Many newborns get small pimples on their face, but eczema is a more widespread rash that looks red and scaly and may be itchy. It starts on the face, arms, and legs, and later appears in the folds of the knees and elbows. A baby with eczema is more likely to go on to have other types of allergic conditions—a progression experts refer to as the atopic march. In fact, approximately 37 percent of young kids with moderate to severe eczema also have food allergies. Experts believe that food allergies may play a role in causing eczema in some children.

To treat affected skin, your doctor will likely recommend that you bathe your baby with a hypoallergenic, fragrance-free cleanser and moisturize frequently with a fragrance-free cream. He might also prescribe a topical medication to help heal affected skin or an antihistamine to control itching.

Food allergy and food intolerance are often used interchangeably, but they’re very different. An allergy is an immunesystem response that causes a severe, often immediate reaction. Hives, lip swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, and wheezing may all be signs of an allergy. When a baby has an intolerance, he’s missing the enzyme needed to break down a protein into digestible parts. This causes a milder reaction isolated in the digestive tract, like gas or cramps. Symptoms of allergies and intolerances can occur when babies begin solids but also during exclusive formula-feeding or breastfeeding. (Breast milk contains proteins from the foods that a mother eats, and most formulas contain milk or soy, which are common allergens.)

If your pediatrician suspects a food allergy, she may refer your child to an allergist who can perform skin and/or blood tests to confirm a diagnosis. Treatment usually focuses on avoiding a trigger food, but it’s important that a doctor guide that plan. If you take a food out of your child’s diet that he isn’t truly allergic to, this can actually make him more likely to have a reaction the next time he eats it.

Asthma causes inflammation in the airways, resulting in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, and babies who have eczema and food allergies are more likely to develop the chronic condition. Although symptoms of asthma can begin in infancy, most babies don’t get the diagnosis that early—the symptoms instead are attributed to a cold or a virus. But when coughing or wheezing lasts beyond a cold, a doctor will often treat a baby with inhaled medications to help decrease inflammation and then monitor her for asthma symptoms as she grows.

为了治疗受影响的皮肤，你的医生可能会建议你给你的宝宝用低过敏性的，无香味的清洁剂，并且经常使用无香味的乳液来保湿。他还可能开一种局部药物来帮助治疗皮肤或抗组胺，以控制瘙痒。

食物过敏和食物不耐受性通常是可以互换的，但它们是完全不同的。过敏是一种免疫系统反应导致严重的，通常是直接的反应。荨麻疹、唇肿胀、呕吐、腹泻和喘息都可能是过敏的征兆。当一个婴儿有不耐受的时候，他就失去了将蛋白质分解成易于消化的部分所需的酶。这引起了消化道的温和反应，比如胀气或痉挛。过敏和不耐受的症状可能发生在婴儿开始固体时，但也在独家配方喂养或母乳喂养。(母乳中含有母亲所吃的食物中的蛋白质，大多数配方中含有牛奶或大豆，这是常见的过敏原。)

如果你的儿科医生怀疑食物过敏，她可能会把你的孩子推荐给一个过敏专科医生，他可以做皮肤和/或血液检查来确诊。治疗通常集中于避免触发食物，但重要的是医生要指导这个计划。如果你从孩子的饮食中取出一种他并不真正过敏的食物，这实际上会使他在下次吃的时候更有可能产生反应。

哮喘会引起呼吸道炎症，导致咳嗽、气喘、呼吸短促，而患有湿疹和食物过敏的婴儿更有可能患上慢性疾病。虽然哮喘的症状可以从婴儿期开始，但大多数婴儿并没有得到早期症状的诊断，而是由感冒或病毒引起的。但是，当咳嗽或气喘持续到感冒的时候，医生通常会用吸入的药物来治疗婴儿，以帮助减少炎症，然后在她生长的时候监测她的哮喘症状。