Help with Weaning (Milk Allergy)

Hi there,
My son is 10 months and was breastfed till he was 8 months and I went back to work 2days/week...and started pumping those two days. I didn't make enough milk for my husband to give him in a bottle while gone, so we supplemented with goat's milk, which is the most similar to breastmilk chemically...much different than cow's milk.
Anyways, my son likes it and eventually when I wean him it will be to goat's milk, because he also has a cow's milk allergy(projectile vomitted 6 times after yogurt).

Hello, my son was born with a severe intenstinal condition and therefore could not have milk...so his pediatrician put him on Pregestimal. I'm not sure if this is still available, but it is worth a look. Hope this helps. (My son is now 25 and doing fine...yay!) (I live in Sacramento, I almost 49...and have 3 grown children and one 8 year old granddaughter.)

Try taking her to pick out her own special sippy cup. I know that my son had a hard time with this stuff too. We ended up giving him Very Vanilla Silk (Soy Milk), and he liked that much more than any formula. It has everything they need in it. My little guy nursed until he was 18 months, but we did start him on the Silk at 13 months. He loved it, and still does now. (he's 3 1/2 years old) Good luck!

Dear M.,
Weaning children is such an individual thing because nursing is not just about the milk! Some children need the warmth and closeness of their mother for comfort more than food nourishment. That said, some children do not want to be weaned at any time! So first, try to assess whether the nursing need is food-based or soul/emotion-based. If you can figure that out, you will know what to do. Since dairy milk is not a necessary food source after nursing, you can substitute juices (watered down to decrease sugar level), soup stocks -also watered down and drinking lots of water. There are also other alternatives like oat or almond milk you could try if she is allergic to soy. You are the one who really decides how and when to proceed - every child will cry when being weaned. It may be helpful to just hold her near your heart for the warmth and comfort and gently reminding her that she no longer needs "milkies or milk or whatever she calls it". This will be soothing to her if you repeat it several times a day until she gets through the transition time. You need to know in your heart that you are doing the right thing as a parent, which you are. You also may need to separate a bit (emotionally) from your child in order for her to feel secure in the transition.
Best thoughts.
J. Birns
Waldorf educator/consultant (mother of 2)

Try rice or almond milk. Keep trying with the sippy cup too....

If your daughter is 13 months, then there is no reason you need to ween her from breastmilk to formula. Just ween her to a soymilk and see how that goes. My son is 21 months old, and he was b/f until 14 months, and after that he refused to drink milk, which he still does now, and he is perfectly healthy. I make sure he gets calcium from other dairy, but the doctors told me that is fine and he should have no problems not drinking milk. Just make sure she is getting calcium from other sources. Your daughter is old enough to use a sippy cup and drink soymilk or juice or just water even. Maybe try on of the cups for older kids that have the straw that folds in to close. I guess I can't offer too much advice though, I started my son on a sippy at 5 months, and he is a champ drinker now! Just start her slow. It is a process!

Hi M.,
I'm wondering why you want to wean yoyr daughter when she clearly is fien with your breastmilk? I suggest you continue nursing her if you are able, and supplement with water etc.
All my best to you and your little mama milk drinker.
P.S. Research shows that the majority of babies tolerate mother's milk much better than formula, sounds like your daughter knows what's best for her.;)

My son is now an adult, but he had and still has a milk allery. Thank goodness I began to breast feed. Have you asked your childs pediatrician for something to add to her water or apple juice? At the time I stopped breast feeding, there was an ingrediant I could add so my son could receive nutrients that would help his bones. He still is allergic to milk and cheese products.

The issue is probably a combination of taste and delivery (bottle/cup). Both of my sons are allergic to dairy. They both took bottles of breastmilk relatively well though, so that part wasn't an issue for us. Are you able to pump at all? Will she take breastmilk in the sippy cup?

My youngest won't switch from the bottle to sippy cup for formula. He'll drink water from a sippy cup, but like your daughter, will only take one or two sips of formula from a cup. So we are still using a bottle. :(

It could also be the taste of the formula. The formulas that are fully hydrolized taste the worst. I don't remember if Elecare is one of those or not. Our allergist recommended that we try Good Start formula for our youngest. It's partially hydrolized (just the whey), so doesn't taste as bad. My son does not react to it (although he does react to whole milk, cheese and yogurt.) But talk to your doctor before you try it.

I would NOT try Almond milk as others have suggested. Our allergist recommended not trying any nuts until at least 3 yo. Rice milk is a good source of calcium, but has no protein or fat, so is not equivalent to whole milk nutritionally. You'd have to make sure you make up for that in her diet.

Also, you could try goat or sheep's milk products, but the chances are she'll react to them to. (Studies have shown that 90% of kids allergic to cows milk are also allergic to goat and sheep milk.)

Have you heard of POFAK? It's an on-line support group for Parents of Food Allergic Kids. www.kidswithfoodallergies.org
They were incredibly helpful to me when our 6yo son was first diagnosed with allergies (when he was 1 yo).

-D.

My son was diagnosed with severe food allergies that included anything milk based, anything with milk enzymes, and anything soy based with hydrogenated soy-bean oil. Most formulas are one or the other. Try Allimentum. It's what I called test tube formula, because it didn't seem to have anything natural in it, but my son could actually keep it down. When he was around 13 months, we started him on rice milk. He is now seven and still drinks rice milk.

Hi
Is it all milk that she has an allergy to, have you tried goats milk or rice milk. my oldest son has rice milk. It could be the taste. my youngest son would not take any formula only breast milk and once he was older enough to try cows milk he loved it.

I wish you all the best ... J.

Hi M.,
I had put my daughter on soy (I thought that would be good as I am sensitive to dairy) after weaning only to find that she is highly allergic to it. So, we went to rice milk and then we discovered almond milk, which is now the staple. I will grab the kind with a litle vanilla flavoring as that makes it taste better for my daughter, and organic when I can find it. But, that is what worked for us. I hope it woks for you too.......

Have you tried regular soy milk? If she is over a year she does not need formula. There are different flavored soy milks out there and some are really good.

Both of my kids drank better from straws than sippy cups.

As far as milk allergies, my brother was/is allergic to milk. My mom tried everything including goat milk, sheep milk etc.(of course this was the 70s so there are more options now). He could drink powdered non-fat milk with no problems. As an adult, he drinks soy milk.

My son is lactose intolerant but not allergic. We used soy formula. He doesn't care for the soy milk very much so we use Lactaid (which I realize won't help you with a milk allergy).

Good luck.

Peptamen Jr. has whey protein (a milk protein) so I'm not at all surprised she was allergic to it. Try Vivonex Ready To Feed or Vivonex Pediatric. Those don't have milk proteins.

My son also has a severe milk allergy (not lactose intolerance -- he has an anaphylactic reaction to milk and milk proteins) and we went through this when he started drinking "real food".

--lexi

You could also try soydream soy milks and rice milks and some
almond milks that are "enriched" ( the enriched ones have lots of vitamins and minerals) and you can get them in vanilla, original or chocolate flavors. My 20 month daughter has been drinking the soydream vanilla and original since she turned one. She occasionally will try the rice milk but prefers the soy milk better. She has been happy and healthy and drinks it out of her sippy cups. She was exclusively breastfed and never took to a bottle for any form of liquid. She still asks to be nursed in the mornings when she first wakes up and at some nap times and before bed. I think it's more for comfort and attachment than for hunger or nourishment. I figure she will wean completely when she is ready to do so. So far she has been slowly and steadily weaning out each feeding without much fuss or trauma. Good luck.

Both of my children are lactose intolerant, so they drink "lactaid" milk. Our pediatrician highly recommends moving to whole milk at one year of age, so that is what i did. Maybe you could try the whole lactaid milk. It is a lactose free milk. My son also drank soy milk, then went to lactaid later. As far as weaning, you just have to do it, and not look back. Once you make that choice, stop offering the breast and give her the milk or water throughout the day, eventually she will drink it.
Good luck

I"m still breastfeeding at 14 months but also give her rice milk and almond milk. I make the almond milk myself by soaking the almonds overnight, then putting in the vitamix and then straining through a nut milk bag. very nutritious for her (us) and she loves both. plan to stay off dairy. when I do yogurt or cheese it's usually from goats.

R.

Hi M., This is my first response, so please bear with me. My son is in his 30's now but when I weaned him, I learned he was milk intolerant. What I had to do was try him on FRESH goat's milk. It's the most like human milk there is, and he went from taking only 8 oz. of formula, to 1 qt. the first day. I don't know what to tell you about how to get it into your baby, the cup, straw, etc., but I know that goat's milk literally saved his life. I don't know if you're in a rural area, or urban, but I think, maybe if you can use the net, you should be able to find a goat dairy, or someone that has a milking goat. I was willing to do anything to save his life and ultimately bought a good milk goat. Your story may not work out for you if you live in an urban area, and maybe someone else has something better. I only know it worked for us. Good luck.

Most people have a milk allergy and it doesn't scream out to them, but they never quite feel great because they keep drinking it or eating ice cream. Wheat too.

You may want to try organic veggie juice. This is hard to find in stores (even at Whole Foods) and I've basically ended up making my own. If you have a juicer, you are ahead of the game, I lightly steamed beets, carrots, celery and then put it in a blender with some yams that I had baked then pureed it and added a lot of water. You could do what ever veggie sounds good, but broccoli doesn't puree very well (at least in my blender) Mind you I was doing this for myself because I was doing a juice fast and could not find juice that was just vegetable juice, it was all filled with first ingredient apple juice (for added sugar) or high fructose corn syrup (garbage)

(go light on the beets or she will have red poo and you will not like seeing that)

It may be that you won't be able to wean her to a bottle equivalent.
So try introducing solids.
There's enough difference, and excitement, about real food that you don't hit the same wall of stubbornness.
-- my own exclusively breast fed daughter went straight to solids on her own, reaching out and stealing from my plate- yay polenta!
When she is getting enough of her food from solids, nursing becomes a comfort-only activity.
You'll still need to negotiate weaning at that point, but you've separated weaning from needing food, which can make it a lot easier to cope with.

Hi M.!

My daughter also has a milk allergy although I nursed her until she was 3 1/2. Let your daughter drink the soy milk as much as will and water is also great. Do an online source for other non dairy calcium rich foods. I also cannot drink milk and U drink the orange jiuce that is fortified with calcium and vit. D. My daughter takes a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement. 1 tsp per day. Good luck!

hello, my son is 19 months old and has a milk allergy aswell. i exclusively breastfed him for the first 12 months now he still nurses off and on but loves to drink silk's brand very very vanilla soy milk for kids...it tastes like a melted vanilla milk shake, you should really try it instead of formula for your daughter. its has more vitamins than milk or regular soy milk and lots of protien, i also use 4oz to make his oatmeal every morning with it to ensure he is getting the 8oz of milk he needs a day...dont worry about her not DRINKING it,...just mix it in her foods, even make rice pudding with it...and she will wean when she is ready, for me my babies are only little once and nursing is our special time...any questions i'm here =)...oh a good cup is gerbers beginner sipper with two handles and a soft spout!!

I had the same problem with my son- allergic to milk, and he wouldn't take any "milk substitutes", as I like to call them, or he was allergic to the ones we tried. Wean your daughter straight to water. She probably doesn't want to drink a lot now because she's getting all the hydration she needs from nursing. As you continue to wean her, she'll start drinking more.