Fussy Eater with a Milk Allergy

Hi, my son was lactose intolerant, I'm not sure if that is the same as milk allergies but he loved his lactose free milk. He drank it out of a bottle till he was nearly 3. Other people seemed more upset about the bottle than I was. When he was ready to give it up, he did.

As for his food, he wanted milk most of the time, but I made sure he had Gerber meat sticks and various types of finger food such as zwieback toast and cooked pasta. He survived just fine. He's now nearly 15, doesn't drink pop, avoids most sweets (though he loves brownies), and still loves his milk. LOL.

Good luck, not sure if this was much help. Just love her and don't let any of the food issues become a "control" issue with either of you. Kids won't starve themselves.

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Will she try cereal...maybe you could give her cereal mixed with her formula. Can she have soy yogurt? What about pasta or cut up chicken. Try the link below. http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/kidfriendlymealssnac...

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Kristen, Of Course, everyone will tell you, what your 17 month old is going thru is NORMAL! She is testing you, and just may not be hungry, if she throws her food on the floor, let her out of her chair and try an hour or two later, they make "sippy tops" for the bottle, try that for a while, or just do the same as the food, BE AS STUBBORN AS HER!! It is a control issue and she is winning! Take a breath and don't worry, "terrible 2's" can start early! You can do it hon! K.
(Mom of 5 grown, Grandma, and childcare provider for 30 years!)

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I would check on-line for milk allergy foods that other moms use. My husband's cousin has a daughter with life-threatening allergies (dairy, eggs, and all nuts) so there's got to be a support group for such things. Plus kids ARE fussy about foods. A good book that I enjoy is "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron (the same cousin told me about it). Sometimes it works to make it visually interesting, like a face or animals (like using cookie cutters to make mashed-potato shapes). My oldest only eats BLAND and BLAND-looking so that doesn't work for her most of the time, but maybe worth a try. Looks like some other Moms have some actual food tips!
Our second daughter still likes her milk in a bottle. And since when I dropped the bottle with the first one she stopped drinking milk, I'm letting the second one keep the bottle! She's well over 2 years old. Do what works. Or see what other Mom's suggest to break the habit :)
So ... just a couple thoughts. Best wishes.

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K.,

Check with your local health food store for other healthy options.

My son has a milk intolerance so I use rice milk for everything. There are a few great cheerio cereals on the market that do not contain milk products and they would probably be a better alternative to the "fruity" type cereals she is getting now.

If your daughter will not eat foods after trying them once you might want to check and see if she has intolerances to other foods. She may be having a problem digesting them or get an icky feeling after eating.

Although a blood test can be inaccurate in very young children, I would talk to an allergist that specializes in children and food allergies / intolerances. I have found resistance from many allergists who have suggested that food intolerances do not exist even though the research has been done and proven the fact that many people suffer from this low-level type of allergy. I hope you are able to find someone who will look into the issue a bit further.

Good luck with your daughter and I hope you are able to find a solution.

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I say put your foot down about the sippy cup thing. Your daughter is old enough to start learning that she can't have her way. And throw away the bottles so you don't give in to her. I had to do this with my daughter and she had a FIT! But sometimes if she was FREAKING OUT because she was hungery and NOT interested in the sippy cup, I would feed her something I KNEW she liked like a banana. That would calm her down from a frenzy and THEN she'd take the sippy cup.

What brand are you using? We like the soft spout nuk brand, its similar enough to a bottle that it isn't a total change, yet gets them on the road to the other types.

I agree that 24 oz. is a LOT of milk for a child that age and will deter her from eating food. My pedi recommended weaning her to 12 oz. of milk by 12 months. I have now gone down to 9 oz. as that's about all she wants. We do LOTS of water for the rest of her fluids and she eats LOTS of fruit for vitamins. (my 4 year old nephew drinks tons of milk and juice, and soda if allowed, and doesn't want to eat real food. These drinks are full of calories, mostly simple sugars that quickly turn to fat.)

Also you should be able to give her regular soy milk, we were able to do that at 12 months (we try to be non dairy at home in general, though not for allergy reasons), it saves you a TON of money!

My daughter's typical breakfast is, 1 banana, sm. bunch of grapes, a piece of bread, another whole fruit, 9 oz. soy milk. Sometimes we do leftover vegetables as well. I try to give her exposure to LOTS of different vegetables now so it won't seem strange later on. So far she eats most everything that she can easily chew/swallow, soft things. I always MAKE her try stuff. Usually she likes it after she's FORCED - like putting it in her mouth and not letting her spit it out until its chewed up and swallowed, rubbing her throat helps. ;)

Your child should be able to eat all the fruits, vegetables, beans and grains you can find. If she does have a milk allergy it probably would be a good idea to determine if this is the only one she has.

Bottom line, you help determine the picky-ness of your child. Its certainly not too late to nip this in the bud. But you HAVE to WIN this battle EVERY TIME.

Best Wishes, you can do it!

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Have you tried banana muffins or other baked goods? My friend has 2 boys with severe milk alergies and bakes alot with soy milk. She will add wheat germ and use whole wheats when ever possible.
Blessings, K.

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My son & niece are allergic to milk, eggs & nuts. They seem to do great with vanilla soymilk. (There is also plain soymilk to cook with.) I'd limit how much you're giving her -at this age, kids should be getting their nutrition from food not milk. I tend to give my son his food, then his milk after...he doesn't drink as much (and when he does, at least it doesn't spoil his meal).

Always read the labels, in case anything has changed: tyson chicken nuggets are safe, Gerber turkey & rice soup, oreos, white castle frozen hamburgers (perfectly kid sized, too!). You can make tacos (skip the cheese), mini pizza's without cheese, sloppy joes....lots of options.

There are Sesame Street canned veggies (Elmo beans, Grover peas, Cookie Monster corn) - this is the only way I got my son to eat his veggies for a while!

It's very normal for them to refuse things they seemed to like just a few days before. Keep offering and having them take at least a bite. There are a lot of safe food options out there - Whole Foods & Trader Joe's carry some options, too.

Best wishes!

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With my daughter, who can have milk either, if there is something she doesn't like but that is what we're having for dinner and she doesn't want to eat it. I will not make her, as I can't really force her to eat, but I will keep it and then she will eat it later when she is hungry. Kids will not starve, they will eat what you want them to eat eventually, it's just the mother and father that need to be tough and make them do what they should do.

A diet of fruit loops and other such stuff isn't good for them but they don't know and don't care, they just taste good so it's our responsibility as the parents to do what is best for them.

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Allergy, plus picky, tricky, try to make special plates of food, small in size but with flair, like in the best restarant in town, also some children go from a bottle to a cup, no sippy in between, try tupperware small picture set with cup, they are verry small, and makes meal time fun. Remember the same food looks different when you shape it on the plate as a smiley face. Have fun all children are different and embraceing their differences helps them move forward. Good Luck
B.

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I don't mean to pry, but why is she still drinking formula? I think that 24oz of that a day would definetly make her less interested in food in general. Tell her that she's a big girl and take the bottle away. She'll cry for a few days, but she won't starve. Just because she wants a bottle doesn't mean you have to give it to her. If your 5yr old wanted diapers, you wouldn't just give them to him would you? Green veggies have lots of calcium and there are tons of soy products, cheese, milk, yogurt etc.

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One thing I have to say is that I hope you'll consider totally breastfeeding your next baby until about 7 months, then continuing for at least 2 years. This will save you a lot of headaches!

Kids can be very weird about foods so you'll have to just keep working on it. I wouldn't get into a big power struggle over it. It sounds like she's already heading that way. I'd keep the atmosphere light. She won't starve. You can give her vitamins if you think she needs them. The formula may be filling her up more than you'd like and I have no suggestions for weaning from that but I'm sure someone else will.

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Hi, food battles are common even in children without food allergies. As parents we are obsessed over their nutrition. You don't mention whether she is lactose intolerant and has an allergy to ALL dairy but if this "special" formula is required and she will only drink it from a bottle then let her have the bottle. Trust me, when she heads off to knidergarten it won't be an issue. She may enjoy some comfort from the bottle. Don't make "food" a battle ground. It is a war that you'll never win. I would however, discuss your concerns with her Pediatrican, ensure her growth is normal and ask for a refferal to a Dietician or Nutritionist. I hope this has been helpful. Denise. ( A lot older & a lot wiser)

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Neither of my children will drink milk from a sippy. Work on a straw. I fed my daughter from an open mouth glass for a year before I figured out the straw was the way to go. I say don't give in on the food, it will continue forever if you do. I now make my daughter try one bite of everything, at every meal. I will increase to 2 soon and so on to make sure she is eating right. Good luck. I have been there.

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