Breast milk

As well as providing a baby with all the nutrients they need, breast milk can reduce the risk of babies getting certain infections. That’s one of the reasons why the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a baby’s life and continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond alongside the introduction of nutritionally adequate and complementary solid foods.

If a breast-fed baby is diagnosed with cow’s milk allergy, it may be recommended by a healthcare professional that all dairy products are removed from the mother’s diet. This would avoid the cow’s milk proteins that trigger the allergic reactions being passed to the baby within breast milk. Find out more about the dietary changes that may be recommended for babies with cow’s milk allergy.

Hypoallergenic formulas for cow’s milk allergy

Some hypoallergenic formulas are suitable for babies with cow’s milk allergy. In these formulas, the cow’s milk proteins are either broken down (as in extensively hydrolysed formulas; eHFs) or aren’t present at all (as in amino acid-basedformulas; AAFs). eHFs are suitable for most cases of cow’s milk allergy (mild to moderate cow’s milk allergy) and AAFs are usually recommended for more severe cases. Hypoallergenic formulas must only be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Suitable milks and formulas