Tell me if this is crazy.

[mo2]

My 5yo has always drank a lot of milk. I mean, a ton of milk. He craved it. It was the first thing he wanted in the morning and the last thing he asked for at night before he went to bed. He has also has behavior problems, SPD, anxiety, and constipation issues. Suddenly, about a month ago, he declared he didn't like milk anymore and refused to drink it. Fine by me. He drinks water, lemonade, and one root beer a day. (Please no lectures about soda right now.) And here's the part I'm wondering about: All his issues seem much better. No problems pooping whatsoever. His sensory issues seem lessened. He is much more compliant and easy to reason with (as much as you can reason with a 5yo, anyway). He still gets mad at me sometimes when I tell him to do something, but he suddenly understands consequences. I can say, "Well, if you don't do x, we won't get to go outside to play," and he doesn't like it, but he says, "Fine!" and stomps off to do whatever x was. This may not be the ideal response, but it is a huge improvement over lying on the floor kicking, screaming, yelling, hitting, etc.

 

So the question is: Could this be related to removing the milk from his diet? (Which he did on his own, mind you, for some reason that still leaves me :confused: ). Or is this just a normal leap in his development that happened to occur at the same time? Coincidence?

[gardenmom5]

So the question is: Could this be related to removing the milk from his diet? (Which he did on his own, mind you, for some reason that still leaves me :confused: ).

 

absolutely. As I started reading how much he loved to drink milk, I was looking for SPD type issues. So yes, casein sensitivity can cause/contribute to SPD. (other bigges are gluten, yeast, and soy. some, but not all, kids are sensitive to one or more of those with problems like you described.) The fact he stopped drinking it on his own you can consider a blessing.

 

Kristen

[Mabeline]

I'm not sure about the other issues, but I do know that too much milk can cause constipation. It can also cause low iron levels because kids fill up on milk instead of eating other foods.

[LittleIzumi]

One dd has a very similar reaction (and intense craving) about milk. She does much better on zero or very limited dairy.

[mo2]

Thanks all.

 

One dd has a very similar reaction (and intense craving) about milk. She does much better on zero or very limited dairy.

 

He is still eating a little dairy, ie, the cheese on a pizza, or very rare ice cream on a hot day (usually it's popsicles though). I just can't believe the change.

[Dandelion]

Yes, both physical and behavioral issues can be caused by milk. DS was like your son in that he craved dairy and drank massive amounts of milk for years. When we removed dairy 1.5 years ago (because he tested reactive to it on a food sensitivity test - along with several other foods), he became much less hyperactive, aggressive, and more responsive. Removing dairy also cleared up several physical issues (nasal allergies and sleep apnea were the biggest ones for him).

[JennifersLost]

Yes - I rarely drink milk, and when I do it's a glass of chocolate milk. The joke in my family is that if I drink a glass of chocolate milk I will scream at someone within 24 hours. I hardly ever raise my voice otherwise.

 

No other source of milk does this for me - just the combination of chocolate and a full glass of milk.

 

When my boys were little, milk made them really, really mean and cranky.

[Melissa in Australia]

look into A1 and A2 milk

[Seeking Squirrels]

Interesting. I knew milk could cause constipation issues, but I had no idea it could contribute to behavior. DD is a dairy fiend. And we've been having a lot of behavior issues lately. We also suspect SPD and/or OCD. I wonder if we'd be able to see a difference just by seriously limiting milk but not all dairy if she is reacting to it? Or if we'd have to fully eliminate milk or even everything? She also has allergies and eczema.

[Dandelion]

She also has allergies and eczema.

 

Eczema is strongly linked to dairy. You may not need to completely eliminate dairy - for some people, just reducing dairy is sufficient (my DD has eczema - we avoid flare-ups by giving her coconut milk instead of cow's milk, but she can still have regular yogurt and cheese with no problems).

[HappyLady]

It can also cause low iron levels because kids fill up on milk instead of eating other foods.

 

 

Actually it's because of the calcium. Calcium hinders the absorption of iron so you shouldn't even consume calcium rich foods for at least a half hour before consuming iron rich foods.

[mommytobees]

Something an allergist told me many years ago:

 

You crave MOST what your body should have least.

 

Okay, you can also crave what your body NEEDS, but the thought holds true.

 

We have some severe food allergies and some not-severe-just-annoying-and-I-want-to-eat-it-anyway food allergies in our family. At 14 my son is able to decide for himself if he wants to have milk. HE is the one who has the attitude and potty issues...they aren't MY problem! They are HIS. He can make that choice and sometimes it is GOOD for him to have behavior issues. He gets to figure out what he wants or doesn't want in his own behavior and how we are going to respond to him.

 

Now, having said THAT.... I am NOT saying your son is allergic to dairy. I am saying that allergies correspond with behavior.

 

Second thing to note, dairy takes WEEKS to leave the body's system. When we would have dairy exposures as a toddler/preschooler/youth it would last for several days-week. I remember one specific occasion I (being pregnant and very tired) gave him cows-milk rather than rice milk. He hate it happily (he liked cows milk). We were paying for that mistake for almost a month. No. Joke.

 

Finally..... having said all of that. I would give some serious thinking of having your son go 100% dairy-free. It is NOT easy. Not easy AT. ALL. Let me make that clear..... BUT..... it might just be worth it. Behavior wise I wish I had done it earlier for my son, we went 75% dairy-free at 2.5 and 100% dairy-free at 3.5. He struggled with potty training before going dairy-free.

 

Good luck.

 

kris

[kroe1]

I would vote little, if any, connection. The fact that your DS suddenly did not want milk anymore makes me think he was moving into a new maturity level. A glass of milk can be perceived as a "baby" food if a kiddo never sees adults drinking it. And you mentioned that your son is still getting limited dairy in other foods. This makes me think one could not judge, yet, if a lack of dairy influences his behavior.

 

My own DD went from terror to sweet very suddenly at age 5. It had nothing to do with a change in diet, however. I am not sure what brought on the change.

:001_smile:

[mo2]

Thanks everyone for chiming in and sharing your stories.

[Miss Cornelia Snook]

I'd be interested to see if my DD does better without milk. She is an absolute terror and most days I'm ready to sell her to the gypsies. She has mild SPD, according to her speech therapist. I've begun to wonder if there is something wrong with her! We have celiac in the family, and while she had a stool test at age 20 months showing no reaction to gluten, she's never been tested for dairy.

[Ellie]

Yes, it could absolutely be the reason for the changes.

 

Dairy is the most highly allergic food for people. It is *not* good for every body, regardless of what the dairy industry says.

[mo2]

This is all very interesting. If/when my son decides to start drinking milk again, I will definitely be observing for any behavior changes. I *know* the dairy is related to the constipation, but I'm not 100% sure about the behavior aspect.

[fraidycat]

Yes, it could absolutely be the reason for the changes.

 

Dairy is the most highly allergic food for people. It is *not* good for every body, regardless of what the dairy industry says.

 

:iagree:

 

Cow milk is for baby cows. It is designed to be digested and metabolized by an animal with 4 stomachs. Humans do not have 4 stomachs. Humans are also pretty much the only mammal that consumes milk (or anything other than water) after being weaned from the mother. It is not a necessary "food group", at all, despite what the dairy industry has told the government to tell us.

[Kathy in Richmond]

Yes, dairy can do all of that. My son was also a milk craver as a youngster and had severe eczema, sensory issues, and anxiety. He didn't give up dairy till he was in college. I'd been suggesting it for years, but it's a lot more difficult to get a teen boy to agree to try it.

 

Once he was off dairy, his skin cleared up dramatically (both eczema patches and acne) and his moods improved very noticeably! Now we joke that we can tell if he's been cheating on the dairy. If he arrives home with splotchy skin, we know to give him some space - he's sure to snap at someone.

[laundrycrisis]

It is completely true. You are not crazy or imagining it. I experienced it with our own son. Dairy made him stimmy and violent.

 

Google "casomorphins" and "opioid peptide". Some kids have similar reactions to gluten.

 

This is why kids on the autistic spectrum who go into biomedical treatment are initially put on a gluten and casein free (GFCF) diet. Removing those two proteins from their diet and getting them out of their systems can result in dramatic improvements if the gut was leaking partially digested casein or gluten into their bloodstream. Our son reacted to dairy but not gluten. Years later, his gut has healed and he no longer has issues with dairy.

[Mom22ns]

So the question is: Could this be related to removing the milk from his diet? (Which he did on his own, mind you, for some reason that still leaves me :confused: ). Or is this just a normal leap in his development that happened to occur at the same time? Coincidence?

 

In a word, yes.

 

Craving milk is one of the signs that a child might respond to a dairy free diet. Mine drank nearly a gallon per day. When the milk went away the SPD lessened dramatically, his sleep improved, his language improved. The improvements were absolutely amazing!