Baby Allergies?

[K.Sarah]

Hi, I hope I am not asking something over again that has already been covered, but I couldn't find what I was looking for in my searches.  I have a 7 month old baby who has a constantly runny nose, lots of chest congestion (since he was born, practically), and itchy eyes.  He's my 5th kid, and I have never had this trouble before, but he has been my only formula fed baby, also.  I am sure he's got allergies to who knows what ( cat?  mold?  pollen?  milk?) but we live in an old (translate:  dusty and full of allergens)  house in the South, and his dad has allergies, too.   I have read a lot about what to do for allergies naturally, but can't seem to find anything about helping with a baby under age 1.  I am afraid to try some of the other remedies I have read, because most of them say for the mom to go ahead and take the herbs, etc., and let baby get it through nursing.  Wish I could!  Any suggestions? 

[mommyoftwins]

There could be many things causing your baby to have problems, & I know it can be very frustrating trying to figure it out. But, the first place I would start is to get a good air purifier. My girls had runny noses all summer, and within a week or two of getting an air purifier, the runny noses were gone & dh & I stopped getting sick, too. The one we got is called an Eden Pure, which kills all kinds of microorganisms in the air, on surfaces, & in the air ducts.

Another thing I would look at is his formula. Lots of babies have problems with formula, whether it's cow's milk or soy. They are just too hard on babies. There are several threads on here about raw goat's milk & raw cow's milk. I have talked to many people who have had much success with this. Check out the threads on milk, milk allergies, and supplements for children. There are things you can give freely to babies to help their bodies get stronger & heal.

I hope you can find some of the more detailed information about what & how much to give. 

[ShabbyChic]

Hey I live in the south, too.  Bring him over here and let me nurse him.  Ha, ha.  

My kids both have seasonal allergies (age 2 1/2 and 8 mos.) and I just try to keep their noses dry and use aquaphor at night so they don't get red.  Ragweed in the fall, pollen in the spring, and grass all year long.  

I also try to make sure that they drink plenty of water (baby from a bottle) so that they stay hydrated from the runny noses.  Also, I've noticed that if it is too cold in their room at night they're more sniffley, so we got space heaters.  We see problems when we have irregular weather, too, where it's 75 degrees one day and 38 degrees the next.  Finally, I also pump them full of Shaklee Liqui-lea + Iron vitamins or put the Shaklee chocolate shake powder (I only use 1/3 of what they call for) in their milk for a few days.  And stock up on Puffs!

I also have to agree with the air purifier as we live in town.  We have the Living Air purifier and it is excellent.

[K.Sarah]

We have talked about getting an air purifier -- thanks for the names.  I really do think it would help a lot.  I had actually thought about getting him onto a raw milk type of formula as suggested by Weston Price Foundation.  I was really intrigued by the idea . . . but I live in NC, and as far as I have found, it's nearly impossible to get raw milk here without driving several hours. Also, the cost of making the formula was going to be worse than actually buying the commercial brands, and we've kind of been choking about that (not being used to it and all!)  I told dh that I have literally saved him thousands of dollars by nursing the other three through their first year!    

[mommyoftwins]

Do any of your stores carry Meyenburg Goat's Milk? I know it's ultra-pasteurized, but it is still better than cow's milk for many. The man at our health food store says he has families who use that as their babies' formula. You can get it in a powdered form there, but our regular grocery store only carries regular milk in the fridge section & evaporated in a can in the baking section. It may be worth a try if you can find it.

[mexmarr]

Do any of your stores carry Meyenburg Goat's Milk?

I used this for my dd starting at 6 months.  I was 3 months pregnant and ran out of milk.  I used both the powdered and canned evaporated.  I liked the canned best, and every Walmart I checked carried it.  It is in the baking section next to the evaporated milk.  I got powdered at the health food store.  It was a pain to mix, but good to have on hand when you needed to make a bottle with no refrigeration.  I always had a bottle in my diaper bag with the powder in it.  I always used canned at home.

[K.Sarah]

Hmmm. . . never tried this idea.  Do you just use the plain goat's milk or add things to it? 

[mexmarr]

Hmmm. . . never tried this idea.  Do you just use the plain goat's milk or add things to it? 

There is another thread that talks about this.  I believe that there was a difference in opinion.  But... I was told that straight goat's milk could be constipating and to add something to it, and also dilute it.  Molassas was said to be a good thing to add, but a bit of carrot juice was an even better option.  I switched between the two.  When mixing the evaporated goats milk, I used 2 parts water to one part milk (instead of half and half).  It worked well for me.  My daughter was satisfied, and gained weight.  I think part of it is that if it weren't diluted, they would have to take in too many calories to be getting enought liquid. 

When my 2nd daughter weaned at 14 months, I also gave her goats milk as an addition to her diet.  She wasn't dependant on it like my first.  She was such a tiny thing, as she was a preemie, so I gave her regular strength milk.  But as I said, it wasn't her main food, and she only had one cup a day, not six bottles.