Bloating and Tummy Troubles

Yes, I would call and get him into the doctor's TODAY! Sounds like he's in a lot of pain and it could be a serious condition.

I would take him to the doctor right away; it's not normal to bloat to the point your belly button turns inside out... there could be something seriously wrong there, like a blockage in his intestines or something wrong with his kidneys or liver which is preventing his food to be broken down properly. Hope he feels better soon!

Try Ultimate Aloe juice. Get the strawberry kiwi. Tastes like a freeze pop. Kids love it. What aloe does to the skin....it does to the insides as well. Just heals the digestive system and will help a great deal.
All my boys were on zantac for acid reflux. They are all off their meds due to the aloe juice.

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I tend to not be an alarmist, and I work with a lot of kids with digestive issues. I use nutritional approaches so that they can continue to eat all those foods that are problems for so many - I hate to see elimination diets and medications when other approaches are so much easier and a lot more fun. However, if his belly button is turning inside out, I think he should be seen. There could be some sort of obstruction and you shouldn't mess around with that. Even though he is off the milk now, keep a very watchful eye on him, and take him in at the first sign of any recurrence.

If his problems just started after you introduced him to cow dairy products, then he probably is either intolerant to the sugars in milk or is allergic to casein or whey, the two proteins in milk.

I discovered at the age of 40 a few years ago that I am allergic to casein in cow's milk/products. I had constipation my entire life, a bloated stomach, and various other gastro issues. However, until I got really sick and had some tests done, I had no idea that cow milk was one of the causes. In fact, my doctor is fairly certain that I've had the milk allergy from baby on; it just took a bunch of medical issues to bring it to the fore.

As someone stated, you need to take your son off everything having to do with cow dairy (milk and products, even products that are made with whey or casein) for at least one week. See how your son responds. If his pain and bloating go away, it's more than likely that cow milk is the culprit.

If it is the cow milk/products that are making him sick, don't despair. Some kids have lactose intolerance, which means that they can only eat minimum amounts of cow milk/products; Lactaid milk usually works for them. My husband was at a Civil War Reenactment weekend and a friend, trying to be helpful (he knows my husband has various food issues), sent him home with a carton of Lactaid milk. He looked at me when he got home and said, "Can I drink this." I said "no; if you had lactose intolerance, you could. But you have casein allergy; that means NO COW milk or products." So we've been giving the milk to the cat. :)

If you determine that your son is allergic to cow milk (a naturopathic doctor can do a mouth swab test for about $50 that will tell if he is or not), then you must have him stay away from any and all cow milk/products unless you want him to be sick. Many people who are allergic to cow milk are able to use/eat goat or sheep milk/products (we can). There are also other alternatives, like almond, oat, hemp, rice, hazelnut for milk alternatives (I would stay away from soy personally).

Finding out if he's intolerant/allergic and keeping him away from what's making him sick will go a long ways toward making sure he grows up healthy with a good and functioning gastrointestinal system and a good immune system. Good job, catching that the milk was making him ill.

Could it be the lactose? We found that our DD 1 on June 3 couldn't handle the lactose. Put her on Lactaid whole milk and much happier baby!

Here's what your ped will say: Don't give it to him for a full week - that includes yogurt and cheese or any other dairy product. Do some label reading, too, and really try to cut out anything that is made with milk - just for a week. If he doesn't have any problems in that week, slowly start to add back in some dairy, one thing at a time, waiting three days to a week in between, starting with cooked items made with milk (baked goods, etc), then yogurt (many people who have issues with milk can eat yogurt just fine), then cheese, then finally the milk. It'll take you a couple of weeks, but you'll know very quickly if any of these foods were causing the problem.

Lots of kids have issues with dairy, and it's not always the lactose that's the problem, people can be sensitive to any of the different proteins or sugars in milk. Now that he's over a year, there are many different foods you can feed him instead of dairy products that will give him similar nutrition. My 3-year-old drinks soy milk (and eats soy ice cream) but can eat limited amounts of yogurt and cheese - one cup of yogurt a day, and a small serving of cheese every few days. He does fine with goat cheese, though! Soy yogurt is very tasty, too - I can't eat dairy yogurt or drink milk, but I do OK with limited amounts of cheese.

Better to try this before your appointment, so you can share the results with your doctor, and get some advice based on that.

From my experience, the milk could be his problem. My youngest had terrible issues with milk till she was about 13 months. I nursed her for a year and I couldn't drink any milk because of the bloating and pain it caused her. I could eat cheese, yogurt, etc., but not milk (I drink skim). I cut out milk completely, and when we introduced whole milk at 13 months she did fine. A doctor visit is a good idea - I'd stay away from milk till you see what the MD says. Depending on what the MD says you could maybe try soy milk, maybe even goat's milk instead of cow's milk for a while. Good luck - I know it's so hard to see them in pain and not be able to fix it!