Possible Milk Allergy..

Rice milk is what I drink and it really tastes good. There is also rice ice cream. It has made a difference in my congestion. And I have been congested for as long as I can remember. I have given up cheese and yorgurt (sigh). Rice milk comes with calcium, and vitamins A and D. I would give it a try. If you are close to a Fred Meyer they have a good (for food) selection in their health dept.

Hi B.,

I am SO glad you're trying the dairy-free route for your daughter's ears. As a child this was a major problem of mine, and even to this day (I'm 28 years old!) if I eat dairy I get a nasty post-nasal drip and ears full of phlegm. I think this will very likely be her main culprit.

There are lots of nut juices out there. My favorite is Almond Milk by the blue diamond almond growers. Very smooth! For yogurt, I haven't found a non-soy version that I like. Silk makes a great yogurt. For cheese, the ONLY good substitute I've found has casein in it, so if you're cutting out ALL dairy proteins, this won't work (it works pretty well for me, it's a smaller amount and I don't eat it very often). What we did in the past was use soy cream cheese as a substitute for many cheese uses. For example, we'd use it in lasagna kind of like a ricotta. We put it in enchiladas as well!

As for the calcium issue, it's going to be a non-issue. Any of these products are going to either contain enough naturally, or will be supplemented to at LEAST match that of milk. It just isn't true anymore that you're risking your calcium intake by not eating dairy.

I've got LOTS of tricks up my sleeve if you (or anyone else!) are interested :)

B.

There are many babies who have milk allergies or sensitivities and they use soy based formulas, so I don't think this will be an issue for your daughter at this young age. Soy does have a natural estrogen effect when taken in larger quantities and some people need to be aware of this, but if you pediatrician has recommended this as an option, I don't see any problems. Some vegies are high in calcium, as well as some nuts, but until you get her allergy tested, I'd stay away from the nuts of any kind. If she's not been having any problems with her fruits and vegies, meats, etc. then continue with them. Introducing a food every 4-5 days so you can watch for any reactions. In short, don't feed a variety of things all at once. Be pretty monochromatic when it comes to her diet, one or two fruits or vegies for that 4-5 day period, if no reaction, then you can add a new one to her selections. I wish you well. Could be she has the flu bug that's going around. Getting her tubes is a big jump from a milk allergy question. Usually that won't happen unless she has had repeated ear infections that can't be cleared effectively with antibiotics. Don't let her go to bed with a bottle either. Tubes work wonders for kids (and adults) who have fluid behind their ears that won't clear after many attempts with antibiotics. Be sure you talk with an ENT doctor before proceeding. You will be using ear plugs for all baths, shampoos, playing in and around the water. As much as you want to clear the fluid out from behind the ear drum, water going in is just as harmful, leading to some pretty nasty infections as well.

Hope you get your referral soon. (Your pediatrician couldn't run the allergy skin prick tests without a referral?) Some things can be determined with your pediatrician without having to see an allergist. Take good care.

A dietitian friend of mine studied this for me (I was vegan at the time, and we were drinking rice milk), and she said soy milk would be fine if my daughter was at least one, but rice milk was typically too low in fat to serve the needs of children until they were quite a bit older. I'd be wary of trying another kind of nut milk until she's at least two.

My daughter drank soy milk once she turned one, and she still prefers it (even if I could never enjoy the taste). We also use it in baking, though I would limit the amount she drinks. My son (now almost five) never liked soy milk, but he's a HUGE fan of water...so he gets his nutrients and calories in other ways.

As to eating veggies, most kids have a natural dislike of vegetables, but repeated exposure will negate that rather quickly. We've made it a game of seeing what my kids will try. My son now loves vegetables...every time we go to the store he asks for lima beans. My mom has him convinced they may his eyes shinier (what a great mom!)...

You might consider consulting a dietitian...

Another thought would be to try goat milk. I know it sounds strange, but it's worth a shot. For some reason, my system doesn't tolerate cows milk really well, but does handle goats milk and goat cheese and goat yogurt just fine. I don't know why, but my guess is that it has to something to do with different enzymes and proteins but I don't really know for sure. All I know is that it works.

Redwood Hills Farm produces both milk and yugurt (I believe the farm is in Oregon)...the only drawback is that the milk only comes in whole and 2%, not nonfat, and it's really pricey, but it might be an alternative in the short term.

The milk is available at some QFC's, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and PCC, and I think the yogurt is available everywhere but QFC.

You may want to try a good multi vitamin as Marda suggested, but as she also pointed out, your little one really isn't feelng well, so don't stress too much about the calcium right now. Chances are that thing will right themselves when she's feeling better.

Hang in there. I hope your little one feels better soon!

One of my sons has a severe dairy allergy. He also had tubes at 15 months old due to repeated ear infections as a result of allergies we didn't know he had. He now drinks vanilla soy milk with calcium but it wasn't always that way. He used to drink rice milk with calcium for years. I breastfed my son until he was two. This will be surprising but our doctor actually recommended orange juice with calcium. It actually has as much calcium as a glass of milk. People were horrified that I gave my toddler so much juice...although he never had it in a bottle and never had it in bed. He is ten years old now and does not have a single cavity and he is thin. It has worked well for us. Maybe it is something you can try. Good luck!

My son, now 3 1/2, always had red rashy dry cheeks as a baby. I could never figure out what the prob was until we put him on whole milk at age 1. He started vomitting everywhere all the time! We finally figyured out it was dairy. We took all dairy away and started soy milk, which he loved! Our doc said he would have to be drinking a gallon or two a day for the estrogen in it to actually affect him. He was never concerned with the soy and recommends it for lots of his patients! The vomitting and rash were gone immediately! He now uses children's digestive advantage when he wants to eat cheese, yogurt, or drink a cup of regular milk. It is a natural enzyme that helps to break down the lactose and only has to be taken oe a day, not at every meal like regular lactiad! It is a small little pink pill, about the size of a sudafed and they chew it up, tastes like cherries!

Also he was going to be getting tubes but I talked to my Chiropractor and he said that the tubes in the ears are directly tied to the spine. He has been getting adjustments bi-monthly now for 2+ years and has only has two ear infections since, and they were when he was fighting a bad cold! He was having about 6-7 per year, prior to the adjustments!

Good Luck and God Bless!

B.,
Both myself and our youngest son have food sensitivities and allergies. Cow dairy is one of my biggest problems. I never drank milk as a child because I simply didn't like it. Both of our boys have grown up on Soy milk and once they were 3or4 yrs old, they didn't like it anymore.

In our home, our youngest and myself eat Goat yogurt and goat cheese. We like the Meyenberg brand goat butter, the Greenback Farms goat cheese and the Redwood Hills goat yogurt. We also get Rice Milk, plain. This is the only milk that our oldest will put on his cereal. They also like it in their oatmeal. I get the case at Costco because it is non refrigerated and lasts a while. Get 1 at New Seasons or Winco first to make sure you like it.

Read labels. You can find dairy in most processed and pre-packaged foods and snacks. Most of what we buy comes from New Seasons. We read labels and watch out for the intolerant ingredients.

As for ice cream, I get the All Natural SO Delicious Minis. They are made with Coconut Milk.(Vanilla covered in Chocolate) You have to read this product carefully because the company makes a So Delicious with Soy. These are non-dairy. This brand also has Mini ice cream sandwiches. Choc/strawberry/banana? Our youngest loves them. The regular size ones have soy.

Everything is a matter of eliminating, trial and error. If you suspect dairy allergies, gradually eliminate those foods and see how she does.

Best of luck.

Do you give her daily liquid vitamins for infants? That should help with her skipping out on the veggies.

We also suspected a dairy allergy for our daughter, and looked into soy and rice milks, but neither of those have fat which is essential for young kids brain development. (My girl is 17 months old.) So if you do go with one of those, you have to be sure she is getting a lot of fat some other way, which I'm not sure you could get 30g of fat without most of it coming from dairy products. Have you asked for the allergy testing yet? We had a the RAST blood test done, and it the results came back super fast. So you should be able to get an answer within a week or so.

my friends daughter has an allergy to milk and they rotate different milks with great success. THey do not use soy milk for the reason you stated.
They use rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk and coconut milk - rotating is the healthiest way to go and all of these milks can be used measure for measure in cooking with milk.

If your daughter has been on any antibiotics for the ear issues, make sure to put her on acidophilus and / or some kind of probiotic blend (just make sure it is milk free) infections are a good sign that the gut is out of balance and that good gut flora needs to be restored- the probiotics will help with this.

Often those with allergy to cow's milk can tolerate goat's milk with no issue. it is worth a try. in my opinion, i find unsweetened almond milk is the best alternative. it's closest in texture and flavor, and the nutritional value is better than rice. soy is not recommended for little ones due to the estrogen content. not to mention that there is already so much soy content in the foods we consume already that more is just overkill. you can find a relly nice selection at whole foods or new seasons. i hope this helps your decision.

My granddaughter was allergic to milk. We gave her rice milk. I'd stay away from nut milks because an allergy to tree nuts is also common. My granddaughter took multi-vits. I don't know if they contained calcium. You can buy orange juice that is fortified with calcium and Vit D. Rice milk is also fortified. I would avoid soy and nut milks because often children are allergic to their proteins. My granddaughter is still allergic to soy even tho she's outgrown the milk allergy.

I wouldn't worry about calcium consumption right now. As you said she probably doesn't feel well. She'll be getting tubes and feeling better and back on a healthy diet.

As one post suggested there are at least 2 different conditions that make dairy products a problem. One is an actual allergy to the protein in dairy products. Then there is lactose intolerance which is not an allergy. It is caused by the lack of our system to produce lactase. My granddaughter had an allergy confirmed by both RAST and skin prick testing. The skin prick test is more accurate tho it also can show false positives.

I have a lactose intolerance. So far adding lactase to my "diet" has not been of much help. I wonder if it doesn't work because after 60 or so years my system isn't very adaptable. It's worn out. :0) :(

You can do a home test, if you want, before having her medically tested. I would try avoiding dairy products for now but I would have her tested for allergies at some point. Other allergies can also cause congestion which results in infection. If she is allergic you can still try adding dairy products one at a time when she's feeling well. Some people can tolerate yogurts and even some cheeses. I'd first ask the allergist and/or do some research to learn which foods would be best to try.

When you start putting dairy products back into her diet give just one food for a week or two and keep a food diary so that you will be able to know how she reacts.

A positive thing about milk allergies at this age is that they frequently outgrow the allergy. My granddaughter did.
Lactose intolerance is for life. I'm glad to read that lactase products are helpful for some.

Good for you that you're avoiding cow's milk - it is the cause of many many diseases, and is not even a good source of calcium, contrary to dairy industry propaganda. Nuts and seeds are especialy good sources of calcium and protein, and you can make your own milks, by soaking the seeds/nuts (my favorites are almonds or sesame seeds), draining off the soak water and adding fresh water and blending, then straining through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth (or you can drink it whole with the pulp, without straining). You can add a little sweetener if you like (I use agave nectar or dates). Making your own is cheaper and much more nutritious, as it is raw and has all the good enzymes in it. But also you can get all the same nutrition more easily by just eating the nuts or seeds and dark green leafy vegetables - there's no reason it needs to be in liquid form!

I have heard several theories about the estrogen being high in soy milk, but if you get the 100% organic ( and make sure it says made from organic soybeans, not just organically processed - there is a big difference) but I have had four children who have lactose intolerant until around age two, and they have all had soy formula, soy milk, soy cheese, soy butter, etc. All the peds that I have discussed this with have reassured me that this is not an issue, epsecially if the soy isn't a permanent fix for her diet. My daughter is now 8 and does not have any of the signs that people are alarmed about, as in growing breasts, mood swings or early periods. Just be smart and stay balanced.

I am not sure what the milk intolerance has to do with tubes, but on that note, if your daughter is suffering with ear infections - my advice is to get the tubes and get them fast. I was so hesitant about undergoing "elective" surgery that I really put my third child through the ringer. Poor child, by the time I got the tubes done he had no hearing in one ear and only about 30% in the other. I would push your doctor for that referral soon !

Best of luck

You might try goat's milk. Soy products unless they are cold processed and soy beans are washed in water and not alcohol I wouldn't use them. If you can find raw milk someplace a lot of times the processing of milk (pasteurizing and homogenizing) cause the milk allergies and not the raw milk so that is also an option. Although she will have to get her protein other places rice milk is also an option but I don't think the protein contact is as high as regular milk or goat's milk but that may be an option.

N.
SAH wife, mom, grandma, and Wellness Coach

it's very possible it's milk. Check everythink she eats. rice milk has added calcium, boccoli, lentil, etc. She doen't have to eat dairy to be healthy. good luck...and please get her tested by anaturopat.

I must have missed what makes you think your daughter has a milk allergy. My daughter never had problem with her ears and I'm personally mixed on the effectiveness of the tubes. My SIL is having to have her daughter's taken out because she is still getting ear infections and now the skin is growing over the tubes - so surgery. But I'm not a doc...I would follow what your doc says.

As far as the milk allergy goes, there are several things in milk that could cause an allergy. Sometimes it's the lactose if your daughter does not create the lactase enzyme. Other times it's just a protein. Sometimes, kids can have cheese and yogurt, but not milk or icecream. Before you eliminate the milk from her diet, you'll want to find out. Soy can be binding...and it doesn't have "estrogen" in it, but it can create estrogen like symptoms in high amounts. Rice milk is lacking the calorie and nutritional benefits of dairy.

Will she take a formula? We used Alimentum (the milk proteins are already digested) and just made it really cold so it was more like milk.

So, if you're really concerned...get her tested and talk to the doc before making any extreme decisions.

Good luck!

Nikki