Has anyone had any experience with neocate formula?

My son who is 19months has eczema and so does my daughter who is 51/2 months. My son hasn't had milk because I believe he has a milk allergy, has of my daughter she just came down with eczema. For my kids I think its just the season. Its hard becuase I think different things work for different people... so good luck!

Just for your own piece of mind, you may want to get a second opinion on the eczema. I know milk allergies can cause eczema type symptoms, but, without an official diagnosis, Neocate seems like a drastic measure...My son was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy within his first few weeks of life, but, this was confirmed by a blood test. He was also on Neocate for his first 7 months and recently switched to Nutramigen, which you can buy at Osco, walgreens, etc. Both are expensive, but, if your child truly needs them, they work! (You can also find Neocate discounts on-line).
My son has really dry skin (esp in the winter) and I use Eucerin and Aquaphor. I also found a great baby lotion at L'Occitane. Good luck.

Just to tack on the others here...
My breastfed girl has eczema as well. The doc suggested (like another mom here) to cut down on soaps--I was using Aveeno products only as that is what I can use (I don't have eczema, just extreme dryness). He also suggested emollient lotions.
It got worse for her once winter hit and the radiators came on every day.
So! We have quit Aveeno for her. For her once-a-week only bath, we use just a teaspoon or so of Little Twig baby wash soap in the water -- I had it as a baby gift and don't know where to get more. So, switching to California Baby that I got at Target. More money, but we use soooo little of it!
For lotion, we use a tub of Aquafor and slather it all over her after a bath, then use it for her butt as well. It's been 3 months, and we've only used half the $17 tub, so it spreads pretty far.
This has cleaned it up pretty much. I run the humidifier at night and some days, and we haven't had to worry about what she's eating.
For laundry: we use 7th generation, and not that much. Any stains I pre-treat rather than increase the soap in the laundry.

A first step, as long as you child's allergy doesn't progress maybe you won't need to change your formula.
good luck!

S., our son (now 12 mos) has eczema. It happens he's allergic to eggs, though at first I stopped dairy (he nurses) because I know a lot of eczema is due to dairy allergies. But the other thing that made it worse was soap and shampoo. Now we rarely use soap and never use shampoo, and only a couple baths a week. It has made me realize shampoo is overrated. And use a good quality lotion two times a day over all her body. When we did all these things he cleared up nicely in the summer time. It clears up slower or only with hydrocortisone in the winter because of the dryness.

Neocate is the best formula for kids with allergy. I star when my son was 3 mounts and by his first birthday the allergy was almost gone.
I know is very very expensive .I bay eBay, and sometimes insurance help .
Good luck.

I am a mom of children with severe allergies, a lawyer, and an owner of a store that sells allergen free food and other products. I hope this helps.

If the eczema is caused by milk, then it is an allergic reaction (immune system response), not an intolerance. Soy formula may work. Both of my daughters were on soy formula when I was not breastfeeding because my first daughter has a severe milk allergy.

Soy is also one of the top 8 allergens, so it is possible your child could be allergic to it, but you won't know until you try. In Illinois, 2 years ago, our legislature passed a bill that requires insurance companies to pay for formula prescribed because of a food allergy. Cost should not be an issue in determining what is best for your baby and that is the purpose of the statute. Call your insurance company and follow your gut.

S.,

I have a 3 month old that had a similar problem. It looked absolutely horrible. I thought it was exczema based on my internet research, but when I took her to her the rx, it was diagnosed as dermatitis something. The important part is the treatment is the same. I am nursing, so first, I eliminated any dairy/processed food from my diet to address a possible dairy allergy. I took orally flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil and it came out beautifully in the breastmilk. On her skin she had olive oil and water baths only. This worked so well, that now the whole family no longer uses soap (except on private parts). Her skin was super dry and cracking, so I kept her constantly in castor oil, because of its many healing properties (google those). I used selson blue in her hair and around the edges, and again oiled her up after washing. Now her skin is beautiful and smooth, and I am so happy with the results. My skin is beautiful and healthy. It was quite a commitment to do this ritual daily, but it was worth the results. I am open to answering more questions offline if you like. Don't commit to this exzema diagnosis just yet. Get a 2nd opinion.

Best,

Ofie, Mommy of 15yr, 8yr, 6yr, 3month old

All I can say is don't wait too late! My son also seemed fine and one night while getting ready for bed he almost stopped breathing and come to find out he was severely allergic to cow milk and soy. Neocate was the formula he was given after that and he didn't have any problems after that. He grew out of the allergy at 12mths and he's 2 1/2 now and loves milk! For his eczema I use Eucerin or Aquafor on his skin. Also see if there is another option instead of Neocate such as Nutragamine and there's another that starts with a P(sorry can't think of the name but they are both sold in Walgreens). Those two formulas are ones my sons specialist said he could use in case I ever ran out of Neocate. The cost of Neocate was expensive($200 a case!) but I would not want anyone to go through the experience I went through when he got sick. Good Luck!

My daughter also has a rash type thing that comes and goes. It is not as bad as it was in October. The doctor did not think it was a big deal, we just use a prescription on it that is often used for ringworm. The doctor took scrappings to see if it was something else. My other kids also had it when they were babies. Little almost round or oval spots that occasionally got big. By a year they were gone. You can try .5 hydrocortisone and see how it goes and only bathe every other day or so unless she makes a mess. This worked for us for the most part. We are still using the first tub of cream that we got in September and it was not very big to begin with.

S.:

almost 70% of the people who are cow's milk intolerant are also soy intolerant...

P.,RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

We self-diagnosed my son's milk allergy when he was 6 weeks. He had nasal congestion and excema that had started at the top of his head and was spreading down his body. No other health issues. I stopped eating dairy (breast feeding) and we started giving him soy formula as a suppliment. He has been perfectly fine on just switching to soy. Now he's a happy 4 month old. Good luck!

I'd see a good pediatric allergist. If it's a true food allergy it could be very serious. My dd's main symptom before her bigger ones were eczema. We see the docs at Children's Memorial (Glenbrook Hosp location)

My 19 month old daughter does have a milk allergy (as well as peanut, fish and egg) -- the only symptoms she has to the milk allergy is eczema. She has it since I switched her to formula at 4 months from breast feeding and then it got even worse when we started whole milk at 1 year. We had no idea until we took her to the allergist in December after she had an allergic reaction to peanut butter someone gave her by accident. Had the back scratch test and found all the allergies. Eczema is often considered the tell-tale sign of a food allergy in infants and toddlers. We decided to keep her on the whole milk for a while and just deal with the eczema but it is getting worse now so we are taking out all dairy (VERY TOUGH TO DO). Our allergist will allergy test kids as young as 6 months (we have a 3 month old boy as well that we plan to have tested at 6 months -- he is breastfed exclusively and I am eliminating dairy now). Good luck - if you need the name of a good allergist who works with peds, let me know (they even take our HMO). And, some kids that are allergic to milk are allergic to soy -- our daughter is not. Your pediatrician might be trying a hypoallergenic formula to determine if it is an allergy but trying soy formula should help you determine if is a milk allergy (unless she ends up allergic to soy as well). Word to the wise -- it takes 1.5-2 weeks for milk protein to break down in our bodies and be eliminated...so you will not see an overnight improvement like you might with other food allergies. It would take a 3 week-a month trial to see if the formula switch makes a difference. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I would try Alimentum before Neocate. Who is your pediatrician?? That seems pretty extreme.

If it is a milk allergy, soy would work but about 60% of kids with milk allergy are also allergic to soy. If you use formula, milk-based is the best choice. Soy and Hydrolized formulas have drawbacks and unhealthy qualities and should only be used as a last resort, not a first option. I would get the opinion of an allergist. Some of the other symptoms of milk allergy are dark circles under the eyes, congestion, and a red ring around the anus.

I think my 3.5 month old has the same thing. But the MD just brushed off the rash and told us to use dreft, and Aveeno. I too think its ezcema as it comes and goes and when it comes, its really bad.....looking forward to the responses you get...

don't switch formulas so quickly. Can mess up a babies tummy. Go to a pediatric allergist if you really question it. Children who are allergic to milk with have a more severe reaction. My daughter is lactose intolerate & is not allergic to milk but has an intolerant to it. My daughter is a peanut/egg allergy kid. Hives, vomiting were our signs of an allergy.
Ecema can also be a sign of dry skin. Severe bumpy excema is usually an allergy. But this is my daughter. She is now 2.
Soy is a better choice. I would go to an allergist.