Diagnostic
Elimination Diet

How it works

• FOOD REMOVAL

  Removal of all cow's milk protein from your baby's diet and if breastfeeding from the mothers diet. Some people find this easier than others, but you can find support including a range of dairy-free child-friendly recipes here.

• MONITOR SYMPTOMS

  Your doctor/GP will advise you on the period of time you should continue with the elimination diet. Usually it is between two and six weeks. During that time you will need to make daily ongoing checks on your baby's symptoms. Keeping a symptom diary can help, and you can download ours here.

• If your baby does have an allergic reaction to cow’s milk proteins, you will probably notice improvements quickly. The majority of symptoms should disappear within 2-4 weeks. If you do see significant improvements in symptoms within this timeframe, it’s likely your healthcare provider will suggest reintroducing cow’s milk protein again to see if the symptoms reappear. While it can seem counterintuitive, the reintroduction of cow’s milk at this stage is key to confirming the diagnosis of cow’s milk allergy.

• This reintroduction of cow’s milk protein in order to confirm a diagnosis may also be referred to as an “oral food challenge”. This simply means re-introducing, or “challenging” your baby with a small amount of cow’s milk protein, via a standard infant formula for example, and monitoring them closely to see if any potential allergic symptoms reappear. This is commonly carried out at home for those with less severe symptoms but for some babies it may be recommended that the food challenge is done under medical supervision, i.e. in a hospital or clinic setting. In either situation, it is important that a cow’s milk elimination and reintroduction is only ever done on the advice of a qualified healthcare provider.