Signs your child is lactose intolerant
If your child is intolerant, the more lactose he or she consumes, the more symptoms he or she will experience.
Here are some symptoms you should watch out for, especially after your child eats dairy products:
- Loose stools and gas, especially when your child eats dairy products.
- Watery diarrhea with gas.
- Stomach bloating, gas and nausea.
- Skin rash and frequent colds.
- Generalized abdominal pain and cramping.
Parents sometimes confuse lactose intolerance with milk allergy. Although the two have similar symptoms, they are very different conditions. A milk allergy is a serious immune system reaction that usually appears in the first year of life. Lactose intolerance is a digestive issue that is rarely seen in infants or toddlers.
Lactose intolerance symptoms can start in late childhood or adolescence, and can become more noticeable into adulthood.
Aside from the discomfort associated with these symptoms, lactose intolerance is a nonthreatening disorder with no long-term complications. Symptoms can be avoided by limiting certain foods in your child’s diet.
