Egg Allergies in Babies: The Complicated History and How Free to Feed Can Help

You're doing everything you can to help your baby with food reactivity. You've already eliminated the top two infant food triggers: dairy and soy. Cutting those out of your diet is tough work, but producing safe breast milk for your little one is worth every sacrifice. Unfortunately, some babies continue showing symptoms and signs of discomfort.

What's next? For many parents, it's egg.

For others, it might be grains or wheat, but that's a conversation for another day.

After cutting dairy and soy, the last thing you want to do is eliminate eggs. Eggs are packed with protein and help you stay full (no easy task when you're breastfeeding and constantly hungry!). And seriously, what about breakfast? The thought of giving up your morning scrambled eggs might feel like the final straw.

Free to Feed is here to provide your family with the science-based information you need to successfully continue breastfeeding your baby with food reactivity. Today, we're diving deep into everything related to egg reactivity in babies.

The History and Science of Egg Allergies in Babies Is Genuinely Confusing

As with everything food reactivity related, egg allergies are complicated. The research landscape has been studied and restudied over the years with varying results, leading to more confusion and frustration for parents trying to navigate this journey. All the questions about how and when to reintroduce eggs to your sweet baby still plague families because of this confusing scientific history.

Let's examine some key research studies and the most recent scientific evidence on egg allergies in infants to help us make sense of it all.

The Solids Timing for Allergy Research (STAR) study introduced pasteurized eggs to infants around 4 months old who had established eczema and had never eaten an egg. They stopped the study early due to a high frequency of allergic reactions [1]. Talk about concerning! This highlighted an important lesson about the complexity of early introduction in babies who already have eczema.

But don't let that scare you off completely. Other researchers took different approaches and found much more encouraging results.

The Beating Egg Allergy Trial (BEAT) evaluated high-risk infants, meaning they had a first-degree relative who tested positive for an egg allergy. This study gave babies pasteurized eggs from age 4-12 months. Babies who received eggs had significantly lower chances of developing IgE food allergies to eggs [2].

The Prevention of Egg Allergy with Tiny Amount Intake (PETIT) trials took high-risk babies aged 4-5 months with eczema and divided them into two groups: one received heated egg powder daily, while the other got a placebo. The results were so striking that the study was terminated early due to efficacy. At 1 year of age, only 8% of babies in the egg group developed egg allergy compared to 38% in the placebo group [3].

Separately, Palmer and colleagues conducted another study that took a different approach. In their research, they looked at infants with eczema and gave them regular egg exposure starting around 4-6 months of age. This study found that early, regular egg consumption was safe and could reduce egg sensitization in high-risk infants, though the effect on actual clinical egg allergy was more modest [4].

We know you'll eliminate every food possible to keep your baby healthy and continue breastfeeding. Here's good news: scientific studies prove that proper introduction can prevent egg allergies in babies.

The current CDC recommendations for introducing foods (including allergens) begin at 6 months of age [5]. However, remember that food allergy parents need to wait 6 months since the last reaction to that particular food. The keyword here is proper reintroduction.

If you're wondering about timing and how long food proteins actually stick around in your breast milk after you eat them, check out our blog post on the truth about how long proteins last in your breastmilk. Understanding this timeline can help you plan elimination and reintroduction more effectively.

The Main Symptoms of Egg Reactivity in Babies

What symptoms do egg allergies cause that maybe others don't? That was wishful thinking on our part. Unfortunately, symptoms overlap significantly, and eggs don't have their own unique symptom profile. We know nothing about baby food reactivity is straightforward. But you're some of the most resilient parents we know.

For a deeper dive into all the different symptoms babies can experience with food reactivity, including detailed explanations of upper GI, lower GI, and skin reactions, read our comprehensive guide: How Do I Know if My Baby Has Food Allergies?

Let's cover the main symptoms of food reactivity in babies [6]:

• Reflux

• Vomiting

• Rash

• Eczema

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

• Excessive mucus in stool

• Blood in stool

• Colic

• Failure to thrive

• And more!

  
  

Important note about skin reactions: Research shows that egg allergies often present in infancy with hives, swelling, and gastrointestinal issues [7]. This is valuable information because if cutting dairy and soy didn't clear up your baby's skin, egg could very well be the culprit.

Recent studies have also shown that ovalbumin (egg protein) can be detected in breast milk from mothers who consume eggs, and exclusively breastfed babies with eczema can show sensitization to egg proteins they've never directly consumed [8]. This means your baby might be reacting to egg proteins coming through your breast milk.

If you're dealing with skin issues specifically, our visual guide Eczema from Food Allergies: Proof in Pictures shows real examples from families and can help you identify what food-triggered eczema actually looks like.

Let's talk about that beautiful baby skin you're trying to heal. Rashes or hives can present in many different forms:

• Red blotchy patches

• Raised red areas

• Skin-colored welts

• Bumps on the skin

• Itchy areas

  
  

All these symptoms can come and go, leaving parents feeling frustrated and confused. We recommend keeping a detailed food and symptom journal when trying to identify your baby's trigger foods. Noting when you consume foods and when your baby reacts can provide crucial insight into their specific triggers.

Use our Free to Feed App to help track your and your baby's food intake, symptoms, and patterns all in one convenient place.

Other Names for Egg: The Critical Importance of Label Reading

Just like every food reactivity, you need to be vigilant about alternative or hidden names for eggs in packaged and processed foods. Eggs can show up in prescription medications, sauces, and countless other unexpected places.

Foods covered by the FDA must label "contains eggs," but many companies not under FDA regulation sell products containing eggs without clear labeling.

Other names that may contain egg:

• Albumin

• Apovitellin

• Artificial Flavoring

• Fat Substitutes

• Lecithin

• Lysozyme

• Mayonnaise

• Meringue

• Ovalbumin

• Natural Flavoring

This list goes on, but we hope this helps you understand how crucial thorough label reading becomes. This whole food reactivity journey is tricky, but we're here to support you every step of the way.

How to Get an Official Egg Allergy Diagnosis for Your Baby

Two scientific tests are available to evaluate your baby for egg allergies: blood tests and skin prick tests. These tests aren't commonly performed until babies reach at least 6 months because results are often inaccurate at younger ages [9].

If your baby continues having symptoms and is older than 6 months, it's completely appropriate to advocate for your baby and request allergy testing. We don't want to disappoint you, but if tests come back negative, it doesn't necessarily mean you or your baby can safely consume those foods. Your baby might have a non-IgE mediated food allergy, which won't show up on standard allergy tests. Only IgE mediated food allergies will. Learn more about how these categories impact testing here in our blog, "Top 3 Ways To Test Your Baby For Food Allergies".

Finding Answers For Your Food Allergy Baby: The Right Resource Backed by Science

If you're committed to breastfeeding your baby with food reactivity, Free to Feed is here for you. We'll provide you with everything you need—backed by solid science—to help your family succeed.

We understand the challenges that come with navigating food reactivity:

You're eliminating foods from your diet...

You're reading every single label...

You're anxious about what the next diaper will reveal...

This is truly hard, and we're here to support you through it all.

Every food reactivity story is different, and we want your story to have a successful resolution. Consider booking a one-on-one consultation today to explore whether eliminating eggs might be your next step, or if a comprehensive and more targeted elimination diet approach would work best for your family.

While you're considering your next steps, you might also find it helpful to read our post on peanut allergies in babies to understand how early introduction strategies apply across different allergens.

Free to Feed is rooting for your family every step of the way.

References

1. Palmer, David J., et al. "Early Regular Egg Exposure in Infants with Eczema: A Randomized Controlled Trial." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 132, no. 2, 2013, pp. 387-392.

2. Wei-Liang Tan, John, et al. "A Randomized Trial of Egg Introduction from 4 Months of Age in Infants at Risk for Egg Allergy." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 139, no. 5, 2017, pp. 1621-1628.

3. Natsume, Osamu, et al. "Two-step Egg Introduction for Prevention of Egg Allergy in High-risk Infants with Eczema (PETIT): A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial." The Lancet, vol. 389, no. 10066, 2017, pp. 276-286.

4. Palmer, David J., et al. "Randomized Controlled Trial of Early Regular Egg Intake to Prevent Egg Allergy." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 139, no. 5, 2017, pp. 1600-1607.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "When to Introduce Solid Foods." CDC, 2023, www.cdc.gov/nutrition/infantandtoddlernutrition/foods-and-drinks/when-to-introduce-solid-foods.html.

6. D'Auria, Enza, et al. "Presentation and Management of Food Allergy in Breastfed Infants and Risks of Maternal Elimination Diets." The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, vol. 7, no. 8, 2019, pp. 2274-2281.

7. Turner, Paul J., et al. "Egg Allergy in Childhood: An Update." Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 20, no. 3, 2020, pp. 244-250.

8. Cant, A. J., et al. "Egg and Cows' Milk Hypersensitivity in Exclusively Breast Fed Infants with Eczema, and Detection of Egg Protein in Breast Milk." Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 60, no. 7, 1985, pp. 631-636.

9. Sampson, Hugh A., et al. "Food Allergy: A Practice Parameter Update-2014." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 134, no. 5, 2014, pp. 1016-1025.