11Mo Old Son Is Allergic to Dairy, Any Toddler Food Suggestions?

My daughter didn't develop her dairy allergy until she was 14 months. What a nightmare. My child's physician at Naval Hospital advised to be wary of soy due to the natural estrogen levels. Rice Milk comes in the same flavors. The Commissary sells it too, but I have found that the large cases at Costco work best. As for foods, mini-Nilla wafers are Abby's favorite. Frozen veggie mixes can be microwaved in a flash and Abby seems to like snacking on that too. Also traditional cereals such as cheerio's, golden grahams, etc are also things she really enjoys. It is hard to vary the food. You have to read the labels on everything these days. I have found that waffles are better than pancakes, Jiffy muffins made in mini muffin tins come in great and are very fast to bake (seriously 10 minute breakfast). My daughter won't eat any sugary treats (not that I want her to) and is picky as well so I feel your pain. Good luck.

Hi, my name is Mel and I have a 14 month old son who is allergic to wheat. I know how hard it is to feed them fun food, as opposed to adult food. So, I'm not totally sure all the foods your son would be able to eat, but I'll give some things to try. Make sure you read all ingredients though, as I'm not 100% sure. Have you tried the Graduates by Gerber? My son loves them! There are some that look like Cheetos, and there are 3 different flavors. I know that the cheddar one has milk in it, but try the other flavors. Also, the same brand makes things called "pinwheels" made from apples. They are more filling. As for non-dinner foods, I give my son a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. I suggest lots of melon: honeydew, cantelope, watermelon, whatever you can find. Mango, peach, pear and apricot are good because not a lot of people are allergic to them (I don't know if you're worried he has other allergies as well). Strawberries are a favorite, though there is a higher amount of allergies with strawberries. Blueberries, raspberries (now is the perfect time for them! Pick and freeze and feed them to him over the next few months frozen, which may also feel good on his teething gums).

I actually have a harder time finding easy to make dinner food for my son now. He eats mostly fruits, veggies, and cereal. I don't know how many cereals have milk in the cereal itself, but look at ingredients and give your son a handful of kix, rice crispies, corn chex, etc.

If you really want your son to eat the same kind of foods that your older child ate, I suggest looking for a dairy-free cook book. If I found one fore wheat, I know you will be able to find one for dairy! But, I will give you the name and author of my wheat-free cook book because although she focuses primarily on wheat-free, in all recipes she provides ways to make the recipe dairy, nut, egg free, etc. It is called "The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook" by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger.

Another suggestion, go down to the nearest Natural Pantry one is on Dimond, one on Old Seward/36th at the University Center) and look around, and ask someone to help you find dairy free foods. That's what I did. There are a lot of options there. Then, once you find the foods you know about for sure, you can go to regular stores and have more luck finding the specialty things since you know what you're looking for.

As for still drinking milk. I suggest Goat's Milk. I know a few kids who are allergic to milk, and we thought my son was also. I was told that Goat's milk is the best thing for kids to drink, because it has so many good things in it (like your milk, whereas cow's milk...who knows what it's been put through.) And, if he'll drink goat's milk, which he probably will if you make him start now, you can give him goat cheese, ice cream, etc. Ask at Natural Pantry, if they don't sell it, they may know of someone who does. Maybe try New Saguya's also (though I'm not sure if they'd have as much as Natural Pantry).

Okay, well I've written a lot, so hope this is helpful and good luck with finding kid foods!

~ Mel

Hi...I'm not sure if you are still needing any advice...but I wanted to give you a few suggestions...I'm a vegetarian so I have been experimenting a lot with different foods...polenta is really good with spaghetti sauce or "cheese"...there is a soy butter with healthy fats in it called Earth Balance...i put that on a piece of sprouted grain bread and feed that to my 11 1/2 month old...also avocado...and there are a ton of fun things you can do with black beans, garbanzo beans...etc...my son loves sweet potatoes, squash, potatoes, oatmeal, and there are some good vegan burgers you can find in the frozen section. Also, Rice Dream has a really good enriched rice milk, so it has more vitamins. Hope this helps. Good luck!

HI T.,

11 months is a tough age because he might not be ready for celery, carrots and such. My 20 month old has had a milk allergy that we figured out at about 12 months. At that time, we did (and still do) soy, cheerios and the like, peanut butter and sliced up lunch meat and dinner foods like you mentioned. I try to steer clear of sugary snacks too but that makes it even harder. It will get easier but I still worry about protein intake for him.

Somthing to consider now or soon, are protein bars although they often have milk and chewy granola bars. There are also granola "bites" that are handy. I think I too will have to make a trip to Trader Joes for some soy yogurt and snacks!

You may need to look for vegan items. Look in health food stores, but also look in the vegetarian freezer section. Be sure to look for the "100% vegan" label, for vegetarian items still contain milk and cheese (often). You might try searching for food online...finding out which breads and crackers do not contain milk or cheese. A health food store would be able to give you much more help with this, as they would know what foods or brands have what elements in them. They could give you some great advice, better than I can.

Good luck!

My daughter was the same way. She is 6 now and just starting to grow out of it. But you can go to any natural food store in your area... Whole foods Market, Henerys, Wild oats, Huckleberries... places like that. They will all have a section of baby and toddler food and snacks and they will have a good selection of stuff with no Dairy, brands like Good Earth and Annie's and Barbara's. It is so much eaiser to have the pre-packaged snacks, I know.

good luck
Have fun trying all the new things!

S.

hit the health food store or health food section for veggie sticks, rice chips, rice cakes, gluten free pretzels (can dip in soy nut butter..., soy crisps, soy yogurt, roll up organic turkey lunch meat, splet bread toasted, wheat and dairy free waffles, tofutti cheese, soy delicious ice cream, fruit...
hope this helps. oh yeah, almond milk. My son loves Cinch protein drinks. I make them with rice milk, soy milk or almond milk (he even likes it with the unsweetened ones!). You can get it here: http://www.shaklee.net/build/product/CinchShakes
they have great bars too. I am even making hot chocolate with their protein with hot water and it is awesome!!

I have 3 kids (11yo, 9yo, 3yo) -- all with milk allergy (and soy, rice, artificial coloring, almonds, and others mixed in there).

"The Milk Free Kitchen" by Beth Kidder has been a life-saver. Simple, yummy recipes for just about everything under the sun. (I don't like to cook.) As well as wonderful advice on substitutions on "regular" recipes.

I didn't buy much of the baby/toddler foods due to allergies. I simply gave them whatever I was eating -- mashed or cut to size.

Baby/toddler food ideas:
frozen "California Blend" veggies for teething
Rice milk, oat milk
Cheerios, Kix, Corn Bitz (like Corn Chex) -- Malt-o-Meal also has several "safe" cereals
(My kids often eat their cereal dry or with water)
Hot dogs (cut lengthwise -- like a worm! -- feed the birdie!)
Peanut butter & jelly -- watch the ingredients on the bread and give him only as much as you're comfortable with him stuffing in his mouth ;) (Oh, I just remembered you said PB might be a secondary allergen -- you could do Almond butter)
oatmeal
cream of wheat/malt-o-meal
top ramen
Crackers: Saltines, Rye Krisps, oyster crackers
of course, fruit: apples, bananas, melons (oranges and other citrus are too acidic for my kids -- rash and belly ache)
calcium sources include: almonds, Tums (really! our oldest loved them and our pediatrician supported it)

Basically, lots of ingredient checking. I'm amazed at how fast I can now find "whey", "casein", or "milk" on an ingredients label!

I do all my shopping at Fred Meyer, Grocery Outlet and The Dollar Tree (really! The Dollar Tree has crackers, pretzels, cereal, and even beef jerky that all my kids can eat!).

Okay, that's all for now. Let me know if you have any questions or want more information.

Hang in there and keep up the good work! :)

Hi T., not sure if you are still looking for tips. My daughter's also 11 months and allergic to many foods, dairy included. Here's the kinds of snacks we take when we are out: cooked rice spiral pasta, cooked peas, chopped apples, chopped grapes, cooked rice, small cubes of tofu, freeze dried fruit, freeze dried veggies. We have to prepare a little bit but it doesn't take long to boil rice pasta and peas together or to throw fruit in one of those mesh feeding bags.

Also, depending on the type of reaction he may outgrow it around 1 year. The cell mediated allergies that occur in the gut are usually outgrown by then and from your description it sounds like that might be the case. Also, 90% of kids allergic to cows milk are also allergic to goat's milk. My fingers are crossed that he outgrows it soon!

Dairy is tough, however, there are other TONS of snacks. How about fruit? How about veggies? Back to the basics. Crackers (non-chees) with salami? Boiled eggs? Get an apple slicer - makes it very easy to slice up apples. Make a "log" with celery put pnut butter in it, then put your "ants" (raisins) on top. Much healthier than fruit rollups. The high fructose corn syrup in the food will also make kids hungrier - not satisfy them. You'll actually find that food allergies force you to eat a healthier diet because it forces you to read labels. That alone is an education in itself how many harmful chemicals there are in the processed foods we buy. Breakfast - use almond or rice milk for cereal. Make sure that you also avoid Casein, which is a milk sugar which is in a LOT of processed foods. Cereal is a junk food I rarely give my kids unless it's full of nuts and high in fiber. 1 - 2 grams of fiber is too low. I found out all of this after I discovered I was allergic to dairy AND gluten (wheat).

Now MDs are now discovering that allergens in food are causing autism. It's good that you found out now! Naturopaths have known that for years. When in doubt - consult with a naturopath.

I know you probably have all the help you need, but I just wanted to say that there are even fun snacks out there. Look in organic section of your store. I have found everything from non-dairy cookies to ice cream made out of rice! There really are a lot more choices for those us us with lactose issues these days.

Blessed Be

I'm just wondering how you know he is allergic to dairy (curiosity)... does that mean that you couldn't have dairy while breastfeeding him? I am wondering because I could not eat dairy (casein and whey) while breastfeeding my daughter, because she had blood in her diaper from a sensitivity to dairy. I am still breastfeeding her and was allowed to reintroduce dairy into my diet after several months of going without. She has been just fine. She is not allowed to have cheese, milk, yogurt etc. until she is 1 year old and we will see what happens at that time.

Anyway... take a trip to Trader Joe's.. there are tons of cereals w/out dairy, dehydrated fruit, rice crackers, breads, Snap Pea Crisps are great, soy yogurt, meatballs, sandwich meat, hot dogs (no antibiotics/nitrates) etc. Ask your Dr. before trying any nuts.. that could be a very scary allergic reaction. Good luck!

Hi, I have 4 boys and my first seemed to be lactose intilerant, but actually grew out of it, I don't know if that is your case. I know there are lots of rice and soy milk products on the market. I enjoy health food store a lot as well. At first I didn't like to ask for help, but people at the health food stores are wonderful at letting you know what taste good and what doesn't. J.