Food allergies/intolerances and feeding your toddler!

So my son cannot have dairy, soy, gluten, egg … what on earth do I feed him!? This is a question faced by many parents who have infant and toddler ‘refluxers’, as food can often be the culprit for a reflux flare and cutting out gluten, dairy, soy, and/or egg from their diet can sometimes help (AND there may be other foods that need to be avoided too!). Food allergies show on allergy tests but there are no skin or blood tests for food intolerance and both can cause symptoms of reflux in susceptible children

Glenda and Natalie’s story

Natalie was born in 1992, a desperately wanted baby. She was born in respiratory distress, which took a while to settle and she spent several days in the Special Care Nursery needing oxygen and being tube fed.

At home, she wanted to feed every 2 hours, which is a pattern her sister had had. She hated being laid down flat and would often cry if I tried. She did not sleep well either, and at 12 months was still waking a dozen times overnight, and rarely during the day.

Reflux in older children

While many children seem to improve throughout their first twelve to eighteen months, others continue to suffer from reflux beyond that, and there is increasing recognition that Gastro-oesophageal reflux can be an issue for older children and teenagers.

Common Characteristics of Reflux

Parents describe some of the behaviours and characteristics that may be displayed by babies and children who have gastro-oesophageal reflux. Keep in mind that all children are different and the listed characteristics may not be indicative of your child’s condition.