Possible allergies, no clue where to start

[Bethusila]

My 9 month old has had eczema and cradle cap from the very beginning, it seems like.  Definitely since she was 2 months old.  I have had eczema my entire life, so I just thought it was genetic, and there wasn't anything we could do about it.  It has just recently (as in, yesterday) come to my attention that these may be a sign of food allergies.  We immediately ceased giving her wheat products, but to be honest I have no idea what I'm doing.

I'm assuming gluten is the likely culprit, but with all the reading I've been doing, I'm finding out that eliminating gluten is not synonymous with eliminating wheat.  I'm afraid there may be a dairy allergy as well, but as she's been on formula since 4 months, I don't even know how to eliminate that, or what to do if there is a dairy allergy.  About 75% of what she eats is organic, but to be honest my husband and I do not have the highest quality eating habits.  If she has a gluten allergy, it makes me wonder if I do too, and the idea of changing over to a whole new way of eating is daunting. 

So first, is there a way I can take a 9 month old back to basics to narrow down a food allergy?  And if she has one, can anyone give me any advice or good resources about where to go from there?

[kjbrown92]

Eczema can be from environmental allergies, food allergies or food intolerances. The most likely culprits are dairy, gluten, corn, soy, and eggs, I believe, though it can be from anything. Has she had the eczema since birth? Since starting the formula? Since starting solids? How is her sleep? any other issues? A food diary may help but if it's one of the common ones, it's in everything so you might not get a clear picture.

[franklin907]

Look into the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, they've got a great website & cookbook, with an elimination diet. It's definitely a big commitment (& I haven't done it yet!) but it may at least be worth researching for yourself. I am convincing myself to do it once I'm not nursing. As for your baby, I'm having trouble thinking of things beyond the food diary. Is she eating a lot of foods? If dairy was an issue, I think docs would recommend switching to soy but I don't know if that's a very good option. Plus, there's so much else in formula, it may be hard to pinpoint. Is she on any supplements? A high dose of probiotics & vitamin D could be beneficial! My boys take 2,000iu's a day of vitamin D (1,000 as babies) per docs recommendations & 25-50 billion cfu's of probiotics.