Milk Allergies... What Do I Do?

My 16 month old daughter is still on Alimentum. I tried soy but after some research on the side effects took her off. After I took away the soy, I realized she was having a reaction to that also. The research that I did didn't offer any good alternatives due the nutritional need for the milk ingredients. I discussed it with my doctor and researched (due to the expense of the formula) to determine how much Alimentum she needs in a day. She is doing fine and still growing. When she is 2, she will have allergy testing. Good Luck

When my daughter was born I did not have enouh milk so I supplemented her with goats milk that I got at the Fairfield Krogers. My mom has raised goats for years and people who can not drink cows milk can drink goats milk. My daughter did great on it.

What about Soy milk? They have talked about putting my daughter on it for a possible allergy. Good luck!!

Cow's milk is not necessary to humans. We are, in fact, the only species to drink another species milk! You need to talk to your pediatrician in regard to what other beverages are safe to introduce at this age. Perhaps soy milk or almond milk would be possibilities. Many juices are now fortified with calcium and vitamins, so if calcium is your concern, that is another option.

You need to wait until a year old to do regular milk. My kids had to do soy, they did fine. We did the silk vanilla flavored most of the time. By 5-6 we starting slowly introducing regular milk (mixing the two half and half) and with in a short time they were able to do regular just fine. Goodluck

Hi A.,
My little guy also had some milk problems (an intolerance to the protein) as well as a soy problem. He just turned 14 months old and has been doing well on rice milk. He likes the vanilla flavored rice milk that is enriched with calcium and vitamins. His pediatrician okayed it and he does great with it, he knows no different. Trader Joes sells their own brand of rice milk for about half the price you would buy the name brand (it is very pricey!!) and the ingredients are identical. I am told this can be outgrown and eventually we may be able to retry dairy...I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Good luck!

My daughter was born allergic to protein in milk so after 7 different formulas in less than 6 weeks we put her on neocate - when it was time for her to switch to regular milk she had to go on a hypoallerginc formula for about 6 weeks and then she went to whole milk and has not had any problems since and she will be 4. You might ask your doctor they may just want you to try to switch and see what happens without having to use the specialty milks. Good luck.

Most doctors recommend waiting on cow's milk until one year old. With your little one's issues, I wouldn't rush things. I'd keep him on the formula till he's a year old, then try switching. You could possibly try him on a regular milk-based formula first, and see how he does with that. If you're really concerned about it, check with your doctor.

both of my kids were lactose intolerant so I had them on the soy formula then switched them to the dairy-ease milk or the lactaid one.we occasionally did silk (soy milk) also without any problems. Luckily for me,they both outgrew their allergies so its easier now but with all 3 of those, I could cook with them & still have the recipes taste good.

many people who have a milk allergy also have soy allergies (similar protein). One possibility is potato based milk. (see vancesfoods.com). they sell DariFree™ which is lactose-free, contains as much calcium as milk and is a good source of vitamins. before using it check with your pediatrician to make sure it is safe for your little one (e.g. not too many vitamins, etc)

I agree that your son does not need milk now, and probably not ever. He can get calcium from other sources such as cheese, yogurt, or kefir.

But, whatever you do, please do not give your child soy milk. I don't think it is healthy in general, but particularly for a boy because of all of the plant estrogens in it. Some more on soy below:

http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/category/m-e-n-u/the-so...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjZs0DGW1Jk&feature=re...

I understand completely as my son had to be put on hypoallergenic formula too. He's now 16 mos old and a couple of months ago I finally switched him over to Silk brand soy milk. He loves it but will only take it at night. I thought it would be the worst thing in the world for him to not get whole milk but there are many children who cannot tolerate milk until later if at all. I would suggest trying soy milk but I wouldn't do it until he's at least 1 yr.

Babies should have nothing but formula or breastmilk until 12 months. At that point it's up to you if you want to wean to cow's milk or not. First, we are the only species that weans to another species' milk. So, you don't have to as long as you make sure he gets vit. D and calcium in other ways like yogurt and cheese.
Second, you can try goat or buffalo milk which are both better tolerated by little tummies. You can try to find them at Whole Foods or TJ's.
For non-animal milks, there are a lot of choices. Rice, Almond, and Soy in different flavors come to mind.
You can also get Lactaid milk if you think it's a lactose problem, but it's probably a protein intolerance that he'll get over with time.
Good Luck!

Hi A.,
We have used goat's milk since our daughter was 10 months. Initially we got flack from ped because they claimed it wasn't as nutritious but when compared label for label the argument wasn't very well supported and the ped backed off quickly.

You can buy at any grocery store and I believe I have even seen it canned in Target. It is called Meyenberg Goat's Milk. I have bought for our daughter in bulk (case) powder which I have been able to get through any health food store.

It can be purchased canned -which is like condensed milk and you would add water, powdered- which you would mix with water and it gives ou 3 qts and the carton milk much like you would buy cows milk.

Research shows that goat's milk is the closest to mother's breast milk and while it is similar to cow's milk it is more easily digested and has less lactose. For our daughter there were other benefits as well.

All in all we chose this because soy milk, especially for girls, is not ideal and rice milk seemed mediocre for health benefits.

Hope this helps.
C.

I have an sensitivity to all dairy, and my grandson is allergic to it. The first thing you can do is relax! ;-)

Actually, cow's milk is not natural to the human body anyway, and most people are much healthier without it in their diet. I use coconut milk (I get Trader Joe's because it's smooth and the texture of cream) in place of dairy on cereal, etc. Other than that, I just avoid it all together. I get my calcium from other sources (veggies, nuts, etc), so it's no big deal. Actually, I never liked drinking milk. Cheese was my big dairy downfall. If only I had known to avoid it all my life, I would have been much happier and healthier.

My sensitivity to dairy has to do with allergic reactions (stuffiness/congestion) and chronic pain. As soon as my doctor removed dairy from my diet, my symptoms of fibromyalgia and my migraines disappeared. I know I still have the fibro, but the symptoms have vanished!

It's very easy to live without dairy, and the sooner you make the change, the better.

My sone has allergies to both milk and soy, therefor rice milk is our only option. I find it's ingredients to be very similar to milk and he enjoys it. I also checked with my doc and he verified that it was fine.

Hi A.,

Your baby is too young to be off of formula as of yet - wait until he is a year old. He may also not be sensitive to milk products at all, but was simply having digestive issues. Alimentum is a milk product.

I care for my grandson, who was also on Alimentum for his first year. We "weaned" him directly to organic whole milk when he was a year old, giving it to him only in a cup. The process took about a month, as we dropped one bottle feeding at a time.

Good luck with this.

D.

Hello, I had a similiar problem with my 2 1/2 year old. I was nursing and then when she weaned I tried regular qrganic milk and she got very sick from it. I put her on goat's milk. You can get it in a can in the baking aisle or you can getit with the regular milk. It is a little bit expensive but probably is cheaper than the formula. The brand is called Meyenberg. They also have a website as well. Hope this helps.

A little about me: Stay at home mother of 4 children and one on the way. Their ages are: 8,7, 2 1/2, 11 months and I am 9 weeks along.

Hi A.!

My daughter was 2lbs 14oz when she was born, they started her out on Neosure - which has a lot of milk and lactose in it! - we found out that she was allergic to it when she came home.

We also had her on Similac Alimentum until she was 15 months (due to her being so small) and we switched to Soy milk. it comes in origional, vanilla and chocolate. my daughter has never liked real milk. she is 7 now and is happy and healthy. we always have Soy in the frige for her. she calls it her milk. LOL It actually tastes pretty good and has more calcium and nutrients than cows milk. She is so healthy - hardly ever sick! - maybe once a year.

I agree cows milk wasn't meant for humans.

I hope this helps you decide. Soy milk is the better choice.

Have a happy day!
L. Kay

What about Soy milk?

are you sure he is allergic to regular milk. As a baby I had to be on Soy formula, but when it came to to put me on regular milk as a one yr old I did fine with it.

R.

My baby outgrew his sensitivity to milk fairly quickly. But I had one when I was little. Still had it when I was taken off formula. Soy milk is what I had to drink for a while. Eventually I outgrew it and have no problems with Dairy since. Good luck. Best thing I've heard for that is Soy milk. Hope this helps.

My son is on rice milk and we love it. We actually do the vanilla flavored rice milk b/c regular rice milk doesn't have much taste. Rice milk is loaded with calcium and vitamins a and d. It was the only option for us after figuring out that my son is dairy intolerant. We tried soy milk which he didn't like and almond milk which he didn't like either. The rice milk stuck with us and I have no complaints about it. I have a friend of mine whose kids drank rice milk and almond milk until they grew out of their dairy intolerance which was right around 5 years old and she always had only good things to say about it. That's why we tried it too. I would definitely recommend it.

Our pediatricians were adamant that we not put our daughter on any kind of milk until she was at least 12 months. Ask your doctor at his 1-year old checkup; they typically know what works best.

I have a dairy sensitivity and don't consume dairy. Didn't grow up with it either and it's never been a problem for me. I don't consume any other type of milk regularly. Occasionally I'll have cereal and use almond milk (I also use that for baking if milk is called for).

As someone else mentioned, I'd strongly caution anyone against regularly consuming soy milk, especially children. The phytoestrogens in it are bad news for kids. Phytoestrogens mimic the role of estrogen in the body and we're already exposed to high levels of estrogen in the environment from plastics to hormones in meat, etc. High estrogen levels have been linked to breast cancer, they've also been linked to early development in female children and the development of female sexual characteristics in males (breast tissue development).

Most, if not all pediatricians recommend not going to milk until 1 year becuase the baby's little tummy cannot handle it. If he is allergic to real milk, have you thought about trying the Soy Milk in the dairy aisle? Walmart and Target each make their own off brand that is cheaper than the name brand. My daughters are not allergic to milk, but their babysitter says the soy milk is more beneficial than regular milk, and it helps various issues that could occur in women (bone density, fights against breast cancer). So, we buy a 1/2 gallon of the chocolate soy milk every week or so because it just tastes better and i don't feel as bad giving them the chocolate soy as i do giving them regular chocolate milk. Also, ask your pediatrician what he/she suggests.

i know several kids on soy milk with no problems. I have a friend whose son is allergic to the protiens in milk and he drank goats milk but if you don't know someone to buy this from directly it is very expensive in the store!!

Have you tried goat's milk? We used it with our daughter as a supplment when weaning her because formula caused her sinus infections. We transitioned to whole cow's milk at 15 months with no more issues.

My daughter had the same issue accept Alimentum didn't work for her and we had to do Nutramigen. Based on how expensive it was it must have contained gold. ;). She switched to rice milk at 1 year and while its more expensive than reg. milk it was worth and a felt like a steal after buying formula. Her ped. recommended the rice milk and we have had no issues. She is three now. She has outgrown her allergy and now eats cheese etc. with no issues, but she still loves her rice milk so we continue to buy it.

My son takes rice milk and it worked very well for us. You may just have to try it and see if it works for you. We didn't have any problems.

Please talk to your child's Peds to find out what you should do. You and your ped should work together on this to get the answer.
R.

Our 2 year old had the same thing ~ she stared on the Similac Soy at 6 weeks. Her ped. said not to introduce milk until she was at least 12 mo. When we did, we had to do it VERY little at a time. She is OK now & can have dairy ~ I guess some babies' digestive system is just too sensitive for dairy. Good luck!