10-Month-old with Dairy Allegery

Try different Fat contents and Soy products. They worked for a little girl I use to watch as a nany. She drank skim or soy milk. 2% or whole milk as my mother always called it also gave her locked bowels. He did grow out of it somewhat but all the children in the famly are allergic to stuff. They got it from mom. She also grew out of it but her twin sister never grew out of it and still has to watch her diet.

L.,

My 10-mo-old is also dairy intollerant (blood in his stools). Unfortunately, he is also soy intollerant (mucus in his stools). I've found several good cookies at Trader Joe's and fantastic raisin Challah bread at Whole Foods. I also use rice milk and occassionally eat Rice Dream "icecream". It is incredibly expensive though! We mostly eat foods made from scratch because it is often easier than trying to search for things in the store. When I plan to go out to eat, I call ahead to see if there's anything I can eat. I had terrible luck at Olive Garden sadly. I had fantastic luck with Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. They made chicken tenders from scratch that were better than any I've had-EVER! In general, I think most places will try to accomodate where they can.
Good luck!

L., I understand what you are giong through, my son had eggs, soy, and peanuts, we found out around his first b-day after the allergist did the prick test on him...after that he was put on 3 difff meds and had an epi-pen, not fun. I dont know about you but i hated giving him these drugs every daya dn he was soo young anyhow i thought what kind of side effcts is he going to have from these things, in the mean time i started working for a chiro/holisitc med dr. He does a non-invasive allergy ellimination technique that has actually been around for a long time, not too many people in this area do it though, anyhow long story short, my son can eat eggs, and soy without breaking out in hives and has eaten a peanut, without having to go to the emergency room!! the web address is abachiropractic.com, and the technique is called NAET if you are interested, it has done wonders for us and many other families,
good luck

I have a daughter with 6 allergies, but I turned out to be allergic to much more - including finding out I was allergic to milk and tomatoes at age 49! Soy milk and soy yogurt are great substitutes and the non-dairy frozen desserts have come a long way in the last few years. If your child is breaking out in hives, they need to see an allergist.
Food allergies can cause stomach issues, bowel issues and mood changes, along with hives and each person reacts differently. Also, I recommend finding the book "Allergy Self Help Cookbook" which gives you alternatives to dairy, eggs, wheat, etc. Good luck.

Hi! I have a son who is allergic to milk and egg.

His first reaction was at 4 weeks old. I was going to be going back to work and wanted to get him used to an occasional bottle of formula in case I wasn't able to pump enough milk for the babysitter. It was very scary because his reaction was projectile vomiting and screaming. We immediately took him to the hospital. They suggested we keep him on soy formula when using formula and that seemed to work fine.

Now I have to tell ya, I never needed to keep egg or milk out of my diet while breastfeeding, so I am not sure if that is necessary. I think only an allergist can tell you for sure. My son did not get an official diagnosis or visit with an allergist until he was about a year old and no longer breastfeeding, so I never talked to the doc about that. But I can tell you that he never had a reaction based on my diet. (But perhaps that varies)

He will be two in a few weeks and was recently tested again. He is still allergic to egg and milk, BUT the allergy levels have decreased, so that is definitely reason to believe that he may grow out of it. Yippee!!

As for the allergy, if you haven't already, get a test done so that you know for sure. The testing isn't that bad. My son went through ALL of them because his first round of tests had him allergic to almost everything, so they had to do more tests to be certain.

About grocery shopping... you will have to check labels of EVERYTHING. You will be suprised at how many things contain milk. He's getting to the age where he can eat just about anything. Every time you buy anything, you have to look at labels because they can change. Or the same brand may vary based on one tiny detail, like shape or flavor. I was suprised when I started to see milk listed in the ingredients for BREAD and animal crackers!

There is always a chance that there will be mistakes along the way. That's why you need a diagnosis and perhaps an epi-pen. (We have three but so far haven't had to use it) because a true allergy really is life threatening. And it is important to realize that. When the enzymes in the body go on the attack, they can sometimes cause the throat to swell, cutting off air supply. So you NEED to know for sure what you are dealing with so you can act accordingly.

It is important too, to make up for any possible deficiencies that may arise from not having milk. Soy, rice, or almond milk are all great alternatives. But also be sure to read the lables. I have learned that there is milk in many many soy products. SO just because something claims to be soy yogurt or something, it doesn't mean it's also dairy-free.

We were told to give our son lots of peanut butter to make up for the fats and proteins he's not getting from milk and egg. Luckily he LOVES peanut butter. We also give him a Calcium supplement and vitamins. (He's able to eat the gummy types).

Also, have him tested for egg allergies before getting any flu shots for him. That's actually how we learned of his egg allergy. I was going to get him one and the nurse asked if he had egg allergies. I suspected he might, just because of the milk reactions. Flu shots are somehow made in some sort of egg incubator. THANK GOD for that nurse. If she hadn't told me that, I would not have known. As it turned out, his egg allergy was worse than his milk allergy. The egg allergy was so high, it was off the charts! That shot would have certainly landed him in the hospital, if not worse.

When you go to restaurants, if he is allergic, you have to ask what everything is cooked with, in, or near. If there is no milk ingredients, you have to know that other things with milk ingredients aren't cooked in the same fryer, pan, griddle, etc. And always bring along something he CAN eat, just in case. SO I usually pack a banana, or apple sause, or a PB&J sandwich.

Hope some of this was helpful.

Hi L. ~

My grandson is allergic to dairy. He was diagnosed after a particularly violent reaction to dairy based formula when he was about 3 months old. He's now in kindergarten, and we still avoid all dairy for him, although his reactions to dairy aren't as violent as they once were.

Actually, cow's milk is not at all natural to the human body. Humans are the only species who drink the milk of a different species. Weird. My doctor recently suggested that I avoid all dairy and wheat, and my health has improved beyond measure. I wish I had done this 30 years ago!

It's really easy to eat a diet that doesn't include dairy. I use coconut milk on my oatmeal or granola (get Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk ~ it's awesome), and soy milk for other things. You can use a product called Earth Balance in place of butter. It tastes great, and is much healthier for the whole family than salted butter is.

If you want a little help with recipes or suggestions about how to eat a dairy free diet, please send me a message, and I'll reply to you.

L.,

Your wonderful breastfeeding definitely makes it easier! I breastfed my youngest until she was about 18 months because she had dairy and soy aversions when she was a baby (through my milk). I drank/cooked with rice milk and used canola or olive oil in cooking. She was able to tolerate both soy and dairy by two, and is fine now.

Best wishes and keep up the fantastic work!

K.

I have never had babies with food allergies, but my daughter and I are both vegan. There are many types of dairy substitutes. I cook with soy milk almost exclusively and there is also rice milk. You can also buy soy cheese and sour cream, cream cheese, etc made with tofu. It actually tastes better than the real thing, I think! I have also seen soy yogurt in health food stores. It's really not to hard once you find place that carry it. You usually have to hunt them down in the grocery story.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Dear L.,
My Grand daughter had dairy allergies and did finly out grew it my daughter breast fed her for 16 monyhs but did not cut dairy from her own diet. The only thing that seemed to help with the eczema was The Lotion from a Company we shop with that is all Green I would be happy to share it with anyone that is interested. just email me
Madi
____@____.com

Hi L.,

When my son was 6 weeks old we gave him a bottle of formula and within a half hour he was covered in hives and swollen everywhere. We had him allergy tested and found that he was allergic to milk protein. So, I had to completely eliminate dairy from my diet since I was nursing and boy do I feel for you, it’s rough! I nursed him until he was one and then started him on soy milk. We gave him enriched soy milk. There are soy toddler formulas that we used some of too. He really liked soy milk and did well with it. He also liked soy yogurt. There are soy butter substitutes you can use too when you are cooking. Be careful though because I have heard that some kids who are allergic to milk proteins can also be allergic to soy and if that's the case, then you would have to use rice milk.

We were really lucky because when he was 15 months old we tested him again and his milk allergy was gone. We were warned to start dairy really slowly though just in case it came back. We started with cheese then yogurt and then milk and he is 20 month old now and seems to be fine.

Did you get a blood test done? If not, I would ask if your doctor will do them at 12 or 15 months so you will know exactly what she is allergic to and how bad. Hopefully your daughter will grow out of it too (I've heard a good majority of babies do). Our doctor said that some kids who cannot have milk can have cheese or yogurt because there are different proteins with each so usually if they do keep their dairy allergy they can have at least some dairy.

Oh, and be careful when you add dairy back into your diet after you finish nursing - no one told me that and I started having as much dairy as I wanted and ended up pretty sick!

Good luck - I hope she grows out of it! :)

Have you taken her to an allergiest? You didn't mention it. IF you have not, do it immediately!!! It sounds like an allergic reaction which could be LIFE threatening! Don't take a chance....see a doctor!

i found out my son was lactose intolerant when he was about 18 months old. he was constantly in and out of the hospital because he didn't have the normal symptoms (no constipation, no gas, no immediate reactions). he is five years old now and has out grown his allergy to lactose so now he's free to roam the dairy isle. usually kids do out grow allergies as they get older, when she gets older just introduce it to her tiny bits at a time to see if there's any reaction.

L.,
The picture painted by most of these responses are quite bleak! Please don't lose hope. We discovered that my daughter was allergic to milk at about three weeks old. She had a severe case of eczema and I figured out it must be allergies. I had been breast feeding and so I switched her to a soy based formula. By this time I was reading everything I could get my hands on concerning allergies. In doing so I figured out that she might be allergic to the soy based formula as well, so we then switched her to a hypo-allergenic formula. It was very expensive, but the change in my daughter was worth it! She took that until she was two. She went from completely cranky to the sweetest disposition. Everything about her behavioraly changed.

Knowing that she had this food allergy, I was very careful about what I introduced when. I stayed away from dairy products altogether, but also stayed away from other highly allergic foods such as eggs, peanut butter, strawberries, and soy. However, in introducing fruits and veggies we learned that she was allergic to orange veggies and citrus fruits as well. It was a continuous discover.

When she turned one we tried giving her milk again. It pretty much just about swelled her eyes closed. So it was at that point that the doctor did her first RAST test and we found out that she was allergic to a whole host of foods (including wheat). Milk was a level 2...peanuts a level 6.

She is now 8 years old and the ONLY issue we have right now is peanut. When she was first tested we learned of her high peanut allergy, but just learned to avoid that. It takes lots of dillegence, but can be done. She eats ice cream, cheese, although she has not developed a love for milk. Each night (at our doctor's suggestion) we give her one tum with her vitamin. She is a normal, happy, and bright little girl. So, unlike what you've read...they DO out grow their allergies.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I don't have children with dairy allergies, but I do have friends and relatives with these allergies. They all have something in common - dairy being introduced too early. From what I have read, dairy and other allergens being introduced too early (before one year, especially) can lead to a lot of different allergies later in life. If I were you I would keep dairy out of her diet until her 2nd or 3rd b-day, this will let her immune system build up a little more. All of my children were breast fed until 14-16 months and then moved to soy milk until they were two because I didn't think their little bodies could handle cow's milk products.

I know a lot of people are introducing YoBaby yogurt before one year now...maybe the name of this yogurt should be changed! ;o) It's a great first yogurt for kids - but along with cow's milk, should really not be introduced before one year (or two, in my book).

Contrary to popular opinion, it is very rare, probably impossible to "outgrow" allergies--they just take different forms--with dairy it is often chronic sinus congestion. And the Lactaid another mom mentioned is for lactose intolerance NOT dairy allergy! Very different problems--first is not having the enzyme to digest the milk sugar(lactose) the second is a reaction to the protein (casein). So if she is so sensitive she breaks out in hives you don't want to try that milk! Soy is a big problem --many people who can't digest milk protein also cannot handle soy protein--and there is the whole hormone problem (look up dr mercola's website for more info). I have dairy and soy allergies and so did all my girls--best advice is to breast feed as long as you can--I did for 2 1/2 yrs for each girl. Chances are you might find you feel better on a dairy free diet also--you will probably notice more after you wean and try dairy and don't like how you feel(it happened to me!) You can try some of the milk like beverages, most have calcium fortified. Rice milk is very safe for most people, my favorite for taste and nutrition is made of almond(but wait until 1 yr old to add nuts and introduce very slowly as they can be allergenic for many people), there is also hemp, hazle nut and oat milks. Hemp has EFA's that we need--but I don't like the taste so much.I am also gluten intolerant so no oats for me (or wheat, rye, barley. Most of the worlds people do NOT consume the milk of other animals --in Japan for instance(at least until recent years with modern western diets becoming commmon)dairy was never consumed and yet women have lower rates of osteoporosis than in high dairy consuming countries. Of course they eat seaweed, and lots of green vegetables etc which are high in calcium. One last thing--make sure you read labels carefully and prepare most of your own food from scratch--casein is an additive in many processed foods-also be careful with beef for your little one, the protein is similar to milk--I am allergic to beef, though I can eat buffalo without a problem.It is not always easy to live with allergies but it can be done --and it is so much easier now than when I started on this path some 28 years ago! Shop at a natural foods co-op or grocery for the best selection. Good luck!

My son developed a dairy allergy at 3 months old. I continued to breastfeed until he was 6 months. I wasn't producing enough for him. We were told by the allergist that it is possible for him to outgrow the allergy by 3 years old. I give him soy milk + DHA. They also make soy yogurt and butter. Read the ingredients carefully. Some of them still have milk in them. Did your allergist give you a list for ingredients to watch for? I am a member of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. They are a good resource. Good luck. It isn't easy.

I guess I am concerned about your deciding the baby has dairy allergies due to the fact she is had a reaction to yogurt.
I have a child who can't handle yogurt or whole milk but is fine with 1% milk, cheese, sour cream and lowfat ice cream.
Some children can't handle cow milk but are fine with goat milk.
It has something to due with butter fat.
Good luck, I will pray for you.

Lots of people who are allergic to cow's milk do not have a reaction to goat's milk, since the protein is much more similar to human milk. Another option is to try finding raw milk and see if that's makes a difference. Pasteurization changes the nature of the milk protein and causes some people to react to it. It's illegal to sell raw milk in Ohio, but perhaps you can look into cow shares or find a farmer near you who is willing to work with you. I won't go into it, but I have strong opinions about what the dairy industry has done to suppress the small farmers selling raw milk. I believe raw milk can be a health food, but grocery store milk has so many huge problems that I will never buy it again. Here's just one article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/0...

My middle child also had an allergy to milk protein. I breastfed her until she was 18 months old. I could not have any dairy products without it bothering her. In order to make sure I was keeping my calcium intake up I would drink juices that have been calcium fortified. I also would have a tums with every meal.
If it is a milk protein allergy, you will need to make sure that you checking other food items. Milk protein is found in several things such as hot dogs.
It turns out that my daughter had developed a condition called choanal atresia. This lead to her having constant sinus infections. When that was surgically repaired at age 4, it helped with her milk issues. She still does not like milk to this day (she is now 16) but can eat ice cream and cheese.

My son is 7 and still can't have dairy. We use Lactaid and it taste so much better than soy. Lactaid still doesn't have enough products though, so for yogurt if he wants it I have to get soy.

my daughter is 11 mo old & has problems with dairy foods, i found a SOY yogart that is flavored in peach & strawberry & she absolutely loves it. her old pediatrician kept trying to get us to put her on enfamil & i kept telling her about how she reacted to it & she wouldn't listen. i got her a new doc & he said for me to stick with the diet that works for heer not against her. he said most babies grow out of allergies by the age of 2yrs and some by 4 or 5, he said every baby is different so he couldn't say 100% if she would carry it with her for life. God be with you, hope this helps.

Some people confuse milk intolerance (causing an upset stomach and diarrhea, and requiring the lactase enzyme) with milk allergy (causing hives, swelling, anaphylactic reaction and sometimes requiring an EpiPen). Have you been seen by an allergist, because if she's having hives now, future exposures to milk could cause anaphylactic reactions. Often reactions get worse with subsequent exposures because your body produces more antibodies after each exposure. They can prescribe an EpiPen, which is rescue medication in the case that a reaction prevents them from breathing or is systemic.

Some allergies are never outgrown. An allergist can give her a skin prick test and a RAST (blood) test to help guage her reactivity, and they may (or may not) be able to give you an idea of whether or not they will outgrow it.

this site may be helpful: www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

My daughter had extreme eczema during infancy, and a RAST test revealed life-threatening peanut allergy. We've been avoiding all nuts since then, and she's 6 now and has never had at reaction.

I found this information very very interesting my daughter is 22 months and has really bad eczema I was never given any information from her doctors on diet control.(going to another dermatologist who is coming from out of state today) She is however lactose intollerant so she drinks the Lactaid milk or soy sometimes. I'm just wondering if she has a issue with the milk maybe the other dairy products could affect her skin. Im really going to have to watch that. Hopefully that will solve some issues. I dont know if children outgrow them I know me and my other daughter have some issues with dairy items and it hasn't gone away but you never know. I was also told by someon that asthma which my daughter has is connected often with eczema. I'm going to ask about that today at our visit. Her 1/2 sister has both of the same issues. They keep giving me stronger and stronger steroid cream which Im not real comfotable with it thins the skin out she already has light spots in her skin from it. And her ezcema is all over. It started with small spots on side of her check went to arm and now everywhere.

Soy milk, apparently tastes and cooks like real milk. I'm not sure if she will ever grow out of it, I do know that adults can develop dairy sensitivity, I have. There's no telling, if I developed into sensitivity then maybe she's grow out of it.

Good luck.

My son also has a dairy allergy. He drinks rice milk instead of cow's milk and is doing fine. He is now 4.5 and still has the allergy, but some kids do outgrow the allergy. He also eats goats cheese.

J.

My son was intolerant to dairy. After he weaned, I started giving him rice milk (vanilla flavored) which he loves. I also use it to cook and bake with. Generally, kids outgrow dairy allergies by age 5 (at least that's what I have heard).

My boys are not allergic to dairy but have more of an intolerance to it. It affects their behaviors (depression for our 3yr, and aggression for our 9yr). The only way we have determined this is via elimination diet. To my knowledge it can not be tested like seasonal allergies or others with a skin test. Milk does aggravate my little one's eczema and requires breathing treatments if he ingests more than a trivial amount.
Locally (Columbus) Whole Foods, and Giant Eagle seem to have more items that are Vegan. Places such as Aldi's and Dollar General also carry a lot of foods for you to eat. Be careful with labels: items will brag that they are Dairy free and contain Casein. Through strict observation we have found my 9year can tolerate the casein, but can't have a tiny amount of whey. It's the opposite with my little one (no casein, but a little whey and he's okay). www.recipezaar.com seems to have several recipes that are vegan or made well with soy milk and even my red meat loving husband enjoys.
I have a dairy intolerance also. I can eat no more than 3 servings in a week. Trivial amounts here and there I can tolerate. Most people with dairy allergies/intolerances don't out grow it. It took us a little less than 2 years to know foods really well and a ton of them so that we can eat whatever we want.
I created a list of snack items for my mother-in-law, and others at church so that my boys could be included. I can email it if you would like me to.
Grove city pharmacy has the cheapest medic alert bracelets, if you choose to go that route. We had to get these to make adults more aware of the boys needs when they were little. My three year old is learning to read labels and my nine year old helps when we decide to look at something new or something special. It has become a positive fun time, talking with the boys and betting who can find an item without milk first. Once you learn the changes needed, it is much healthier, more diverse, and easier to prepare cheaper meals.
I can obviously go on and offer more suggestions, but I don't want to over step.
Good luck and keep smiling always.

I also had a baby with a dairy allergery. I wasn't able to breat feed him. He was a happy baby but just couldn't drink my milk or any other for that matter. We finally removed all milk and put him on Prosobe and he did fine. When I took him off formula as he got older, he had to be fed jello and remove all foods twice. His intestines just couldn't deal with it. We finally got him on powdered milk and this is what the family lived with. He is now 40 and still can't drink regular milk. He didn't break out in hives, his came out in hyperactivity. The doctor said to let him eat most foods because he could deal with the hyper with meds. We just didn't agravate things with milk, but he could and still can eat yogurt without a problem. He just can't drink milk and knows it. He can drink powdered milk or 2%. The dr. said that its the butterfat in the milk that causes his problems and the above listed milk doesn't have any. IN other words, Dan still have trouble with his allergy so I guess some don't outgrow it.