Trouble with Whole Milk

Updated on March 10, 2010
A.Z. asks from Hiram, GA
16 answers

My daughter is 13 months old and we switched to 2% milk about 2 months ago but her doctor told me to use whole milk on her 12 month check up. But every since i switched her she's been throwing up curttled milk even though she never spit up as an infant. I put her back on 2% but im not sure if that ok cause now she consitpated what kind of milk shoul d I be using. ===== I wanted to thank everyone for the many answers. I also wanted to add a little bit to my question. As far as her throwing up it was more like once a day but it was always curttled and a lot not just a little spit up. and for the consitpation goes it started weeks ago but not completley until 3 days ago. shes been able to go but it was just hard on her and looked painful. I gave her prune juice and it seems to have over fixed the problem. and last thursday i had to take her to the doctor cause she woke up with both eyelids very swollen but no drainage or redness any where. the ran a cathador in her to check her urin and found nothing and did think it was allergies due to the lack of redness or drainage. they gave me eyedrops to use once a day and told me to use bendrayl. She looses some of the puffiness during the day but every morning since she wakes up just as swollen if not more so Please Help if you have any idea cause i dont and neither does her doctors

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone so much for the many responses I've recieved. It gives me hope in so many ways, to see there really are people out there who do still care about others. As for Emmi I had to take her to the doctor this morning cause she woke up looking 9 months preg. or as i told the nurse like the blue berry from Willy Wonka LOL but it wasn't a good out come. We had chest and tummy X-Rays done along with blood work ( not fun at all) due to emmi's swelling it was almost impossible yet my trooper help on strong at only 13 months she barley screamed at all. Anyways they came back STAT and she is very consitpated but that is the least of our problems. They checked her last thursday for protein in her urin ( thinking it was her kidneys) and found none but this afternoon when the blood work came back there isn't near enough in her blood along with not enough albumin so he's bring her back in in the morning to recheck her urin hoping to find protein so it will be as simple as her kidneys which are treatable w steriods other wise we will be checked into scottish right first thing any suggestions would be great other wise please keep us in your prayers and thanks again

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G.B.

answers from Tulsa on

Laundry detergent allergies, bleach, fabric softener, soap in the night time bath not being rinsed off well enough, blanket fibers, etc....tear ducts not open but clogged up, etc....

As for the milk thing, she could have just had a bit of a stomach virus too. I know it's important to get that fat in the whole milk but I have never heard of being able to dring 2% but not whole. Whole milk only has about 4% fat in it so it's really not much different than 2%.

My thoughts (Okay, okay, it's a soapbox) on transitioning from formula to milk.

If she wasn't transitioned very, very slowly that may be what's going on. We usually tried to start every baby in every child care center I ever worked at or owned on the transition by mixing 2 oz. of whole milk to 6 oz. of formula at about 10 1/2 or 11 months. Then if they were doing really well on that we would go half and half another week or two, depending on their tummies and how well they were doing. Then about 11 3/4 months or 12 months we would go 6 oz. whole milk to 2 oz. formula. After a week or so they were done and they were ready to try whole milk straight.

In the instances where the parents wouldn't do this we had sick babies for weeks while thier stomachs rejected the milk and they puked up gross nastyness, and had white putty like pooh that made the whole center smell like rotten dead something or other, it make me puke every time I got too close.

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S.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Our ped recommended whole milk until our son was 2. He was always on the high end of the weight chart so we were able to change him to 2% earlier than most would. For a minute they stopped wanting it and I found out the new daycare I put them in fed them what ever they bought, 1% or 2%! I was floored. Needless to say for this and other reasons they are no longer there. I had to wein them back onto whole milk like you would from formula to milk. I bought both and mixed them. A couple gallons later and they are back on whole milk.

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D.W.

answers from Gainesville on

Children up to age 2 should not have reduced fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese). They need the fat for proper brain growth and development. Is she throwing up every single time you give her the whole milk (like 3-4 times per day)? Or just occasionally? These are things you really need to discuss with her doctor to get to the true cause/problem.

You could back off the milk and offer cheese, yogurt every day to help make up for the lack of milk.

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D.V.

answers from Atlanta on

Not sure how much this may help but, Does she have a feather pillow? I am allergic to birds and can not be anywhere around down pillows or bedding. When I was a child the dr's told my mom that I was allergic to our cats and that we needed to get rid of them asap. I was so sad that I slept with my mother the next few nights and my eyes did not swell at all. Turns out that we had just recently moved and my pillow got switched with my brothers. Look to see if there is anything new in her room that wasn't there before the problems started. Maybe even a new stuffed animal or blanket that she had been sleeping with.

As far as the milk...my youngest had to drink soy milk until she was 20 months.

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H.R.

answers from Myrtle Beach on

I would try another milk like goats, soy or coconut. Kroger carries the coconut milk, and if its soy I would def. do organic.
Truth is Cows milk is made for a calf that is born at 100lbs, and they expect our babies to drink it! Goats milk is made for a baby born at the same weight as our babies are born. Makes sense.

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K.R.

answers from Sioux Falls on

2% is just fine if she has trouble with the constipation still you dark kyro syrup that helps out alot!

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M.B.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi. You have some info on the milk already. My dd was allergic to milk when we switched her at 12 months so we did soy and coconut milk (Kroger). She was very constipated also and the docs told me to give her laxative for 3-6 months. I don't like using medicine so i decided to buy flax seed and put it in her applesauce or soy yogurt. She loves it. You have to buy the seeds whole and grind it up as you use it, it goes bad 24 hours after you grind it. She is almost 2 and gets 1-2 tsp of ground flaxseed a day and has no prob going poop, thank goodness! Good Luck " ; )

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J.M.

answers from Atlanta on

have you tried soymilk? my dd has terrible diarrhea if she drinks cow's milk but can drink goat milk and soy milk. Her favorite is the vanilla flavored organic soy milk we get at our local Kroger. maybe that has something to do with her eyelids? hth!

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C.S.

answers from Atlanta on

Does your daughter wake up from naps with irritated eyes or is it just after a full night's sleep? If it is only after a full night's sleep, then think about what you do during her bedtime routine that could be causing her symptoms.

My son had severe allergies and reflux as an infant. He would vomit/spit up constantly until he was about 16 months old! He ate a lot, because it felt good to him due to the reflux. Could you be overfeeding her? Many parents don't realize this, because young children seem to eat such small portions of food, but it is very common. Does she seem bothered when she vomits, or does she just continue on about what she is doing? If she doesn't seem bothered, then chances are she is spitting up and not vomiting. (You should still look into the cause, but know that it is probably bothering you more than it is bothering her.) Also, humans are the only animals that continue to drink milk after we have been weaned; although it is a good source of the fat that studies suggest young children need, I would consider other sources if she has difficulty processing the dairy. Milk is an easy source, not a necessary one. Avocadoes, for example, are a great first food and a good source of healthy fat.

What did the doctor say the eye drops were for? What were they intended to treat? Also, what is the benadryl supposed to treat if the doctor doesn't think allergies are causing the irritation? I would be careful administering medication "just because". However, if you notice that her symptoms seem better after she has taken the benadryl, then you might want to see if your pediatrician will refer you to an allergy specialist for further analysis.

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C.A.

answers from Columbia on

My daughter had the same issue with whole milk. She drinks 2% or Soy and she is fine. I am not sure in regards to the other issues and afraid I can't be help to you there. You may want to try her on Soy and see if that helps. She could be allergic to cows milk in general.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

Anytime I switched my children from formula to milk I did it over a week or so. I would just keep adding an ounce of milk and taking away an ounce of formula until eventually it was all milk. This allowed their system to adjust slowly. I am sure it is just the shock of the whole milk to her system. Some children tolerate it with no problem and others have some issues as they adjust. If she did okay on the 2% then start adding the whole milk gradual until she is on all whole milk. I would do it slowly and see how she does. Was she on a milk based formula, or soy? If it keeps up then I would check with the doctor. It is strange when my kids were small 2% was recommended to cut back on the fat and now they have found that children need the extra fat in their diet. Who knows my kids are 25 and 21 and grew up fine!! LOL

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A.M.

answers from College Station on

Sounds like you should keep her on 2% my doc says it takes up to ten days to clear her system. My sis in law has her daughter on 2% and was fine unless someone gave her whole! They need the extra fat but my daughter switches between whole and 2% and is very healthy. Ask your doc everyone has diffrent opinions and I usually give my daughter 2% after her 2 servings of whole! Just ask your doc he might say to keep her on 2%. Hope she is better soon! Best wished----Ash

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

She should only be having three 8oz servings of milk a day TOPS.

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M.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi Ali,

Whole milk is best not just for the fat content but it is also processed less so it has fewer chemicals in it. The cow's milk may be causing the "allergy" type symptoms so you may want to switch to almond milk, hemp milk or even rice milk. The jury is still out on Soy as it is full of estrogen. Cow's milk is not a necessity if she is getting the nutrition she needs.

Prune juice is a good source of fiber and will help with any constipation. I would choose it over corn syrup especially as she is still young enough that she can't digest possible botulism spores in the Karo syrups. If she's throwing up I would think her tummy isn't ready for it.

Hope I helped!

M.

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K.C.

answers from Houston on

As a mom of 7, I've gone through so much and have learned so much. Talk to her pediatrician again. I went through this with one of mine and the doctor suggested Soy milk. It truly worked. There are some really good milk on the market for children with allergies. A natural adviser can help you as well. There's goat milk, coconut milk, lactaid, etc... They are very nutritous for her. Some of my children had to be on these milkes for 2-4 years and then their bodies became strong enough to go back to regular whole milk.

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