So what do I feed this guy? (milk sensitivity)

[*Inna*]

Since I weaned our youngest and introduced cow's milk, he's been having terrible diarrhea and persistent diaper rash. I stopped giving him straight milk and switched to soy milk, which he loves and can drink in copious amounts. I also give him rice and almond milk. He seemed to be OK with cultured milk products.

 

It's been going on for a while, but now I've noticed that if he ate quite a bit of dairy products (say, a small cup of yogurt and a cheese stick), the symptoms would return.

 

So, I'm thinking to start eliminating anything dairy in his diet.

 

He loves cheese and yogurt. Any meals he would eat have to have some sort of cheese in them. :glare:

 

He is my first picky eater. He will not touch vegetables without cheese on them. Cheese quesadilla is his favorite as well as noodles with, you guessed it, cheese.

 

If he doesn't like something, he would absolutely not touch it and will go hungry (and very cranky) all day.

 

So, PLEASE, Hive, help me out! What in the world can I feed this guy?

 

He's 18 months old, BTW.

[Ravin]

Have you tried goat's milk? Some people tolerate it where they do not tolerate cow's.

[*Inna*]

No, I haven't. Should I try straight milk or cheese first?

 

I would use any excuse to make a trip to Trader Joe's... :D

[scrappyhappymama]

It does sound like a dairy protein sensitivity.

 

Three of my four have had it. The good news is that two have outgrown it by age three (and my third is still on the dairy free diet). I was advised by a pediatric allergist to avoid all dairy protein, and they will have a better chance of outgrowing it. Small, frequent exposures multiply the number of reactions and can increase the chances of the intolerance becoming permanent.

 

My 20 month old is also sensitive to soy and corn, so his diet is very limited. He drinks rice milk, eats a lot of rice and pasta, diced up fruits and veggies, chunks or shredded meats, and snacks on rice chex. Since we can't do many sauces or any cheese, we do safe dips instead. I don't love this, but we have found a safe ketchup, and he loves to dip his veggies and meats and pastas and will eat more that way, so I give him a squirt of ketchup sometimes. Or dip veggies or pita in hummus. Dipping just seems to help a lot. :D

[sewingmama]

All three of my kids had the same intolerance at that age - they all outgrew it around age 2 so hopefully your guy will too.

 

My first two I kept them on soy formula till 18 months and then they weaned off it and I gave them no dairy till they hit 2. You can then give small amounts of dairy starting with cheese and yoghurt as they are the best tolerated -but not huge amounts. I think my kids could finally drink a cup of stright milk around 2.5.

 

My little guy is 19 months. He too is intolerant. He is still taking two bottles of soy formula a day - I probably won't wean him off till he hits 2 as he is underweight and needs the calories. He is able to tolerate yoghurt (the baby kind) so he eats that but he doesn't like cheese.

 

You really need to cut back on the cheese - choose one small amount of dairy a day ie. small peice of cheese OR a little yoghurt but not both. As his tolerance increases you can give a little more. I don't think you have to take him off dairy completely - all mine could tolerate cow milk in baking etc. Just stay away from milky puddings and such.

 

If he is really addicted to the cheese I would just forget giving him yoghurt and allow him a little more cheese with his meals - but only small amounts - just a light sprinkling of grated - definately not drowning in cheese sauce.

 

I had one child that would refuse to eat at all to the point of vomiting from hunger if it wasn't something she liked (SPD) she ate lots of peanut butter sandwiches and is still alive happy and thriving :D

 

Soy formula might be something to consider as a back up if he is consistantly skipping meals.

 

He sounds just like my kids at that age and I promise - they all outgrew the intolerance once they turned 2.

 

Edited to add: My DD couldn't tolerate either dairy or soy - she had goats milk formula and it worked great. The formula tasted nice but straight goats milk is not something my kids would have touched - I suppose you could try it. Goats milk cheese might be a good substitute though if he is really demanding it.

Edited March 21, 2011 by sewingmama

[FrogMom5]

We fed our ds rice milk, soy yogurt and just skipped the cheese. No good substitutes back then.

 

For cooking and baking, coconut milk or Vance's Dairy Free (a powder) can be substituted.

 

Be careful about feeding your ds too much soy. At first we used soy for everything but then found out it can (and did in our case) negatively affect thyroid function. Some soy is fine.

 

Also, if he likes ice cream, sorbet is a good substitute.

 

Try switching him over slowly. It's hard to stop eating the foods you love all at once.

 

I hope the transition goes smoothly and then he outgrows it quickly.

Denise

[Rosie_0801]

My kids like savoury yeast in place of cheese. Well, not in a sandwich, but sprinkled on veggies and such. I have caught dd eating it out of the jar more than once. :rolleyes:

 

Rosie

[Harriet Vane]

Sounds like a real problem.

 

First, put him on a complete dairy fast--NO MILK PRODUCT AT ALL, IN ANY AMOUNT--for 4-6 weeks. This includes any and all forms of milk, cheese, whey, caseine, yoghurt. Let his system heal.

Do NOT attempt to feed any form of other mammalian milk at this time either. (No goat's milk or other.) The reason is that ALL mammalian milk contains lactose, just in differing proportions. If you want to try goat's milk AFTER six weeks of carefully avoiding all dairy, you will then get a much more accurate picture of whether or not it will affect him. I am guessing, though, that since he is also sensitive to cheese, that goat's milk will bother him too. My own ds found that while goat's milk did not bother him as much as cow's milk does, it did still give him a stomach ache.

 

I am going to guess that if you can retrain his tastebuds away from cheese, that the extended dairy fast will also heal some issues that you may not have realized were even issues. My own ds is far less emotional and tantrum-prone when he is not dealing with food exposures.

[PeterPan]

Kids often crave what they're allergic to. You need to totally take him off the dairy, all of it like Strider says, then see if goat milk can work for him. We only eat cheese on rare occasion. Life moves on. Try spaghetti sauce, ketchup, hummus, or salad dressing for veges or put them in soup or marinara sauce. If you're going to TJ, no doubt they have some yummy hummus spreads. We usually make our own. Dd reacted to milk when she was little, and it made her act HORRIBLE, like a witch. I recently read in a book that the un/mal-digested proteins cross over to the brain and cause all kinds of havoc.

 

You might want to talk with a nutritionist to make sure you're keeping him balanced while you do this. I used one with dd, and she actually rebuild dd's digestion (using food for the enzymes, etc.) to the point where dd is fine with milk now, though we still don't do it as a regular thing. They don't need milk to grow and be strong, but they do need enough protein, fat, and a good calcium supplement. I've had my dd on one since she started with that nutritionist at 2 1/2, and no growth-stunting here, hehe.

[*Inna*]

Thanks so much for your replies!

 

Another question, should I stop using milk in baking too? I bake a lot.

Can I use soy/rice/almond milk instead?

 

My kids like savoury yeast in place of cheese.

Rosie, would you mind telling me more about this?

[Pretty in Pink]

One of mine had a milk sensitivity as well. It developed when he transitioned from cow milk-based formula to whole milk at age 1, and he outgrew it by age 3.

 

My son tolerated yogurt and cheese, but drinking milk gave him diarrhea. We just switched him to Lact-Aid and he was fine.

[Snickerdoodle]

If I had to do it all over again, I would do the GAPS diet on such a child.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Snickerdoodle

[*Inna*]

Kids often crave what they're allergic to.

You are so right about that. Right now he saw his sister eating yogurt and started chasing her around the room, screaming. I will have to reserve yogurt and cheese snacks for his sisters while he naps ,probably...

[AK_Mom4]

You are so right about that. Right now he saw his sister eating yogurt and started chasing her around the room, screaming. I will have to reserve yogurt and cheese snacks for his sisters while he naps ,probably...

 

Easiest to take all the kids off yogurt and cheese while you do this. We went through this with kid #3 and for my sanity we stopped having those items in the house for about a year. Lots of fruit and veggies for snacks got us thru. Kid #3 also outgrew this by age 3.

[scrappyhappymama]

Thanks so much for your replies!

 

Another question, should I stop using milk in baking too? I bake a lot.

Can I use soy/rice/almond milk instead?

 

 

Yes, you'd want to eliminate milk completely. This will mean most processed/restaurant foods as well. Rice milk works really well for baking. I have found it to be a good substitute for milk across the board, except for things like gravy and pudding where the milk fat is essential.

[cjzimmer1]

My youngest (who's 2 1/2) gets bad exzema from cow's milk. We discovered this shortly after her first birthday. At first it seems she could tolerate yogurt and cheese but then she started reacting to that too. I totally agree with the sentiment to remove all dairy and let his system heal.

 

As far as substitutes go, I didn't want to start on Almond milk before 2 because I was worried about triggering a nut allergy and I didn't want to use soy because too much soy isn't good either. We used rice milk for a while but she got very constipated from it (but she tends to run that way with many things). We ended up usuing a whole grain milk from Trader Joe's and I would dilute it with water (about 2/3 milk 1/3 water). She was still nursing so I wasn't as worried about calories as much as hydration. Once she turned 2 we went with Almond milk and she loves it.

 

Coconut milk is another option (not the stuff in the can but the stuff sold in the dairy case). I would skip cheese altogether even the "veggie" type of cheese our grocery store sells contain some milk proteins and my daughter reacts to those as well. For yogurt they do sell soy and coconut milk yogurts but they are expensive. I let my daughter eat soy yogurt because we only have that once or twice a month so I'm not worried about overdoing the soy.

 

As far as cheese sauces go, I make a roux with unsweetened almond milk, chicken boullion, sage, flour and coconut oil (expeller pressed because the coconut flavor tastes wierd in this recipe). It is similar to a cream of chicken soup but far more tasty. But it's enough like a cheese sauce that we think it tastes good on veggies.

 

Spaghetti has become my fail safe food when I need something she will eat. We do use whole wheat pasta so it's healthier but as long as she's eating I don't sweat it if she doesn't have the variety the rest of us have. I have also found that even though she doesn't like plain veggies other than carrots, she won't touch plain meat and doesn't like potatoes, when I make shepherd's pie she devours it and asks for seconds. Somehow the combo appeals to her even though she doesn't like any of the components on their own. Or maybe it's the every present roux that gets her to eat it.

 

Baking: I use almond milk as my substitute for everything (sweetened or not as best fits the recipe). Rice milk also worked well but I don't keep that around because we don't like it as well to drink and I already have 4 types of milk I have to keep around (I have some who drink regular milk, 2 who drink lactose free but can't agree on a "fat" level so I have to have 2 types there and almond milk). I even use the unsweetened almond milk for things like mashed potatoes and the roux I described above.

[Rosie_0801]

Another question, should I stop using milk in baking too? I bake a lot. Can I use soy/rice/almond milk instead?

 

Yes, dairy milk counts as milk even if you cook it. Whether you use soy depends on your stance on soy products, but you can use rice, oat, almond, coconut or anything else you can get instead.

 

Rosie, would you mind telling me more about this?

 

I buy Lotus brand savoury yeast. You can use it to make "Cheeze" though I've never tried making anything other than a parmesan cheese to sprinkle on pasta type substitute and just plain yeast does the job to our satisfaction so I haven't bothered doing it again. Sometimes I use it as an ingredient in dip.

 

Rosie

[Harriet Vane]

Thanks so much for your replies!

 

Another question, should I stop using milk in baking too? I bake a lot.

Can I use soy/rice/almond milk instead?

 

Rosie, would you mind telling me more about this?

 

Definitely STOP. No milk, ever, of any kind, in anything your child puts in his mouth, for 4-6 weeks. I find that soy milk or coconut milk (NOT coconut cream, but the actual coconut milk) substitute rather well in recipes.

 

For butter you can use EarthBalance vegan or Fleishman's unsalted, or use slightly less oil. Make sure you read the labels on the butter substitutes--both companies also produce butter substitutes that DO contain milk, so you need to make sure to get the ones that are actually milk-free. My preference is EarthBalance--it tastes better and is much healthier than Fleishman's.

[*Inna*]

Definitely STOP. No milk, ever, of any kind, in anything your child puts in his mouth, for 4-6 weeks. I find that soy milk or coconut milk (NOT coconut cream, but the actual coconut milk) substitute rather well in recipes.

 

For butter you can use EarthBalance vegan or Fleishman's unsalted, or use slightly less oil. Make sure you read the labels on the butter substitutes--both companies also produce butter substitutes that DO contain milk, so you need to make sure to get the ones that are actually milk-free. My preference is EarthBalance--it tastes better and is much healthier than Fleishman's.

Thank you.

[*Inna*]

Rosie, thank you. :001_smile: Sounds interesting.

I will look into that.

[indigomama]

Two of our DC have intolerances to dairy and for a while soy as well so we use Rice Milk. It works well for cooking and baking.

 

This week I thought I'd reintroduce butter in my baking, BAD idea. They now have horrible eczema all over their little bodies, I feel so guilty:blushing::crying:

 

They drink Rice Milk (could not tolerate goat's milk) and we use Earth Balance butter substitute. They do make rice yogurt, although it is outrageously expensive. I have gotten them some when it's marked down right before expiration, so check the health food section of your grocery store.

 

Our Ped says there are two main thoughts with food sensitiveness: avoid completely until age 5 and slowly try to reintroduce or to find the smallest amounts they can tolerate and build up slowly from their. Unfortunately my DC (4yo and 2yo) can't seem to tolerate any amounts.

 

DS6 can have dairy but we only allow it if theirs a substitute food for his brothers or if he's not around his brothers while eating. He's always been very gracious about it.

 

As for getting them to eat without cheese, I second a pp's comment about dips. My kids eat so much better if they can dip, they especially like hummus and salsa.

[ocelotmom]

He loves cheese and yogurt. Any meals he would eat have to have some sort of cheese in them. :glare:

 

He is my first picky eater. He will not touch vegetables without cheese on them. Cheese quesadilla is his favorite as well as noodles with, you guessed it, cheese.

You just have to bite the bullet and do it. Almost all kids will eventually eat when they're truly hungry, but before they get to the point of causing themselves harm. Don't focus too much on the vegetables to start with if that's something he's resistant to eating - provide foods that he likes and would hopefully be more willing to eat without cheese.

 

My personal experience with this involves an autistic child who I was sure would, in fact, put herself in quite an unhealthy state if we took away her wheat and dairy. She didn't, and now is willing to eat pretty much anything.

 

My two youngest are/were dairy intolerant (the older has grown out of obvious symptoms). We use primarily coconut milk, because I feel it's the healthiest replacement. Nut milk of some form would be my second choice, followed by soy, then rice/oat/other primarily carbohydrate-based milk - I consider them purely a flavor/liquid replacement, without much nutritional value.

Edited March 21, 2011 by ocelotmom

[*Inna*]

Thank you all for advice and sharing your stories.

 

I'm googling like crazy. :willy_nilly: