1 Year Old Allergic to Cow's Milk

Definitely sounds like an allergy, we were at the GI doc yesterday and they said this is exactly what happens with a milk allergy!

Our son at 12 months starting drinking soy milk and stayed on that (West Soy) for 1/5 years, at 2.5 we switched him to Lactaid b/c apparently there is a high dose of hormones in soy for a little boy to have over a long period

Before you assume he has an allergy you need to discuss this with your pediatrician. He/she will be able to advice you correctly and point you in the right direction. If your son is so allergic to cow's milk that he immediately breaks out into a rash- you need to have an epi-pen available for accidental exposure.
Please go see your pediatrician.
-S.

Try soy or rice milk. My oldest was allergic to cow's milk and outgrew it by the age of 3. You should see an allergist. Good luck

I just read in WomeneNews that "New York City public hospitals, the largest municipal hospital system in the nation, are emphasizing the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding ten years after international health authorities began to stress the importance of breastfeeding globally."

See what info you get from others on the list, but if your son is allergic to milk, I believe that your doctor should know so it can go on your son's record. I'm lactose intolerant so I had to do research and have to read all labels. Good luck.

There are a lot of people who think you should always go to cows milk. I think it's hard on the system at that age.
I have a 14 month old and when I stopped nursing I gave him rice milk. I do have breast milk in the freezer and I give that to him often. I am trying to spread that out to last a little longer. But I supplement with rice milk. It's very gentle and contains lots of health benefits. It has vitamins A,B12,D and calcium. It's also cholesterol free. My son loves it.
I buy Rice Dream original in the dry section. It's last longer then in the cold. Also it comes in organic. So I feel very good about it. Soy Milk is an option as well but I noticed with my daughter when she was 12 months it upset her tummy. So I would water it down. This was before I new about Rice milk. But some people if allergic to cows milk can also have an allergy to Soy milk. I would try the rice milk. It comes in vanilla and original. I recommend the original for a while.

I feed my son SILK.. it is soy milk and he LOVES it

Hope this helps

Mommy to 14 month old Evan :)

Hi M., My son was also sensitive to cow's milk and we weaned him to vanilla soy milk. Silk is particularly good but any brand is fine. It's sweet like breastmilk so he took to it right away. Just make sure that it's "enriched" so it has just as much calcium as milk. By age 2 my son could drink regular milk occasionally with no problem. Good luck!

hi M.,
my son was also allergic to milk. since i did the formula thing, i found this out quite early. there are so many options out there. the problem can be finding the right one. your son could be allergic to the lactose, as i am, so i drink lactaid and am fine. this is also free of artificial growth horomones, another possible issue. there are a variety of soy and rice milks also. my son did well with the soy. check with your doctor and local health food store. i found that people at the health stores are very knowledgable in narrowing down options. i was then able to find these products at my local supermerket as they can be rather expensive when purchased directly from the health food stores.

Blessings,
K.

Hi Millie
My friend's son had 60 food allergies as a baby and is now a teenager with no effects. I can get you in touch with her.
J. H

nurse him more frequently, and start giving him some avocado, sweet potato, water, etc too. limit starchy foods to prevent constipation (white flour, breads, etc). I never gave my kids milk at all (mom of three--14, 6, and 10 mos). after age 1 they start to need some food and water in addition to breastmilk. but both of my older kids nursed until 4+ years (and ate food too of course).
if your son had a reaction to cow milk i would talk to your doctor about it and stay away from it.

Any chance the child could have an ear infection? Or could be teething?
These are the most common reasons for them to want to nurse but not latch on.
It sounds more like he has something interfering with his nursing than a self weaning going on.
Think I would check these out with doc before weaning...12 months is very young for self weaning.
Can you pump? Will he accept a bottle?
As far as the cow's milk goes, if they are sensitive to whole milk they can be fine with skimmed or low fat. If the bottled lowfat/skimmed is a problem, than the powdered skim can be less allergy causing than the bottled.
Your breast milk will diminish with less nursing, but it also will come in more with more nursing. Self adjusting, isnt that wonderful?
Think I would have him checked over for the ear/teething issues before weaning him, yes?
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

My son is allergic to dairy he drinks enriched rice milk its quite tasty. He had also as a soy allergy something you might want to stay away from our allergist told us most children/babies w/ dairy allergies often are allergic to soy too I was told by allergist to stay away from goats milk because its so similar to cows milk. Make sure you talk to your doctor so you can have him tested.

I think you should talk to your pediatrician and make an appointment with an allergist right away. A milk allergy can indicate other allergies (so he should be tested) - and the next reaction might be much more severe. In my son's case he has allergies to milk, eggs and shellfish, and we found out through a bad reaction to milk. Definitely do NOT introduce goat's milk if your son has a milk allergy, as the proteins in both are similar and kids usually react to both. My pedi. recommended soy milk as the best alternative and my son loves it. From what you describe, your allergist will probably advise you not to give your son ANYTHING containing any trace of milk, whey, casein, etc... which involves a lot of label reading. Good luck!

Are you avoiding dairy products in your diet? If not he would have been getting cow's milk protein through your breastmilk. Either way, it may be good to talk to your pediatrician about it to make sure that is what really caused the rash. I would give him soy milk for now in place of cow's milk.

Hi,
My son also has dairy allergy. We give hime hemp milk( high in fat for brain devepment). Rice is to much sugar low fat, soy mimics estrogen. He has been on the Hemp since he was 12 months. now 24 months. Good luck. If you would like a list of other substatues for other foods feel free to email. M.

I would check with his pediatrician, and have him allergy tested. I have a myriad of food allergies, and environmental ones as well. You could try him on goat's milk, or soy milk, but most important, talk to his doctor, as he has has a reaction to cow's milk- I would say that should be first on the list. Allergies can come and go, I have grown out of some, and acquired new ones as well. Have him tested, that would be your best bet. Hope this helped!

Hi M.,
You could try Soy milk but just make sure there is enough fat in it rice milk dosnt have the fat content that the babys need in the 2nd year.
My son is also allergic to Cows Milk he is on Neocate because he had a reaction to the other brands of formula (Alumentum) and is also allergic to Soy. I would definatly say something to your childs Doctor! It can be a bit more complicated then just avoiding a glass of milk. So the Doctor can suggest the next step.
K.

Stay away from cows milk!! It is highly allergenic. If you need some alternatives, try almond, hemp or goats milk. Soy milk can also be allergenic so be careful. How are you sure he wants to wean at this point? I would also check out http://askdrsears.com or le leche leauge: http://www.llli.org/resources/assistance.html

Since he is almost 12 months, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as he gets calcium through leavy greens, milk should not be a staple in his diet (contrary to popular belief). If you think about it, cow's milk is made for calfs which need MUCH, MUCH more growth hormones and other things that our little babies don't need.
My son is also allergic and has been drinking rice, almond and oat milk for several years. If you're really concerned about calcium, look into supplementation.
E. K. :-)

I would not make the assumption that your son is allergic to cows milk. I would consult your pediatrician and possibly see an allergist if your pediatrician agreees that there may be an allergy. You will need to decide if you are going to wean off of breast milk and if not you may need a formula. Pumping will increase your milk supply if you are not ready to give up nursing. How about contacting a lactation consultant?

Good Luch