Child W/ Milk/dairy Allergy

I am vegan and therefore I do not eat any dairy (eggs, milk, butter) and I do not eat meat, including chicken and fish. I am raising my daughter to be vegetarian, but I often feed her what I eat. Some recipes I use can be found at vegweb.com. There's a ton of great recipes, including baked goods without dairy. Every recipe is vegan. Check it out!

1 mom found this helpful

I usually buy a bag of frozen vegetables, a box of wagon wheel whole grain pasta, ground turkey, and tomato sauce. It makes a nice little 'pasta primavera', chock full of good nutrition. If he doesn't like meat just omit the turkey.

It sounds like your doctor is on the right track, food elimination is a great way to identify problem foods. The trouble w/allergies sometimes you crave what you cannot have. My husband would dearly love to go have a big ole steamy deep dish pizza, but his dairy, wheat and tomato, (plus soy, pnuts, etc etc) allergy would end up making him ill for weeks if he ate that. Some people it would kill or severely make ill. His symptoms come out in digestive/leaky gut, gerd, etc, as well as mucus and headache problems.

It's important to find creative ways to feed your allergy child and I know that Jessica Seinfeld's book does some of that. Black bean tacos or homemade Hummus are great, the hummus is chock full of protein that they can dip veggies, crackers, pretzels into.(just make sure your crackers or pretzels are organic--the regular ones are FULL of trans fat and other preservatives you really don't want to feed your kiddos) We skip the garlic and tahini, just put the rinsed garbanzos, with lemon or lime juice, sea salt and pepper, and several tablespoons of olive oil into a food processor or blender. Then you can add black olives, or black beans even, or artichokes, to the garbanzos before blending it til smooth. Remember that whole, uncooked foods, (veggies & fruits) have many more essential enzymes to help with digestion so hummus is very good for you.

And Tammy's reply is also worth a try, Goat milk has different molecules in it than cow milk does, they are much smaller, easier for people with dairy allery to digest ...in fact, my dh's food plan from the doc has Goat milk as an ok item, but cow dairy as bad.

Hello, my daughter also has a milk allergy. (she is 10 months old). I found at Woodman's they carry a brand of cookies that are dairy free. The brand is Mrs. Pure's. They have chocolate chip cookies (non dairy), animal cookies and vanilla wafers. My daughter loves them. I have also found the Ritz crackers are a big hit (they do not have dairy). She loves graham crackers too. Those are just a few of the things that I have tried and they are working for me.

Can your son eat eggs? Not just the ordinary ways but made into a quiche or an Italian sauteed vegetable pie (in a pie crust and cooked in the oven). Snacks could be carrot cake or zucchini bread. Good luck

I HIGHLY recommend www.kidswithfoodallergies.org - they're a non-profit, fantastic group of 11,000+ parents - resources, recipe database, help coming up w/ food ideas and recipes, support, info, - they saved my sanity!!

My son, 2, is also allergic to dairy and eggs, as well as some seasonal stuff too. We give him soy, almond, rice, or hemp milk in place of cows milk. We also give him soy or rice ice cream, which he loves. A company called Enjoy Life makes allergen free foods and the cookies are great! Graham crackers are ususually safe and cheerios, too. You have to become an avid label reader, but it isn't as difficult as you might think. There's lots of info on the web about foods to avoid and tricky labels that use other words in place of "dairy". Good luck!

My son is also allergic to milk. Read those labels carefully, a lot of the Stage 3 Gerber foods and the Graduates have milk or some type of milk product (caesin, ricotta cheese, whey, etc) in them.

I have been to Trader Joes for small Ritz type crackers with peanut butter in them, he loves those for his snacks. He does like fruits and veggies but not much meat either. My mom got him those canned little Vienna sausages, they look like the Gerber meat sticks and he will eat those.

We tried soy yogurt, he would not eat it. I do still buy the Stage 2 oatmeal for him, and he will eat regular oatmeal also. He also loves peanut butter toast, and he is only 18 mos so I know he should not have it yet, but I was running out of stuff to feed him. I spread it very thin, fold the toast in 1/2 and cut it with a pizza cutter into little bites.

There are several good websites about food allergies and ordering dairy free products if you search online for them. I have found I have not needed to order any, as of yet, if you look in the health/organic areas of your stores a lot if the stuff is available there.

Also, read the labels EACH time you shop in case their recipe changes. I have found OREOs can be safely eaten. He also likes spaghetti, just watch the label to make sure there is no cheese in the sauce.

My son gets hives within minutes, I carry the Benadryl everywhere we go. If you sned me a private message, I would be glad to provide links to all the websites I have, they are in the other computer under my favorites so I can't do it right now.

My daughter also had a milk allergy, including casein and whey. I was devastated and thought there'd be nothing to feed her. The good news is that there are actually a lot of choices. I recommend leaving your son home with a sitter and plan on spending 1-2 hours at the grocery store. Look at all the foods he likes and read labels. You'll be surprised by how many snack foods are ok. There are chicken nuggests, breads, cheeses,yogurts, and ice cream that are all ok (toffuti brand has lots). Also look for Kosher snack foods. All kosher foods have to be either dairy or non dairy. Someone at the store can show you how to see on the box if the food is non-dairy kosher. Still READ THE LABEL as some may have casein or whey but it is a good starting point.
Good luck! Don't be discouraged. I really found eating home to be easy. There was a dairy free option for everything I made for the rest of my family.

We love smoothies in our dairy free house.

Smoothie recipe
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup rice milk (optional)
2 bananas
1/2cup of frozen fruit (we like strawberries or cherries)
1-2tablespoons of flax meal (optional)

Put all in a blender and puree. Then enjoy!! The coconut milk adds in good fats, the bananas thicken the smoothie. That recipe makes about 4-5 glasses so tweak as you see fit.

Enjoy!!

Also as a sidenote be careful to read labels and avoid CASEIN if he is to be off dairy completely. Many foods claiming to be "dairy free" still contain this and it is the protein in milk which is a major player in dairy allergies.
Good Luck!

Hi E.,
All 3 of my kids are allergic to dairy. I switched them over to goat milk, and i buy goat milk products like cheese, yogurt, ice cream, from whole foods. This has helped them tremendously. You can find it at Dominicks, or Whole foods. I buy the lowfat goat milk because my kids are older, but you can get regular of lowfat at whole foods. Dominick's only carrys regular goat milk. Good luck, I hope this helps.

Costo has a dinosaur shaped chicken nugget that he may like. My daughter had the same problem. Then she started eating the all natural sausage and some bacon.

I know...none of these things sound healthy in the least bit; however I just wanted to get some protein in her.

Have you tried Pacific brand Vanilla Rice Milk? It is a little expensive (found at Whole Foods), but Maggie has loved it. She is allergic to eggs, peanuts, wheat, milk, peas and tree nuts so we have had to take A LOT out of her diet, but she has continued to stay at the 50% mark on height and weight...so that what our ped was looking for (to stay on the same curve)

Take care and good luck! Whole Foods is expensive but they have a lot of dairy free items!

My daughter was in speech therapy for food aversion (that is the specialist you take them to). #1 rule was to not make special food for after their 1st bday. Regardless of how many teeth he has, he can eat pretty much whatever you eat, just cut up small. Put the food in front of him, its his choice to eat it or not. I'm not suggesting to let him go hungry, not at that age, but if he doesnt eat the food you give him just save it and offer it again later. Trust me, kids who live in areas where their next meal may be days, not hours, away, do NOT pick at their food.

He he allergic to all milk or just cow milk. Goats milk is a great alternative and so is soy milk. Because if he is ok with either of those you can make your own foods from scratch.

www.welcomingkitchen.com has a cookbook for allergen-free cooking snacks and goodies the book is inexpensive like $12-13. Recipes are great. We use the book ALL the time.

I can't wait for the next installment of the series.

I hope this helps.

Dear E.:Perhaps this would help you. I have been involved with a nutrition products company for about 4 years. I am still a distributor but no longer try to sell the products, just use them myself. The company is called Reliv International and the web site is
relivus.com
Among the products that they sell are producs specifically formulated for children (Kids Now). The product is a powder and can be combined with water or some other liquid to give your baby optimum nutrition. Many of the products are soy based. Many babies as well as expectant moms and everyone else for that matter can benefit from such good nutrition. It is a multi level marketing company and if you can get past the hipe, you might find that these are excellent products that can help you and the baby. If you would like more info, I can explain what I know or put you in touch with someone else. Good luck to you and family!
S.

My son was diagnosed with a milk allergy at 8 months and he is now 3 1/2 - and still has the allergy (last tested at allgergist office last November).
I have struggled with this all along.
Basically, anything that typically would be a milk based food (milk, yogurt, cheese, cream cheese, ice cream) I purchase Soy based. We buy Silk milk, silk yogurt, Tofutti cheese sliced (hard to find), Tofutti cream cheese, Soy Dream Ice Cream.
You need to read labels each time you shop because companies are always changing their ingredients.
Going to restaurants is difficult. Our mainstays on menus when we venture out of the house are: mostaccoli with marinara & chicken strips.
Luckily, he loves fruit and fills up on that first.

I buy his birthday cakes from a bakery in Mokena (Fleckensteins on Lagrange). They have an angel food cake and frosting combo that does not contain milk.

Parties and gatherings are hard for me because he sees what other kids are eating and I always need to find ways to preoccupy him with something else.

Good luck - hope that helps somewhat.

J.

My 16 month daughter has a milk allergy, and here is a short list of items that I have found that have no milk that she loves: applesauce with breakfast cereal like cheerios (instead of milk), Tyson chicken patties, avocados, Target brand Complete Pancake mix (one with no milk!), tortillas and refried beans without cheese for a quesadilla, graham crackers, potato chips, cereals, spaghetti, PLAIN goldfish (hard to find snack crackers without cheese), shortbread cookie snack packs like ABC or Lorna Doone...I also have eliminated many of my usual dairy snacks like yogurt and ice cream for non-dairy alternatives to help transition for the days when she will be old enough to wonder why she can't have what mommy is eating. Soy ice cream, Rice dream, vanilla soy milk--- pretty good stuff! I haven't figured out how to make a dairy free pizza though....

Hi there, Yo baby has started a soy line that makes there baby yogurt and yogurt drinks in a soy version. Its normally available at Walmart and Jewel but if you have a hard time try the Fruitful Yield Next Kohl's On Rt59 Near the Fox Valley Mall. You might also get some other dairy free products there. Also try the vegetarian Cheese. It looks just like normal kids cheese slices and you can make grilled cheese sandwiches from it if he does not like to eat it on its own or try and make mac and cheese with it. Other than that try giving him deli ham, just take the rind of. Kids seem to like it because it taste sweeter than other meat. My 20 old months daughter does not like meat or eggs as well but she will eat ham and ball park hot dogs. Hope this helps.

My son is actually allergic to dairy, soy, and wheat. You'd be surprised what it out there!!!!! I'm not sure where you shop- but if you go to a natural food store (like Whole Foods), you can find tons of snacks that are dairy free. There are Barbara's animal cookies (wheat/dairy free), Energe pretzels, rice crackers etc..... Then my son eats a ton of hummus (he loves it on rice crackers, as a dip for veggies, or mixed in with brown rice and some olive oil). He also eats a lot of avocado to keep up that fat content. We have smushed it up and mixed it with brown rice noodles and have gotten quite creative as ways to get in the avocado.

I'm need to leave for work... but I'll try to post some more ideas later. Buy the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook (not Whole Foods the store - you can get it at Barnes and Noble or Borders). It is fantastic and every recipe is allergen free (so no dairy). they have fabulous recipes for pancakes etc... , which i make big batches of and then freeze.

R.

Hi E., My now 15 yr old daughter has a dairy allergy too. Hers was not discovered until she was almost 8 yrs old & she lost the better part of 1st & 2nd grade. Be grateful to have discovered it so young. 2nd word of advise, people will confuse a dairy allergy with lactose intolerance... They are 2 different issues. What I learned to say, so they understood was when she drinks/consumes dairy it is like a person allergic to cats walking into a room full of them. They seem to "get it" with that analogy? As you remove dairy, your now picky eater may "taste" new foods diffrently too. What I did was bought a vast assortment of cool, cute drinking cups. And lots of choices of fruit juices, there are so many now. Keep trying he will like one of them. When the rest of us had a "dairy" dessert, she got frozen juice bars. But we made them only for her & we all made a big deal out of how we wanted one, but I said no they were "special for her. We started with a lot of pastas with red sauces, or cold with oil/vinegar. For breakfast it was eggs, bagels with fancy jellys. You can introduce rice/soy milks.. Pancakes with soy milk are not so bad. May take time but be clever and watch things like cookies with butter/milk too. Butter is pure dairy but eggs are not (you'll be surprised how many people will confuse eggs as dairy.. outrageous) Make it as "matter of fact" as possible. Sandwich for lunch was lunchmeat or peanut butter & jelly, watch the breads you choose. At 15 she knows it's not good for her, and it seems better these days. I know she sneaks it now & then when she is out with friends and then she suffers for it. Her favorite "treat" is pizza with what she still calls "white cheese" that she can have 2X a month. Good luck & it can be worse as I understand that the peanut allergies are scary.

My son is allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, barley and nuts. We have found many dairy free items at Whole Foods. They are very helpful at the Wheaton store. My first trip there, a young man walked around with me to help me find many items my child could have. Not everything tastes great (he was honest and told me what he had tried), but there are many brands that are very good. Namaste and EnerG brands taste good.

Plus if your child doesn't like something, they will allow you to return the opened item for a refund.

first of all, just to clarify, is your son lactose intolerant or allergic to milk (casein allergy)? the first is fairly common (about 75% of the world has various forms of lactose intolerance as the enzyme for digesting lactose disappears once the need to breastfeed ends), while the second is very rare (something like 1-5% of the total worl population, as it means no milk/cheese/yogurt plus no whey or milk solids which are in almost all processed foods, as well as beef sometimes too).
i would bet, that he's a picky eater at 15 months because he has underlying food issues. i have seen this several times, and if you're offering a wide variety of foods and he is choosing some but not others, it could very well be that his body is saying what to eat because of those allergies. not that that makes feeding him any easier! lol
honestly, i don't have many food suggestions. i would try eating with him, so that he sees you eating what you're offering him. and then i would try to remember that it's the big picture - the week or couple of weeks that really matters, not each day. kids tend to stock up, so to speak, eating one thing for days or a week or month at a time, and then switch or expand their palates as their body needs the nutrients.

You will need to get some protien and calcium in his diet another way. Peanut butter, chicken (I know you said he wasn't a big fan of meat...but maybe nuggets), fish, shrimp, and so forth. Do some surfing on the net to find good food alternatives to dairy.

As far as being a picky eater. Don't give in to it. Always put a variety of foods on his plate and always make him try all of them. Do not allow him to pick and choose what he eats. My mother didn't give us a choice. We had to try everything on our plate and we didn't get anything else if we didn't eat. We didn't starve and we are all great eaters to this day.

I don't know a single person that was allowed to eat what they wanted that has good eating habits as adults. It just doesn't happen. You become more finicky as you age if you don't continually introduce foods over and over to them at a young age.

Good luck, but it can be done.

My daughter was diagnosed with a "milk allergy" also. She is now 13 months old. She seems to be tolerating soy milk, though she was slow to warm up to it. She likes chicken, but will not eat a lot of other meats. We have just introduced peanut butter which she will eat a little of. She loves chickpeas and most other beans, but is not a fan of hummus (must be the consistency). I have attached a couple of different chickpea recipe links for you to check out. They are both big hits at our house. The one does have sausage in it, but I usually use a chicken sausage. The other I serve her without the almonds and parmesan. I have had success with vegetable bean soups that are broth based, too. My dtr also loves soy crisps (the sea salt variety) which have some protein and fiber in them so are a little more nutritious than some other snack foods. Good luck!
http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?ac...
http://food.realsimple.com/realsimple/recipefinder.dyn?ac...

I have a picky eater also. My first doesn't like to eat a lot of meat (only chicken)... so I make sure he gets a children's multi-vitamin every day to make up for that.
I find that fruit and/or veggie cups are a great snack or easy to add to any meal. Dried fruit is also a favorite - I think Gerber has snack cups. V8 fusion has a full serving of fruits and veggies in each cup - they even have smaller on-the-go bottles (perfect for taking in the diaper bag... to a birthday party).

When I run out of ideas...
I find myself referring to articles such as this one: http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-handle-a-picky-eater_9...

Hope this helps! :)

It can be a surpise and feel overwhelming when you learn of a food allergy. Milk can be hard to avoid, but not impossible. My son (17 months) likes the Silk Live dairy free yogurt that you can find at Fruitful Yield and Whole foods. Bread can be tough, but if you read the labels, you should be able to find a brand that will work at your local store. Dry cereals (not just cheerios) are a good snack and there are many without milk. Teddy grahms and grahm crackers in general are usually dairy free. I also make a lot of muffins and things at home so I can use recipes that are dairy free or use substitutions like water, juice, soy milk or rice milk. You can make bisquick pancakes and waffles with water instead of milk. check out godairyfree.com for more help and lists of dairy ingredients. Good luck! It will get easier, and his tastes will change as he grows even if his allergy doesn't.

Hello,
My daughter was the same when she was little. We tried all sorts of different typed of "dairy". She had a reaction to al types of dairy. Our Doctor recommend, Goat Milk! It may sound strange, although it worked, and she liked it!! She was on it until she was 3 years old. Over time, we weaned her off by a adding a little skim milk, with mostly goat milk, then a little more, etc...

The on drawback to the goat milk is, its a little hard to find. (That was 8 years ago also...) Good luck to you!!
- S.

Go to the peta for kids web site and click on what to eat. They have a whole list of vegan foods you can buy at your regular stores. It can only be vegan if it is dairy free. Also Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Most children do out grow milk allergies. My daughter is finally out growing it at 16 years old. It is a little harder when it is allergy vs lactose intolerence. Be careful when you eat out. We once gave my daughter a hamburger and next thing we knew she was sick. Come to find out the resturant used dry milk to hold their burgers together. After that we stuck to Subway.get some vegan cookbooks. My other daughter has been vegan since she was 14, she's now 18 and very healthy. Silk Soy for Kids is fortified just for kids and kids love it. A little too sweet for me. You can cook with it also. We make everything with it cakes, pancakes, bread etc.. When my daughter became vegan we went to a nutritionist (sp?) just for one visit and she gave ideas for ways for my duaghter to get the proper amount of protein.
I would not make your son a seperate meal. Just serve a varity of healthy foods. My daughter who is vegan was always a picky eater. Our doctor told us just to make sure she eats helathy foods and little junk like cookies, chips, etc..
It takes a lot of reading labels but it does get easier. best of luck

They do make lactose milk and cheese for your little one. You can find it at your local walmart store.

I have a 15 month old daughter who had a reaction to milk and I put her back on Similac for a while.(1 month) The Peds Doctor said to try milk again slowly. Can your son tolerate anything dairy?? I don't know if my daughter has a milk allergy yet, but she seems to do well with the Gerber Graduates foods, still some of the stage 3 baby foods, fruits,organic cereal bars, any of the organic stuff, no problems! Hope this helps! Ask your Peds doctor if soy milk is ok for your son.

A.