Hello,
My 11 month old son has been exclusively breastfed (he takes breast milk from a bottle at day care). I would like to work on weaning him in the next couple of months, however, I don't know what to wean him onto. I know that babies normally go to whole cow's milk, but he seems to be allergic to dairy. He developed a contact skin rash on his face and constipation when I introduced yogurt at 7 months. A couple of weeks ago, I was short on breast milk so without thinking I sent him to day care with some milk-based formula that had been in the cabinet since I came home from the hospital. His child care provider called me after he drank it and his face had broken out in hives within 30 minutes. I've tried to do some research online, and there seems to be a lot more information about what NOT to give him than what to give him. The consensus seems to be that rice milk and nut milks (like almond milk) are out. Soy milk typically does not have enough fats or nutrients unless it is heavily fortified. I've seen soy formula for older babies (9-24 months), but I've seen conflicting information about whether soy is good for babies or not. I've also seen the hypoallergenic formulas, but at $30 a can, I'm suffering from a little bit of sticker shock after a year of free breast milk. I'm also not sure if these formulas are appropriate for toddlers.
He currently breastfeeds 4x per day (early am, late morning, late afternoon, and bed time), eats 3 good meals of solid food, snacks lightly in between, and drinks water from a cup. I'd like to get rid of the late am and late afternoon feedings/bottles first so that I can stop pumping at work. I will of course discuss this with his pediatrician, but any input on what/how much non-dairy product he should be drinking as we taper the breast milk would be much appreciated.
As a kid, I had neighbors whose 2 boys were allergic to cow's milk. They used to drink goat's milk. My SIL buys organic goat's milk for her 3 kids, not because any of them are allergic to cow's milk but just because she's a bit of a health freak. I mean that in the nicest way possible. :o)
Hi N.,
First off, good for you for breastfeeding! It's SO great for your little one!!
With the dairy allergy though the best thing to keep giving your little one is more breastmilk. It helps build up their immune system so the longer the better. I know its not totally convenient since you are working but sounds like it would be worth the extra effort for the sake of your son.
A few good sources of more info are: www.llli.org, www.mothering.com, www.askdrsears.com and www.kellymom.com.
Good luck!
S.
So, at a year, I started giving my son one formula cup a day, then pumping his other daily "drinks" and nursing before bed and in the morning, so I didn't wean all the way until 18 months. Until he went then, I gave him alimentium formula, which is very expensive, but since I was pumping for daycare and in the evenings, it wasn't terrible, but it is best when they can't have milk, my son's tongue started swelling after the hives, so be careful (that's very rare, but can happen). I couldn't use soy, since he was hospitalized after getting soy formula when they spilled a breast milk bottle. So until he's a year and a half or so (maybe 2) I would stick with the expensive formula, or keeping pumping. After that, I'm not sure why you think rice milk is so bad, both my pediatrician and my pediatric allergist (since he had such dangerous and violent reactions to foods) told me to put him on enriched rice milk, original, not flavored. It has the fat and calories that need and the organic is good for them. I would talk to your doctor about rice milk, it's really not that bad, there is no scientific data suggesting a problem with it, like there is for soy milk.
hello N.,
I have a 15-month old daughter who is allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts. I exclusively breastfed her for 13 mos. & 2 weeks. Her allergies are so severe that i couldn't eat anything that contained milk, eggs, or nuts while I breastfeed or she would have a reaction. I began researching formulas when I learned my daughter had food allergies at 7 mos. old after an emergency room visit. We had her tested and the allergist told us to remove all allergens from her diet and she will likely grow out of the allergy. So we don't expose her to anything containing the allergens. Also, because she was premature, she had acid reflux and serious gas issues. So I wanted a formula that would be gentle on her stomach. I found Nestle Good Start Soy-based Formula to work the best. it is broken down into simple proteins. I got a sample and tried that before I purchased a can. You can get a sample by going to the website and contacting customer service. Explain your situation to them and they'll send you a sample and coupons.
I know different things work for different children. But you should definitely avoid foods that contain milk while you're still nursing and get your son tested ASAP. You don't want him to have a life-threatening reaction. Also check out the food and allergy network.com. I find it to be very useful. Our emergency room visit scared me to death and now we carry an epi-pen every where we go. I pray I never have to use it.
Good luck!
my daughter is lactose intolerant, not allergic. we have used soy milk, which is fortified, with success. you can find it fortified with all kinds of things like omega-3's, fiber,... i prefer the original or unsweetened. the children varieties are way too sweet. i used soy milk as well as i'm also lact int.
Hi,
My son, now 15 months, also showed an allergic reaction to dairy. I was hesitant as well to start him on formula or another type of milk. This was our solution based on a hope that he would outgrow the milk allergy before too long:
First we figured out the extent of his allergy-he reacted strongly to certain dairy products (always with hives no constipation) but to others it was much less severe. I'd give him those things (Total which contains milk, fruit and cream instant oatmeal that has powdered milk) each morning so his system would begin to adjust to the addition but not have too much. If he had a reaction I would stop. I've read research that children with reactions to milk early on when given a small bit of powdered milk each day outgrow their allergy much quicker than kids never exposed. Little by little I have increased the the things he has with milk (having a casserole with cream of mushroom soup, some string cheese) and he hasn't had a reaction. That being said, he doesn't drink milk from a cup because he doesn't like the way it tastes and refused to drink more than 5cc's a day which was a waste of money so we have replaced his breastmilk with water rather than milk. I'm confident that he's getting enough fat and nutrients from the cheese and other dairy products he eats. There are some pediatricians that don't even recommend giving your child cow's milk- breastmilk is for babies, cows milk is for cows and they can develop just fine with a healthy diet and some yummy water to drink. My son is still in the process of being weaned from the breast and nursed once in the morning and sometimes once at night. He was at four times a day when he turned one but by offering a snack or cup of water rather than the breast during the middle of the day he easily dropped those feeds (one at a time). If you're willing to continue breastfeeding beyond 1 year, you may consider stopping your pumping at work so he won't get a bottle when he's away from you but will still be able to breastfeed at night and in the morning when you're there.
One side note, allergy testing isn't accurate for a child who is breastfeeding as your antibodies will show up on the test because of your milk.
Good luck! and if you have any other questions, feel free to email me.
N., try goats milk. If you can find it raw even better. I have had countless friends switch thier babies from two months to a year to goats milk with very little problems, especially the ones associated with cow's milk. THe reason is that goats milk is more similar to humans milk than cows. It's protiens are more easily digested. Raw milk is best, but i know that it is often difficult to find in this area of the country.
Can you have your doctor persribe the hypoallergenic formula? If so then your insurance may help cover the cost.
Make sure you have him tested for a milk allergy. What is a small rash now could become life threatening if he is truly allergic. Talk to your pediatrician. My oldest son was on his formula until he was 2. If you can afford it that could be an option. Good luck.
I had to give my little one elecare. It's a little expensive but it's worth it. They also make a toddler formula. Good luck with your choice.
My friend who is a strict vegetarian for religious reasons gives her 13 month old a combination of rice,hemp and coconut "milks" in order to get a good combination of the fatty acids and lipids needed for good brain development. She hasn't weaned her daughter, but uses this combination in addition to juices in her cup. Breastfeeding is, however, the best bet to ensure that he gets the right combination of nutrients in addition to whatever solids he is taking now. You might try reverse cycling and seeing if he will breastfeed more while you're together so you can eliminate the daytime pumping. Please get a referral to a pediatric allergist. At this age a total elimination of the offending food is your best bet for him outgrowing it later.
Dear N.,
We had to use Enfamil Lipil formula. Three years ago it was $25 for a small can (orange and gold color packaging).
Then came rice milk.
Our daughter's allergy to both soy and casein (protein found in milk & dairy products) which were present at birth, went away by her third birthday.
Regard,
J. B
Fairfax
You might contact la Leche League. They are the breastfeeding experts. You are not going to find a better milk for your child than breastmilk. It might be worth it to just keep breastfeeding for another year. Cow's milk is over rated and some doctor's don't think it is necessary for small children. A good source for this info would be Dr. Jay Gordon. he has a web site and ahs published several books on kids. He is a well respected pediatrician.
My nearly 14 month old son is allergic to Milk and Eggs. I caution you regarding listening to one of the other responses regarding testing the child with more and more of the dairy. I recently (3 weeks ago) saw pediatric allergist and was told the opposite. They believe that zero tolerance of the allergic food gives the child the best chance of outgrowing it! I would suggest that you talk to your pediatrician about and pediatric allergist so that you have the right recommendations. I primarily give my son the Soy milk and soy yogurts (which he loves) and occasionally rice milk. He prefers the Soymilk. A great website for food allergies is: foodallergy.org. I would recommend visiting that site. It tells you the NOT.. but also recommends options. Good luck
My triplets were allergis to lactose the first year and a half of their lives. I gave them rice milk and nutramigen (enfamil formula for kids with lots of allergies) and I spoke with others who suggested almond milk- though my kids were allergic to nuts so I didn't try this. We ended up seeing a pediatric allergist for a complete list of their allergies. We went to Hopkins though there are likely people practicing in this community with that sub specialty training. Best wishes!
