Newborns and very young children can be sensitive to something in their formula or breast milk. Most formulae are based on cow’s milk, corn, or soy, each of which can cause reactions (such as atopic eczema, projectile vomiting, colic, and later, fluid in the ears, wheezing, or diarrhea).

Food intolerance or sensitivity in the newborn is due to IgG antibodies traversing the placenta in utero. The placenta of cattle has six layers that protect the embryo from food antibodies in the mother. The calf gets protective immunoglobulins from the colostrum in the milk at birth. In contrast, the human placenta has only one layer, so maternal antibodies pass through rather easily; the baby will hiccough when the mother eats offending food. The colostrum in her milk is less important to immunize the baby.

When dealing with food problems in the newborn or young child, we ask “What did the mother crave or eat a lot of when she was pregnant?” “What formula is the baby taking?” “What formula have you tried that did not work?” Often, the same food that the mother craved or over-ate during pregnancy is the cause of the babe’s problem. Then we have to find a formula that eliminates the suspected food ingredient.

Man is the only mammal that drinks milk after it is weaned. Drinking the milk of another species, such as cow's milk, is not natural. Not everyone is sensitive to cow’s milk, but those who are would benefit from eliminating it from their diets, and taking calcium supplements instead. Sensitivity to cow’s milk is so common that local supermarkets stock goat’s milk in cans or fresh in the dairy section. Goat’s milk is delicious and the fats are more digestible than cow’s milk. Newborn humans need fat to develop a healthy nervous system. Remember, the child is sensitive to cow’s milk, not necessarily all milks.