1 Year Old with Milk Allergy??

Updated on March 06, 2010
M.O. asks from Canton, MI
18 answers

Hi Ladies,

I have a son who is about to turn 1 in a week. He is currently on formula but for the last week we have incorporated half his bottles with whole milk. As a result he's had loose stools which have caused a terrible diaper rash. The last 2 nights he's woken up and has stayed awake for 1-2 hrs just crying with no consoling him (this is VERY unusual for him). And only once has he vomited (not spit up.....VOMITED)

As an infant he had a milk protien allergy problem and he had to be put on nutramigen till he was 7 months old. Then we where able to put him on regular formula. I wonder if he really just cant tolerate milk period. My older son had to be put on nutramigen but eventually was able to take whole milk no prob.

He seems to be mildly fussy but not too bad. It's more the loose stools and diaper rash.

So what are my options? Should I just keep him on formula? Or try the formula for older babies? How about trying lactaid milk or rice milk? Any suggestions??

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D.H.

answers from Detroit on

my grandson was on breast milk as a newborn, then had issues with regular formula, so they changed to Prosobee (Nutramigen was a disaster! he totally had projectile vomitting)...even with the prosobee he had reflux issues, all the way to a year old. They tried switching him to regular milk at about a year, but the same thing happened...lots of loose stools. They finally tried soy milk (Silk), and he does just fine now.
D.

M.Q.

answers from Detroit on

Hello M. ~ I would try soy milk...my daughter who is 5 yrs old now was diagnosed w/a dairy allergy at around 9 months...actually had an anaphylactic reaction at 6 months to whey protein in a baby cereal....I wouldn't do the rice milk right now as he is still a little young & not much protein as in the soy milk..he needs protein & calories. Hope that helps.

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R.H.

answers from Atlanta on

Hi how are you? Your son is definitely allergic to dairy protein. He has ALL the symptons. It has nothing to do with not being used to cows milk or unable to digest it. The crying and diarhhea are telltale signs. My son just turned 3 on 3/4 and is allergic to dairy protein & soy protein! He was born with it and unfortunately wasn't diagnosed till a month later. He also was born with severe reflux!
My son would cry cry cry and have diarhhea every single time he ate and scream in agony while having a bowel movement. He was taken off breast milk, put on Nutramigen - waited 3-5 days then he was switched to Neocate and that really helped. He was allergic to the .1% protein in the nutramigen. When switching formula you just need 2-3 days, maybe 4, to tell whether or not it will work - not more! Someone replied to you saying wait a month or so to see effect of formula BUT DON'T DO THAT!!! That will just be an additional 25 or so days of unnecessary agony for your son! The Neocate is amino acid based and has NO protein in it whatsoever. It is around $40/can but is worth EVERY penny. My son was on it till about 14 months old then switched to only solid food.
Since your son is 1 now you may be switching him to solids only - if not than try the Neocate. Also - find a Pediatric GI - gastroenterologist. This is who will help with the dairy protein allergy better than your pediatrician. If you want to continue the formula than buy some Neocate which you can now find on Ebay and give it 3-5 days to work. I hope it works for you. It was a GOD send for us!
As for lactaid milk - don't do it. It will affect his allergy and give him a reaction. Do Almond Milk Original - it is great for the kids and is made for humans as opposed for animals. I gave my son double doses on his vitamins and also gave him a calcium supplement and made sure to feed him stuff with calcium in it. My son's allergy was so bad that he was allergic to the protein in bananas. He is over this one though, but unfortunately he is still ailed by the severe reflux, dairy and soy protein allergies. He was supposed to outgrow these by first 6 months, than 1 year, than maybe 2 years. Here we are, just turned 3 and he still has these ailments.
If your son is still fussy from Nutramigen than he is allergic to the minute .1% protein that is in it. Trust me and try the Neocate. It will make a world of difference for you.
Also when you start shopping once your son is on solids only than be very careful as everything has dairy or soy in it - in my case soybean oil is in every single thing! It takes me a couple hours to grocery shop - when it used to take less than an hour. The Rice Milk might bother him too - it did my son.
I really really hope this helps. I read all the answers and some people really knew what they were talking about but some others were just guessing or were not 100% sure of the advice they were giving and would have aided in your sons agony. I know this is long but I really hope it helps. PLEASE let me know if this helps you!

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

My son had a milk protein allergy when he was born. He was on Soy formula and when he turned 1, I tried regular cow's milk, but found he was still very allergic. So, I gave him regular soy milk. I also began to introduce rice milk once he got used to that. The doctors told me the less I exposed him to milk protein, the better chance he had to grow out of the allergy. Milk is one that children typically outgrow. So, I pretty much did that until he was 2. And, then started giving him things with a little milk, like cheese, etc. He is now 3 years old and from what I can tell has grown out of the milk allergy. However, he now does not like regular cow's milk now, although he will have it if it is not straight milk, like in cereal. So, for the most part he drinks soy and rice milk. Just double check with your doctor that your son is getting all the nutrients he needs. But, I was told that if my son eats a healthy diet, the soy milk would be fine. By the way, I also gave my son soy cheese products so he could still have grilled cheese, pizza, etc when he wasn't quite ready for regular cheese. Also, be careful, I believe Lactaid is for lactose intolerant people but still has milk protein. Being lactose intolerant and being allergic to milk are 2 different things. It confuses alot of people. Good luck!

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Talk to your pediatrician to find out which alternate milk is best for your son. It sounds like he definitely has a problem with dairy. Can he eat cheese and yogurt? My son can't have any dairy at all - not even a tiny amount.

He drinks soy milk, as recommended by his allergist, a nutritionist, and our pediatrician. Soy milk has the most proteins, calcium and vitamins of the alternative milks and they all said it was better for him than rice or almond milk.

Loose stools may be more of a sign of lactose intolerance than a dairy allergy. I'd visit your ped and an allergist as well. good luck!

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

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M.P.

answers from Detroit on

I would definitely try rice milk or lactaid milk. It sounds like he still has the allergy to milk protein.

Some children and adults don't drink milk at all and get their source of calcium in other forms. For example from food and supplements.

I have a friend whose son does not drink milk at all. He takes a calcium/magnesium/vitamin D supplement and he is perfectly fine.

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L.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi M.,
We went through the same thing when our daughter was transistioning from a soy-based formula to whole milk. I've never seen vomiting like we did after her 1st bottle of milk! She had a milk protein intolerance as well. She would break out in a rash on her mouth and chin if she ate yogurt, cheese, etc. We started her on soy milk, which she was completely fine with. She also drinks almond milk. Her allergist tested for a milk allergy, which was negative. She is growing out of the intolerance, and only breaks out if she eats a lot of milk based foods. (This even includes Doritos and cheese puffs!) Lactaid milk didn't work for her since it is for those with a lactose intolerance, which her ped and allergist assured me was far different than the milk protein iintolerance. Best of luck with this!!

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K.W.

answers from Chicago on

You could try goats milk? It's meant to be more easily tolerated than cow dairy. My two year old daughter has some mild symptoms when she has cow dairy and nothing when she has goats milk. I'm from the UK and many, many of my friends have switched to goats products after they have found their toddlers suffering from things like eczema or recurrent ear infections to good effect (infact we even have goats milk formula - it seems to be a more recognized thing in the UK).

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son had a milk protein allergy and he was breastfed, and he was intro'd to milk at 18mos (still breastfed) and he did ok, but his protein allergy causes severe eczema so even at 7.5yrs old he doesn't do much dairy.

We use almond milk. Its healthier, easier for everyone to digest, and doesn't cause any issues with our bodies.

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M.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

I'm sending you a link for a great lecture on the affects of dairy products on the human body. The lecturer is from South Africa and has done lots of research on this topic.

http://amazingdiscoveries.tv/media/16/304-100K/

There is a great soy formula that we used when my first daughter had a weight crisis and refused to breastfeed, we used the similac soy formula, both the younger and older versions. At one year old our pediatrician gave us the green light on regular soy milk (much cheaper) and she's done wonderfully. Rice milk and almond milk are great as well, though avoid nuts until he's 2. Beware of soy cheeses, they are not vegan, meaning they have casein in them (milk protein) and your child will react to that as well. Check at the health food store for a vegan cheese that melts. There are wonderful dairy alternative options out there for your child, and even the rest of the family!

I'll include two more links, one to my personal recipe blog (martasrecipes.blogspot.com) and my favorite vegan recipe site (fatfreevegan.com) which has very tasty foods on it!

Best wishes!

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

I would try the Lactaid and if the problem goes away- then a lactose intolerance is what he has. If not, then I would go an alternative route, treating it as an allergy. My daughter (now 2.5 yo) has a milk protein allergy and would get HORRIBLE eczema to the point of scratching herself bloody as an infant and worse once we switched her to milk at 12 mos (believe me, it was nothing derm...it would take a few days after the ingestion to manifest to a point of being horrible). She has 3 other food allergies, including peanut, and the milk was not diagnosed until after we had the test due to the peanut exposure (by a DAYCARE!). We do rice milk, soy yogurt (Soy Live is milk-free...not all of the soy ones are), and rice or soy cheeses (but you have to watch if it is an allergy b/c a lot of them still contain casein - a milk protein). She now has silky smooth skin :) Good luck!

A. F.
Local Childcare Coordinator
Cultural Care Au Pair
(and FTWM- attorney; host mom to an awesome Aussie Au Pair)
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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

When my daughter turned 1 we found out she was allergic to milk. So we started giving her soy milk instead. I would try putting your son on a different type of milk such as soy or rice. You could always call your pediatrician and see what they suggest.

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R.M.

answers from Portland on

Hello M.,

Children's digestive systems are still very immature, even at 1, so he may grow out of it in a few months, but for now, I would keep him away from milk products. I would keep him on formula for now, but if you want to try rice milk, I think that should be ok.

You should try cows milk in 4-6 months, when his digestive system is a little more mature. You could also have the peditrician run tests for a milk allergy to be sure.

I know a lot of children have a hard time with cows milk, mainly because it's designed for cows, not humans, so it can take some people a while to learn to digest it.

Good Luck.

R. Magby

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C.C.

answers from Grand Rapids on

my daughter had problems with milk when she was small too. she also was on nutramigen for a long time. luckily, by the time she was a year she could tolerate milk. but, she has problems with other foods.
just try soy milk and see what happens. it's not going to to cost much, just the a few bucks for the soy milk. sometimes trial and error work best! if that doesn't settle well with him, i would try the formula made for 1+. he might need a few months on that to give his digestive tract time to react to the changes.
good luck!

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L.M.

answers from Detroit on

Sounds like a lactose intolerance. Try lactose free milk 1st before you go the other routes.

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D.M.

answers from Detroit on

Hi M.---I am a reformed cows milk drinker who now believes that cows milk is for baby cows. Through wellness classes I am taking from a Naturopath who has her PhD in nutrition, I've learned that cows milk is a highly allergenic substance and causes a bunch of problems in the human body. Most of them are so subtle, that milk is never looked as as a possible culprit.

But, please don't take my word for it. Please explore the website www.strongbones.org. There will be additional information at www.pcrm.org. And I would recommend reading The China Study by T Colin Campbell.

Be sure that soy milk is organic. I prefer almond as it has fewer carbs than rice milk. At 1 year of age, your baby is probably eating table foods. Dark leafy green veggies have lots of calcium. I have lots of info I could share, lists of high calcium foods, serving suggestions for different ages, shopping charts, etc. that I've collected as a result of my studies. Contact me at any time and I'd be glad to help. In fact, I would like to invite you to a health education lecture tomorrow night in Troy, MI. Dr David Phillips, Atlanda GA, will be talking about how diet impact athletic performance, but that advice is the same as for cancer prevention, etc. Let me know and I will share the details. Take care and good luck, D.

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

Consult your pediatrician for one thing.
Your options would be to be very very careful if you have whole milk. Make sure it's either raw or at least organic, without any hormones or pesticides involved. Otherwise, there's soy, rice, or almond milk.

I'd ask the doctor tho, if the older formula should be used or what recommendations are available

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M.K.

answers from Lansing on

Try Goat's Milk. My son responded beautifully to that when he reacted to cow's milk. I didn't try the unpasturized cow's milk, though. That might work also. I would avoid soy. There is a lot if info on the internet if you want, but in a nutshell the way it is (over) processed in America takes out all the benefits naturally found in soy and causes some problems that a one year old shouldn't have to deal with.

Hope this helps.

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