Living with a Milk Protein Allergy

My son was diagnosed at 8 weeks (mucusy and bloody stool). he was on nutramigen formula for the first year, then rice milk. He is 3 now, and outgrew it. He also eats peanuts. Best of luck

Both my girls have milk protein intolerances. They aren't allergic. We have pretty much eliminated all dairy from our meal preparations. It wasn't that hard, actually. Once you get used to it, you don't have to think about it much. The key is to not have processed food, just cook from fresh ingredients at home. And if you're out at a restaurant, it's perfectly acceptable to grill the server about ingredients. LOL Just do it nicely.

Also, every now and then my hubby and I will get something special just for us, like ice cream. If it's going to be consumed in front of the kids, though, then we get something special for them too, like sorbet. So they still get to have "ice cream," just not the same as ours.

Also, I'd seriously look into using soy as an alternative to milk. There is a lot of emerging research that suggests soy is unhealthy when consumed on a daily basis. It may interfere with normal hormone function.

Good luck! You can do it! =)

My daughter is also allergic to the protein in milk.

First off I want to warn you about replacing dairy with soy. There is a huge controversy around soy so I'd avoid it if at all possible. Soy mimics estrogen and has been blamed for early onset puberty in girls. I can only imagine what it does to a developing boy's system.

We replaced cow's milk with rice milk. When I'm preparing a meal I will even use rice milk. I also use either Earth Balance or Fleishmann's UNSALTED margarine. Neither contain milk or milk by products.

I avoid recipe that contain cream soups, cheese, sour cream or such as a main ingredient. When cheese can be added after the fact I take out her portion and then add the cheese.

Be glad you discovered this allergy early. I was told a short time ago that I should try to eliminate dairy from my diet. I tried rice, almond, and coconut milk as a replaclacement for cow's milk. I found no good alternative for myself so I just avoided cereal altogether.

Finally I would recommend you keep liquid Benadryl in your home incase your son does have a reaction. I would recommend you use Benadryl when he reacts with hives and such. The Epi-pen should be reserved for anaphylactic reactions. Plus make sure you subscribe to your local ambulance service.

My son had a milk protein allergy but he could tolerate cheese and some yogurt..He could not have milk, whip cream, ice cream or sour cream. We just did not give him the things we knew he would have a reaction to. We ate what we wanted and bought other things for him. This didn't seem to be a problem. He didn't really care that he didn't have the milk we drank. He out grew it around 3 years old.

BIG TIP – Look at the bottom of the list of ingredients on packages. There is usually a brief list of allergens. If dairy is listed, you can quickly eliminate that product as a choice. BUT don’t rely on that. If it does NOT list dairy, you still need to read all the ingredients, because some companies don’t consider dairy to be an allergen.

Milks –
I think soy is gross. I tried Rice milk but too starchy for me and doesn’t work well with baking (makes the food too crispy – seriously). I prefer Almond Milk (in the boxed milks on the dry goods aisle). Almond milk works great for cooking and doesn’t taste half bad in pinch if you are dying to eat cereal, though it’s a little sweet for my taste. I just use it in cooking.

Butter –
Earth Balance Original (yellow/tan/brown tub) – it’s really not bad – I add salt to it, though, when making toast or garlic bread with it.

TIPS for Eating Out–
ask to speak to the manager – waiters get confused. Tell them you have a dairy allergy and they will be very happy to help you. They have lists of ingredients and allergens and will often show you the list if necessary.

Make sure to ask that things are not cooked on the skillet with butter.

Chipotle has dairy in it – so don’t order anything with a chipotle spread

Salads – just use oil and balsamic vinegrette for dressing

I made a list on a little piece of paper and carry in my wallet in case I order fast food. You can look up a lot of restaraunt nutrition menus on line.

Be careful because dairy is present in the strangest foods - like hot dogs and french fries.

Good luck.

My son is 4.5 and is 100% milk free. We do not have a completely milk free household though, as my husband and I still like to have real cheese, milk, etc.
When my son was younger, we tended to feed him dinner early and make separate foods and our dinners would still contain a lot of dairy. Now that he's older, we make family meals that everyone can have, so our dinners do tend to be dairy free.

The next 1.5-2 years will be the hardest before your son is able to be his own advocate. By the time he's about three years old, he will know and understand enough not to just randomly accept food and to ask what's in it.

For us, it was hardest when my son was between about 12-24/30 months. His friends all tended to eat cheesy snacks, like goldfish crackers, that left a lot of residue on their fingers. Then they would share toys, put things in their mouths, etc. It was common for my son to have a small rash after playgroup because of this type of exposure. Once the kids were older, it became less of a problem. So, in that regard, the key is talking to the other parents and asking them to wipe their kids' hands after eating snacks (always have your own wipes handy to make this easier).

There are a couple of excellent cookbooks that I recommend. "What's to Eat, the Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Cookbook" is fantastic, as the "Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book." With these, we make delicious cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more. I always keep cupcakes and cookies in the freezer to bring to birthday parties and other special occasions so my son doesn't feel left out.

Tofutti makes decent sliced cheese. Whole Foods sells a pretty good cheese that melts, but I can't remember the name of the brand.

Feel free to send me a private message if you have any specific questions. It definitely gets easier as you go along and find more and more snacks and foods that he can eat safely, as well as when he's old enough to look out for himself.

My daughter was also diagnosed with protein allergy when baby, she was vomiting and getting rash, so we took her to take the test and she was allergic to a few things including the protein.
Since she was very little I didn't have to change the whole family diet, but I did find out how many things have diary, even things we don't thing they do, read the labels on everything.
I don't know the severity of your son's allergy, my kid per example, could have butter and be fine.
Eventually we found out (by accident) that she could drink 2% milk but not regular milk, and also 2% cheese, and around 2, she out grow it all together.

When eating out sometimes it can be hard because restaurants can put butter on vegetables for example, and the waitress wouldn't know, so don't be afraid to be extremely clear on what you want like "I need his broccoli ONLY steam", again, depending on the severity of his allergy.

Now in days (wow I sound like I am old, lol) are so many options, although a little more expensive for a protein allergy child, try different substitutions like Almond milk, rice milk, coconut, soy, etc, and hopefully soon enough he would out grow it soon too.

You also want to make sure you carry benadryl along w/your epipen. I definitely know what you’re going through…it is a challenge..lots of reading & researching. My daughter is 7 years old & was diagnosed around 7 months w/milk allergy after having an anaphylactic reaction then eggs at 2 years old she is still allergic to eggs. Just recently she outgrew the milk. After some reading & researching about cross contamination I went out & bought a new set of pots & pans & cooking utensils because we too ate alot of dairy in our diets and also used separate dish sponges to wash pots & pans with. When she was younger I would just make something separate. As she got older it became easier to make one meal for everyone and I just became use to subsituting things for the dairy (it does get easier).
Bimbo Brand (Kroger & Walmart) ~ make my own bread crumbs
Nabisco Barnum's Animals Crackers
Mini Teddy Grahams
Nabisco Grahams Crackers
Wheat Thins
Margarine (Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine) they are 2 different ones make sure it's the one w/the yellow & green box)
Aunt Millie's plan bagels or Thomas
Zen Soy Chocolate Puddling (Kroger, Whole Foods or Health food store)...
Silk Soy Yogurt
Tofutti Cream Cheese
Tofutti Cheese Slices
Tofutti Sour Cream
Tyson Chicken nuggets
Ore Ida fries
McCain's fries or smilie face potatoes
Tofutti Cuties Ice cream sandwiches (Whole Foods or Kroger) (tofutti.com)
Ian's French toast sticks (Whole Foods)
Ian's Fish Sticks (Whole Foods)
Van's Gourmet Waffles (Original or Blueberry) (Whole Foods, Kroger)
Jello
Sloppy Joes
Applesauce
Motts apple juice
aunt millie's hotdog & hamburger buns
Costco hotdog & hamburger buns
Turkey burgers (Costco or Jennie O - there are 2 different
ones it's the one w/the green writing)
pillsbury original cresecent rolls
Pillsbury classic pizza crust
Ragu Original/Homestyle Pizza Sauce
Turkey bacon
of course fruits & veggies my daugher loves the mini/snack size carrots (smaller than the bag carrots)
as far as eating out...we never ordered anything at a restaurant for her to eat; as I'm not comfortable doing so since I'm not in the kitchen & I worry about cross contamination.
I've also made fries & chicken nuggets ahead of time.
Ritz Crackers ~ I also use these for breading
Ragu spaghetti sauce (Sauteed Onion & Garlic or Chopped Tomato, Olive Oil & Garlic) Gerber Graduates Juice Treats (Fruit Medley) these are like gummis,
Gerber Graduates Fruit Strips,
Cereal –
Rice Krispies ~ I also use these for pork chops & chicken instead of shake n’ bake
Kellogg's Honey Smacks
Lucky Charms
Froot Loops
Cap N Crunch
Kellogg's Strawberry
Frosted pop tarts,
Nabisco Chicken in a Biskit Original Crackers
musselman's apple sauce in the little snack cups &
del monte fruit cups
Kraft Italian dressing (just the regular dressing - i know there's house & some others)
Kraft original BBQ sauce.
Hungry Jack Original Syrup
Maple Syrup

I don't know if you buy the silk soymilk (silk soy does not have a dedicated line for their soymilk (companies that have a dedicated line vs a dedicated facility means a risk of cross contamination depending on how allergy your little guy is) kroger & walmart both carry little juice box size (3 to a pack) of the silk soy vanilla & chocolate both can be found in their speciality isle (non refigerated) these are great for when you out & about because they don't have to be refigerated (i wouldn't leave them in a hot car or anything - avoid extreme temp changes) also be very careful of "soy cheese" tofutti brand has one that I know is safe but others have milk protein also be careful of medications that may contain "dairy" lactose...please feel free to email me if you have any questions.