Although many children will grow out of their cows’ milk allergy, for others it will continue, and for some, it may persist into their teenage years. During this time, children will be regularly reviewed, and possibly undergo further allergy tests and dietary challenges to see when they have outgrown CMA.
When CMA does persist beyond the early years, this can be particularly challenging because;
• Energy requirements and the need for certain nutrients change as children grow
• By this time, the child is developing his or her own taste preferences and can increasingly choose for themselves what they do and don’t eat
• Food shopping for a child with CMA can be tricky because milk proteins are present in a wide range of products that are not always clearly labelled on the packaging
• It is important to continue to exclude all cows’ milk protein from the diet whilst offering a healthy balanced diet in terms of calories, protein, calcium and vitamin content.Nutritional needs will vary between children and change as the child grows.
Even if CMA persists beyond the early years, you don’t need to manage alone. The advice of a dietitian can be invaluable in tailoring the diet to meet the child’s specific nutritional needs.
*Skripak et al., 2007, J. Allergy Clin. Immunol., 120 (2007), pp. 1172-1177