Milk allergies - what do I give my child instead.

[crazymuma]

My daughter can't handle dairy at all - even just one slice of cheese and she is covered head to toe in a rash - more like little blisters - and very painful for her.

She has never really drank milk but I know she needs something - so what is the best substitute. Someone told me goats milk but to be honest it is just way to expensive - can you buy powdered goats milk??

Have tried soy milk but she hated it - can't really blame her.

Also what should I be doing to make up for the lack of dairy - she has absolutly NOTHING - yoghurt gives the rash and extreme vomiting - cream the rash and the poops.

Any advice

[waterlily]

My daughter has CMP allergy and can't have soy or goats milk. But she's only 6 months so no help here sorry.
How old is your DD?
I think she will need a calcium suplement.

[bubbleandme]

you can buy powdered goats milk ( http://store.vitaco.com.au/store/products/item127.inetstore ) it's still not exactly cheap though..

maybe suppliments are the way to go? or would she react to those too?

[crazymuma]

She was on lactose free milk as a baby and always had the rash - but when I stopped the bottle she refused any more milk. Just recently she has started wanting some but the marks are actually scarring her skin.

The lactose free milk also causes the rash.

I have asked 2 doctors and one said its just excema (sp) but its not related to food :rolleyes: which makes no sense as I take dairy off her and it goes away.

The second doctor told me not to worry about it as she needs the dairy but its really painful and looks terrible. Weird thing is its not everywhere - her face never has a mark on it - usually over her arms, legs and belly.

A naturopath suggested I eliminate gluten from her diet but not sure if this could work (an expensive experiment as well which I haven't yet done)

She is 2

[UmmInayah]

what about rice milk? i think you can get a calcium fortified one. there is oat milk as well.. rice milk is pretty inexpensive, i believe.

also there are other foods that give calcium that you don't need milk for.

your poor dd.. i hope she doesn't suffer for much longer. it sounds really awful :(

[Nowhere]

there are specal formulas avalable on a script foor dairy and soy alergies, There are three fully elemental ones, Neocate, elecare and vivonex. The most popular ones are neocate and elecare, Vivonex is more broken down and more for ht eones that cant tolerate anything, but the other two are perscrbed alot.

[SuperGranny]

hi my grandson cant have any dairy either, and oat milk seems to be the best substitute for him. non dairy butter, and never any cheese or yoghurt. He is not yet two. I would wonder if any calcium tablets would be suitable for a small child?? Marie.

[ManekiNeko]

I give my dauter soy yoghurt and cheese as well as milk. I also give her a multi vitamin to make up for it as well. Perhabs you could get some kids calcium supliments. My other child has food baked with rice milk, soy/dairy free nuttalex (like margerine) and egg substitute. There is a soy cheese you can get and it taste pretty close to the real thing but I have only ever seen it in one woolworths. The only other one they have at some supermarkets is toffutti cheese slices DD hates that becausewell I think it tastes like vomit. I get the soy life yoghurts they taste pretty good as far as soy go but hte kingisland ones are just horrid like vomit again... Haven't seen it around lately.

[JabberJaw]

Have you tried UHT milk? (shelf milk) because some of the proteins are lost in it when it is heat treated, myself and my kids have a lactose intolerance and i can drink shelf milk (nippys milk is sold in some shops and its UHT)

My Friends son has a intolerance to cows milk and she get tablets from the chemist and it works for her, i am not sure what they are called but she adds them to yogo, milk and yogurt and it works.

[kuddles]

what about rice milk? i think you can get a calcium fortified one. there is oat milk as well.. rice milk is pretty inexpensive, i believe.

also there are other foods that give calcium that you don't need milk for.

your poor dd.. i hope she doesn't suffer for much longer. it sounds really awful :(

I was going to suggest rice milk :)
My Aunt has to give it to her LOs.

[crazymuma]

Thanks for all the suggestions - will have to buy a few things and see how we go.

Think I also need a new doctor who will actually take the problem serious - my daughter has dark skin so all these innocent little marks are scaring her pretty bad - her belly is like patchwork at the moment so want to get it under control before it ever spreads to her face

[waterlily]

I'd go see a pead asap. It's not normal and GPs are far from experts when it comes to young children and babies.

[Lateralus]

Almond milk?

As well as seeing a paed, maybe consider seeing a dietitian.. To make sure your LO is getting all the nutrients they need. I am pretty sure there are dietitians out there who bulk bill!

[elissas]

Almond milk?

As well as seeing a paed, maybe consider seeing a dietitian.. To make sure your LO is getting all the nutrients they need. I am pretty sure there are dietitians out there who bulk bill!

Almond milk was the only one my DS would touch.

If you've been advised to cut out gluten as well, then be careful of oat milk, as oats contain gluten too.

Gluten free doesn't have to be expensive. You don't need to buy all the fancy gluten free substitute products (now THAT's an expensive way to do it). Just need to choose some good grains like quinoa and amaranth, that are very satisfying. I suggest making your own bread - the only one that came close to cutting it for me was the one that Brumbys make, but it comes frozen, and is great toasted, but not so nice for sandwiches.

Why was gluten suggested? Is it possible to try removing wheat first? Wheat is usually the biggest problem of all the gluten grains, and sometimes just removing wheat but allowing other gluten grains like oats etc, can do the trick.

If it's been suggested I wouldn't dodge it, the only way to know is to try it. Gluten intolerance is quite common, partly because we eat WAAAY too much of it from the time we start solids throughout our entire lives.

I know for me, if I eat gluten free, my head is clearer and my body feels so much lighter. Don't feel bogged down.

[elissas]

Almond milk?

As well as seeing a paed, maybe consider seeing a dietitian.. To make sure your LO is getting all the nutrients they need. I am pretty sure there are dietitians out there who bulk bill!

I don't think there are any that bulk bill, but if your child fits certain criteria (eg. my DS has an ASD diagnosis), they're entitled to 5 sessions with a dietitian per year that are covered by Medicare. You'd need to speak to your GP about working out a health care plan, and get a referral for a dietitian.

A naturopath is very well trained in dietetics though, and I wouldn't be without ours. She's amazing and knows as much as, if not more, than the dietitian we saw.

[presley]

You firstly need to work out whether she's reacting to the lactose (the sugar in cows milk) or the casein (the protein in cows milk). if it's casein, don't try goat's milk as the protein in that is quite similar to casein. if it's lactose then it's intolerance, if it's casein then it's allergy, as allergy is a reaction to a protein. but if you work that out it will help you work out what to cut from her diet. i just can't think right now how you would go about working that out. there must be some foods that have lactose but not casein, i just can't think...too late....

my 4yo ds1 has milk allergy, among others, he has soy life yoghurt and rice milk. i kept giving him formula for ages, i think until he was almost 3 just as insurance as his diet was so limited. now i give him a kids centrum multi and 2 'milkshake squirters' i don't know what they're really called, they're made by nature's way and they are a dairy free calcuim supplement. they're in those chewy liquid centred burstlet capsules. he also has the same style burstlet of fish oil - again nature's way i think, it's all just from the supermarket - which i think helps with his eczema. so consider those, they might help.

but i definitely would take her to someone who takes you seriously. if you notice that it goes away when you stop cows milk, that's really as much of a diagnosis as you need. i wouldn't bother about wheat/gluten if she has it when she goes dairy-free and the eczema still goes down.

where are you? i'm in sydney and i take ds1 to RPA allergy clinic, which also includes consultation with a dietician. they are absolutely GOLD. I hope you can find something similar for your DS. I would hold off almond milk unless you're sure she doesn't have a nut allergy. pm me if i can help at all....good luck.

[presley]

Also - there's Nuttelex dairy-free margarine, and the coles and woolworths homebrand style table spreads or whatever they call them are dairy-free. (but nuttelex is nicer) there's actually a heap of food you can get that's dairy free - coles and woolies bakery hot cross buns are, and hang out a bit in the umm...you know...what do you call it..... the hippie aisle with the quinoa and stuff.... and read the labels, there's heaps you can get. Orgran brand is mostly dairy free i think. and most breads - we have tip top - so good have lovely ice cream and you can get sorbet also. lots more! just can't think right now...

[elissas]

Also - there's Nuttelex dairy-free margarine, and the coles and woolworths homebrand style table spreads or whatever they call them are dairy-free. (but nuttelex is nicer) there's actually a heap of food you can get that's dairy free - coles and woolies bakery hot cross buns are, and hang out a bit in the umm...you know...what do you call it..... the hippie aisle with the quinoa and stuff.... and read the labels, there's heaps you can get. Orgran brand is mostly dairy free i think. and most breads - we have tip top - so good have lovely ice cream and you can get sorbet also. lots more! just can't think right now...

Stick with Nuttelex. Most of the homebrand spreads (and others) contain other additives like preservatives and colours, which can also cause skin irritation.

As far as skin irritation goes, there are many foods that may contribute and it's worth exploring them all.

http://fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Facteczema2.htm

Cut out all preservatives, especially sulphites, which are found in some juices and dried fruits like sultanas (as well as other things).

Watch out for glutamates (MSG and it's cousins). Often hidden in food that even states "No added MSG" on the packet!

I'd try removing all food additives first, as these are only ever harmful and have no value in food. Removing these may improve her skin, and you might find that you don't need to travel down the dairy free or gluten free road, which is a much harder road at times :)

Good luck!

[elissas]

Also keep in mind that often it isn't an isolated food chemical causing the problem. Often it is a complex issue, with different food chemicals reacting together on the body.

So many parents remove one potential allergen/trigger food, and see little or no response, and figure that it's not causing the problem. But this may not be true. It might be a number of foods or additives reacting together, and in order for you to see a change they all need to be removed.

Allergies can be tested, yes. But in the case of an intolerance, the ONLY way to know is to go on a full elimination diet, under the supervision of a professional, and then introduce each food back in one at a time to test the reaction.

[waterlily]

Almond milk?

As well as seeing a paed, maybe consider seeing a dietitian.. To make sure your LO is getting all the nutrients they need. I am pretty sure there are dietitians out there who bulk bill!

My daughter actully sees a pediatric dietitian. So that's a good option.

[crazymuma]

Yeah I suppose seeing a paed won't hurt but I first have to find a GP that takes me seriously!!
Sad fact is the only good ones around here refuse to bulk bill!!

I think I might just try and figure it all out at home by playing with her foods and just go from there.

Weird thing is she can eat an ice cream without any reaction at all :rolleyes:

[sandy cheeks]

Well I'm new to this dd was just put on dairy free this week by the pead (long story she always been spewy and had odd kinda poop sorry tmi and rashy)
Anywho he told me to try soy, rice or oat milk and the dairy free yoghurt and cheese. He said sometimes if the have a allergy/reaction to cow's milk there is a 60% chance they will have a reaction to goat milk compared to a 30% chance with soy.
I have tried the soy milk and she likes that and the yoghurt she ate that as well, ds thought it was horrid (so did I) but her pooping was much better after 2days so I will stick with it maby switch the milks around so it's not the same stuff all the time.
DD is also better on rye bread the wheat in the normal bread seems to bind her up heaps wheat bix as well.
Good luck I can't believe it's so $$$ I am going to try a health food shop that hopefully has a deli type thing so I can just get a little to try first rather than getting a whole block.

Pead also said lactose free was different to dairy free as the protien in lactose free is still cows milk so I should avoid that as well.