the moisture at a slower rate. We had carpet also and have had to remove everything. Our entire house now is hard wood with leather in the den and formal dining room. We keep bedding to a minumim anything that collects allergens. Hope this Helps.

If your doctor thinks it's food allergy, it probably is. Unfortunately, it is possible to develop an allergy to something that you were previously able to tolerate.

One of the best ways to avoid allergies for infants is to delay the introduction of solids and other foods and exclusively breastfeed for as long as possible. Given that you have already weaned to formula, you might have to go to a hypoallergenic formula -- however, these things used to taste horrible, so your little one might not go for it.

Another option is to consider a goat milk based formula. You can buy it on the web from a variety of providers. You can also make your own -- I did with my son when I weaned due to milk supply issues at 9 months. Check out the Dr. Sears website -- there is information there on how to make your own goat milk formula, with a doctor approved approach so that your little one will get the right amount of nutrients, etc.

My son has food allergies. It also turned up first as a rash on his body -- but mostly his face.

Best of luck!

Monique Attinger, Writer for AllergyRelief101.com