A Couple Non Dairy Questions..

Is she getting chubby, or is she bloated? One little boy I know had a bloated stomach until the dairy was all the way gone and then the almond milk was fine for him. He was bloated because of the dairy in his diet.

You can also use rice milk. If she is getting chubby, is it because of using sweetened milk substitute? Switch to non-sweetened. There is also dairy-free baby-formula that she may need to be drinking instead, as almond milk is generally not actually a milk substitute for babies/toddlers (at least not the normal almond "milk" I find in the grocery store). If she is drinking it instead of water, it is like "juice" and is just giving lots of sugar which can set up a problem with yeast and digestive issues. My younger daughter who had a bloated belly was found later to have also a problem with gluten, and had malabsorption issues. -- I'd advise consulting a registered dietitian about this (may know more than the pediatritian).

Snacks can be all kinds of fruits and vegetables - cut up Kiwi, cut peeled grapes, cooked sweet potato, green beans, banana, organic not sweetened applesauce, pears, mango, peaches, watermelon, papaya, some avocado, English Cucumbers (no seeds), squash and zucchini (cooked as long as she needs it that way) ...There are puddings you can make from tapioca.... Then there are the grains - brown rice cakes or Udi's bread that you can spread anything on from peanut butter to avocado, to hummus, or even melt some Daiya "cheese" on - it is fine cold and eaten later. There is even pasta in all kinds of shapes and textures. And Banana or zucchini muffins.

And here is a wonderful site you may get even more ideas from:
http://www.foodsensitivityjournal.com/

(We have multiple food sensitivities and allergies in my family - We eat a more varied and delightful diet now than we ever did before!)

I don't know much about dairy free, but I do know kids. As a 13 month old there is nothing wrong with your daughter having a belly. At that age they need more cholesterol in their body than we realize. That cholesterol will make them a little chunky. Fat on a toddler is okay. Tell your parents that unless the doctor says different about her weight and/or belly then she is okay. If she likes the almond milk then keep her on it. You can use the A milk in cooking also. So if a recipe calls for milk, substitute the A milk. Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.

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Coconut milk would be such a better option! Check the labels! Coconut milk has 30% vit D while 2% cows milk as 25%, coconut milk has iron, where 2% cows milk does not. Coconut milk is so much healthier!!

Check out a site on Paleo eating - lean meats, veggies/fruits, nuts and seeds and healthy fats. All non dairy.
www.thepaleodiet.com
www.everydaypaleo.com (Mom Sarah feeds her whole family Paleo)
many other sites too!

*Regarding her belly - does depend on what you are talking about. My daughter had a distended belly from about 2yrs of age till 5ish and ended up having bowel issues :-( She's all better now. (suffered from encropresis and I'm sure had issues with dairy as well - we are dairy free now).

Best wishes!

Hmm, I even learned some things reading your answers! ;) Anyway, I don't know much about almond milk, but I love me some snacks, so here's some ideas...

Hummus was a big hit with my kids. I don't know if you have a specific type of cracker or bread you use that she can eat, but spread some on there and hopefully she'll go to town. At that age my kids loved it, although won't eat it much now. :(

Edamame is also a good ideas as well as any other beans. Beans are full of protein and fiber, are the perfect finger food size and taste good! Canned beans are cheap and as long as you rinse them first, they are fine to feed to babies. Target has a steam-in-the-bag of edamame that is cheap and easy to make. Just squeeze them out of the pod for her but soon enough she'll want to do it on her own! My son started trying to do it himself aorund 18 months and even at 2 and 4 my kids still eat tons of edamame.

You could also try tweeking some homemade recipes for things like banana bread and such. Just add almond milk (or soy) for milk and you could probably add oil for eggs. I have an awesome vegan cake recipe and I can't remember what I subbed for eggs. But, you could even google some recipes or check out a cook book from the library.

Also, usually bagels are vegan, at least the regular varitey like plain, sesame, etc. Panera has some awesome bagels and they freeze easily as well. You can find their ingredient list on line, but their sourdough is also dairy free.

Almond milk is ok, but it doesn't contain the nutrients that cow's milk does. Have you looked into milk-free formula? She'd get better nutrients that way, and have less empty sugar.

And if you think your daughter is fine and the pedi agrees, ignore your mom. Parents/ILs/neighbors/strangers - they all have opinions, and you're going to have to deal with them for the next 20 years!

I have a great dairy-free mac and cheese recipe. Message me if you want it.

Rice milk is a good idea to switch up with the almond milk; tofutti's better than cream cheese as a sandwich; silk live's yogurt does not have milk-based cultures; fruits; veggies; veggie straws; sorbet; and the generic animal crackers we buy have no milk (mine has a peanut allergy and eggs and fish too so I homebake tons of stuff too). Good luck!