How Do I Know When His Lactose-intolerance Is Better/gone?

M.,

My two of my three boys suffered from milk protein allergy. I did the same thing as you, by giving up all dairy products until they both were a year old. At that time I began introducing dairy directly into their diet VERY SLOWLY in order to see how their bodies reacted. They both seemed to do okay with whole milk, cheeses, etc, so we have allowed them to eat dairy, but still limited.

Unfortunately, babies who have this sort of allergy typically are prone to other allergies, so the longer you are able to keep the allergen away and out of their diets, the better. Both of my sons now have eczema and it ALWAYS flares up when they have consumed more dairy. Their pediatrician, gastroenterologist and dermatologist all confirm that the milk protein allergy and eczema are directly related.

Anyways, hope this was some help! (Oh, and I have a Jace as well, he turns two in May!) :)

2 moms found this helpful

try Acidophilus Bifidus milk first( it doesn't taste any different than regular 2% milk. My son is 21 months old and can't drink anything else, including lactose free milks. we discovered his allergy when he switched to cows milk at 12 months . I was unable to ever breast feed so we didn't catch it sooner like you have. Cheese, yogurt, and milk based formulas did not bother him because they were processed so much first. Where I live the most milk fat available is 2% at Safeway, paid for by WIC if you have it. Its pretty likely that he has not grown out of the allergy just yet. Start slow with the Acidophilus Bifidus and when he is 1 you will probably have to do what I do and keep stage two formula on hand for in the diaper bag and traveling since its not something you can just order in a restaurant, and have the milk for at home. If he is anything like my son cheese, yogurt etc will be ok since they are processed.

good luck :)

2 moms found this helpful

I just want to caution you, it wasnt the lactose my children were allergic to but the milk PROTEIN (lactose is sugar). Watching for WHEY and CASEIN in products lactose free is important. Lots of soy products contain whey and also baby meats (for added protien). My son is 2 1/2 and still cant have dairy BUT my aunts children grew to have some tolerance towards it in small amounts. We have had the accidental feeding here and there and then deal with the waking up in the middle of the night sometimes screaming and the diarrea. I have decided that I wouldnt intentionally introduce dairy until he was old enough to realise the risks, deal with the discomfort, or at least let me know exactly what is going on. Interesting side note, when I cut out dairy I realised alot of my gassiness and discomfort was linked to my eating dairy and now I can decide if that second piece of pizza is worth it. Good Luck, Jen
p.s. For added protien we use soy protien powder in most everthing from pancakes to smoothies, and we use fortified soy milk (with calcuim and vitamins). I personally thought the rice protein powder to be inedible. Good Luck, Jen

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M.,

My son was also lactose intolerant from the time he was an infant. Projectile vomiting was the joy I experienced! I'm not a medical expert, but everything that I've read suggests that children don't *need* to drink cow's milk in order to be healthy. There are a lot of other alternatives out there for calcium - broccoli and soy milk, etc. We basically took my son off dairy and used soy milk and soy yogurt. When he was older (maybe 5-6) we allowed small amounts of regular dairy like ice cream or cheese - but only when there wasn't another option (like a popsicle). He's 8 now and still loves his soy yogurt in the morning and soy milk to drink and on his cereal. He's tall and healthy. I'd check with your pediatrician to make sure your son is getting everything he needs (once he's eating solids) but I say just go dairy free with him! :^)

1 mom found this helpful

I just did my daughters 9 month check up and the dr said no dairy products until at least a year if not longer for little ones who seemed to have trouble in the womb when i was pregnant. Dunno though all drs are diffrent. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

My son had the same problem with broccoli and cauliflower. Anytime I would eat those he would get terrible gas. I started to reintroduce them to my diet when he was around 10 months old and eating a lot of solids. We had no problem then!

1 mom found this helpful

Just a quick question for you: what do you do that allows you to work from home? I work for the only Total Wellness company in the world and I can do it from home too. Just curious.

-E.

1 mom found this helpful

My husband is lactose intolerant, and it has helped us all to switch to lactose free milk. It's sweeter and better tasting, and stays fresher longer. We prefer the safeway brand (lucerne it is I think) over Lactaid. It's not as cheap as regular milk but it is almost always on sale. We drink the whole kind too, it is the best for toddlers. And from the research I've done, cow's milk is not as good as they say it is. It actually is the weakest source of calcium, especially when packaged in the clear plastic containers. I'd read some more if I were you, and try the lactose free milk, we all love it at our house!

1 mom found this helpful

Did the dr.s tell you he is lactose intolerant? I have been off of soy and dairy for over a month now because my 3 1/2 month old daughter has small amounts of blood in her stool. I have been told that I can reintroduce soy in one month and dairy in two months after that (three mos.). I'm not sure about the lactose intolerance, but if you are eating other dairy products, I would think you could try a glass of milk... Have you asked the pediatrician/nurse?

When my nephew stopped nursing, my sister only gave him water to drink because he takes multi vitamins. He has no interest in juices/pop/etc. I don't think there is a reason to have your son drink milk...

1 mom found this helpful

Have you seen an allergist? Or did the pediatrician test for allergies? If not I suggest that you have that done. The school nurse said that she has epipens for several students and that peanut allergies are getting to be quite common.

My granddaughter was diagnosed with a milk allergy when she was a baby for the same reasons that your son was diagnosed lactose intolerant. The pediatrician said that a milk allergy is different than an intolerance. She did skin prick testing and found that she was also allergic to peanuts,eggs and soy.

My daughter switched to a formula that contained no dairy or soy products and her digestion improved. When she was 1 she had rice millk instead of cow's milk.

My granddaughter also has eczema and asthma. At around age 4 she started drinking milk, eating ice cream, cheese and seemed to do fine digestion wise. But her asthma and eczema were out of control. She had a nearly constant congested nose. We took her to an allergist who did skin pricks again and said that she has outgrown her milk and egg allergies but she is still allergic to soy and peanuts and added grasses, blooming trees,dog dander etc. He prescribed zyrtec and singulaire to to help prevent responding to some of the allergies. Her pediatrician already had her on singulaire. And he gave us 2 different kinds of ointment and cream to put on her eczema. She also needs to have her skin rubbed down with a non scented hand cream every day. Within a month her skin was clear and her nose less stuffy. We have to continue the routine with lower doses to keep it under control.

The allergist said that the skin of someone prone to eczema is made up differently. And I can feel a difference when I touch her skin with her brother's. my granddaughter's skin is a little bit less smooth. I don't think this was the case, tho, when she was a baby.

It is important to find out if your baby does have allergies so that you can avoid the allergins with him. I don't know how this works with breast feeding.

Whether or not you can drink milk or if he should can only be answered by a doctor. If he is allergic his system will tolerate it as he builds up anti-bodies and then when those reach a certain level he will react. It is best to not allow that process to happen because it increases the chance that the child will have these allergies as an adult. And the reaction to some allergies can be fatal. Hence the epi-pen for peanut allergies.

I don't mean to scare you. But I do urge you to check out the possibility that he has an allergy to milk rather than milk intolerance.

1 mom found this helpful

Sorry, I don't have any advice or experience in the lactose intollerant department but am really curious how you help moms stay home with their children? what is it that you help with?

B.