Can Children Outgrow Milk Allergies?

[ChefJoyJ]

At my DD's 1 year check up today, her ped. confirmed my suspicions. Emily has a milk allergy. He's not sure if it's just raw milk, or all milk products, b/c I've been really cautious about giving her products with milk in them - due to several problems before her tummy surgery at 6 months, and then her reaction when I switched to a milk based formula for her morning cereal (she was only getting 2 oz. a day mixed with cereal!!). Within an hour she'd vomit and have diarreha and then was fine. So, we get to try cheese cubes and yogurt and see what happens. Fingers crossed it's only raw milk (by raw milk I mean the milk you drink). He is hopeful she will outgrow it, but no raw milk until age 3 or 4.

My ped. says we can give her either soy milk or rice milk. Anyone's children have a milk allergy? What did you give them? Which did they prefer??

What's crazy is neither my DH nor I have any food allergies in our families. My ped. says that the instance of food allergies is on the rise, even in families with no prior instances of them. Makes you wonder what is causing it? The additives, growth hormones, preservatives, etc?

 

[MORFIA]

we all do!!! Try both--Rice may bind---So I did soy---More and more homes have it!!!It is soooo much better for them----

 

[vwpamperedchef]

Morfia, I thought of you when I read this post! After what you told me about DS and the ice cream. Poor thing!

 

[ChefClairissa]

Have you tried almond milk? Its really good. It may be a little sweet. But if the others dont work, then you might try that.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

DS did the same thing with cows milk - we switched to Goat's Milk, and he did just fine with that. Now, he tolerates Dairy just fine - but he still doesn't drink alot of milk....lots of yogurt and cheese though.

 

[ChefJoyJ]

Since I was breastfeeding, I had to cut out all traces of dairy and corn from when she was a month and a half until 7 months. By all traces I mean the label couldn't have dairy by products or any corn products, including high fructose corn syrup. She did sooo much better. After her surgery and subsequent month for her tummy to heal, I slowly began addings things one at a time back into my diet.

While I was dairy free, I tried soy milk, but thought it was quite nasty (especially since I was used to the real deal). Morfia - which one does your DS like? Which one do you like?

I plan on trying both, but I was hoping to get some advice from others...

 

[ChefJoyJ]

I haven't tried anything for her yet - I just found out today (earlier this AM) that she's allergic to milk. I had my suspicions, but didn't have a definitive answer. I was breastfeeding, but right now she's either on a nursing strike b/c she's sick or is spontaneously weaning (which is what my ped. thinks) :cry: :cry: :cry: . So I need to get some soy or rice milk and go from there...

 

[ltkacz]

We discovered my sonHas a mild milk allergy when he was about 4! He kept getting ear infections and the doctor said that if we can't get the ear infection cleared up for good he'll have to get tubes in his ears. Did a little research after a friend suggested that I switch him to soy - and low and behold - no more ear infections! Plus, he always use to have a slight runny nose - which I always attributed to allergies - and viola - no more runny nose.

He drinks just the plain soy milk (no vanilla flavor added). Loves the ice cream because it's so creamy. He did try rice ice cream - but it didn't have a good flavor at all, and wasn't really the consistancy of cow milk ice cream, so, we just stick to the soy.

Neither my husband nor I have any milk allergies at all.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Joy~

I don't have any solutions for you...just wanted to add that I am sorry that you are dealing with this. So many weird things are going on with our bodies these days, it really makes you wonder...

Hope you find something that she likes!!

 

[chefbritt]

One of the children I nanny for has a severe milk allergy. Their family drinks rice milk. I personally prefer soy milk to rice milk, but Ive only had either on occasion. Luckily the variety of soy products is really growing, so if it turns out that she cant have any dairy, there are still plenty of options out there. Its also great to know so early, because it is something you can teach her as she grows up. The boy I nanny for is only 3, but is able to advocate for himself and knows to tell everybody that gives him food that he is allergic to milk. Working in the schools, Ive seen lots of kids who cant do this. I know you were a teacher, so you might have experienced allergies in your classroom. I know in my experiences, you really have to watch them, because kids tend to share snacks even when they arent supposed to, or theyll grab someone elses cup and not realize the milk is different. A lot of the kids Ive seen who have grown up on soy or rice milk dont realize that other milks exist, and so when they are offered milk, they take it. Thats why its important to educate them early on so that they can become advocates for themselves and their health needs. Im sure youll be fine!

 

[redsoxgirl]

My neice has Celiac Disease and had to stay away from dairy when she was first diagnosed (the protein in milk is similar to gluten or something).
During that time, she drank Soy Milk and was fine with it. When she could drink cow's milk again, it was 1/4 cow and 3/4 Soy and so on.

Maybe make sure it isn't Celiac Disease just to be sure.
Celiac Disease Foundation

 

[ChefJoyJ]

My neice has Celiac Disease and had to stay away from dairy when she was first diagnosed (the protein in milk is similar to gluten or something).
During that time, she drank Soy Milk and was fine with it. When she could drink cow's milk again, it was 1/4 cow and 3/4 Soy and so on.

Maybe make sure it isn't Celiac Disease just to be sure.
Celiac Disease Foundation

Pretty sure that it's not celiac disease b/c she can tolerate wheat just fine! But thanks for the heads up - good info to know!

 

[redsoxgirl]

Pretty sure that it's not celiac disease b/c she can tolerate wheat just fine! But thanks for the heads up - good info to know!

Just keep an eye on it and keep it in the back of your mind. Emma had a big belly and was always tired and sometimes sick (belly aches, vomiting, etc), but other than that she seemed like her cheerful self.

My poor munchkin!

 

[missyciccolella]

My DS had a milk protein aversion as he is slowly growing out of it so it was not an allergy (we also had him tested). We still do Soy milk and no yogurt, but I can cautiously give him cheese (like Parmesan on pasta) and we are able to use butter again. It can be difficult as I never realized how many products had casein and whey (no-no's for him), and I became very cautious about butter (this meant no cookies, cakes, etc). The good news is there are a ton of websites out there to help you as well as alternative products so as she gets older she won't feel left out...my son couldn't have birthday cake or cookies or chocolate while the others could - try explaining that to a 2 year old. It sounds like you may not have to read labels too closely, but in case you do check out this website for special cookies and stuff: Dairy free, egg free, peanut free, tree nut free, food snacks for people with or without food allergies Also, if you google food allergies, there are a ton of websites, cookbooks, etc for people with special needs diets and allergies.

I had to cut out dairy while nursing as well and I found I liked 8th Continent Vanilla and of course chocolate the best! Since she is so young she really won't know the difference, but plain soy is quite bland to me. Lastly, I'm sure your doc went over this with you, but you will have to watch what other foods she east as well...eggs, nuts, etc. Good luck, and remember many people out grow milk allergies so stay positive!

 

[daniellemorgan]

If you do decide to go with the soy make sure you check all the labels because some contain dairy. Sometimes products will say "lactose free" but that doesn't mean dairy free. My family doesn't drink cow's milk, but we drink rice milk. I'm still breastfeeding as well, so my daughter has never had any milk. She did try rice milk, but wasn't really into it. Sometimes when children develop milk allergies they will also be sensitive to soy. Good luck!!!

 

[PurpleAngel]

I had the same problems with my son, he is now 12. He did out grow it at about 2.5 years old. Now if he over indulges, he may have some troubles. But nothing more that a mild tummy ache.

Have faith...it will get better....

 

[MaddyandOwensMom]

My DD has lactose intollerance which we just discovered this summer. It's especially bad with cow's milk, yogurt, and ice cream. We've had to take her off everything because it causes such gas and diarrehea (sp?). She is Asian, so it apparently is not surprising. I know this is not the same as an allergy, but it has provided it's own challenges. There is a really great website/cookbook/author that I refer to frequently. She is a screenwriter/playwright whose kids ended up allergic to many things. I don't know if we can post names or sites here, but if anyone is interested in the details, please e-mail me and let me know or let me know how much I can say here. I e-mailed her this summer when DD was sick from the milk and she e-mailed me back. I was really surprised as her husband is a musician/actor who was away for the whole summer and she was on her own with two small kids. I thought it was really nice of her to find to time to get back to a fellow concerned parent.

Jessica
[email protected]

 

[MaddyandOwensMom]

Oh, my favorite soy milk and DD's too-WestSoy Plain Plus. It has vitamins D and Calcium equal to cow's milk. I think, though not sure that vanilla may have more sugar in it. But if it gets her to drink it, as my ped. says, a little sugar won't hurt if you are trying to get to the healthy part of the food.
Jessica

 

[peichef]

If you do decide to go with the soy make sure you check all the labels because some contain dairy. Sometimes products will say "lactose free" but that doesn't mean dairy free. Sometimes when children develop milk allergies they will also be sensitive to soy. Good luck!!!

Those were 2 points I was going to make. I give my daughter Rice Dream b/c soy is also a common allergen (as are tree nuts, hence no almond milk). She gets soy in her yogurt & cheese (tofutti brand - awesome). I fugre if she develops a soy allergy, she'll be completely limited as to what she can eat, so we limit her soy intake.

Milk is a hidden ingredient in A LOT of foods -- lots of breads/ rolls, most cake mixes, some hot dogs, some chicken nuggets, even some prepared hamburgers. You'll learn pretty quickly that it's just easier to do most things from scratch.
And milk / dairy goes by about 2 dozen names, too.

Good luck. You're not alone -- it's becoming quite a common allergy.

 

[ChefJoyJ]

Those were 2 points I was going to make. I give my daughter Rice Dream b/c soy is also a common allergen (as are tree nuts, hence no almond milk). She gets soy in her yogurt & cheese (tofutti brand - awesome). I fugre if she develops a soy allergy, she'll be completely limited as to what she can eat, so we limit her soy intake.

Milk is a hidden ingredient in A LOT of foods -- lots of breads/ rolls, most cake mixes, some hot dogs, some chicken nuggets, even some prepared hamburgers. You'll learn pretty quickly that it's just easier to do most things from scratch.
And milk / dairy goes by about 2 dozen names, too.

Good luck. You're not alone -- it's becoming quite a common allergy.

From the time DD was a month and a half old until 7 months, I had to go completely dairy free - including casien, whey, and the other hidden dairys. I got very good at spotting hidden dairy and very good at knowing what products/brands did or did not have dairy. So, unfortunately, I'm quite adept at finding the diary in foods, adapting foods to be dairy free, and quite knowledgeable on the whole dairy free thing. Once she had her surgery and the dairy I slowly introduced into my diet didnt' seem to bother her anymore, I was just hopeful that the antral web was the culprit. Unfortuantely, that's not the case.

I personally did not like the taste of soy milk, but soy ice cream was quite tasty - if you find the right kind! I can't remember the brand name, but I'd know it by sight. Yum!

Oh Jessica (MandyandOwensMom), my DD is half Korean. My DH doesn't have any milk issues, and neither do his sisters (all adopted by the same family), but I've heard it isn't uncommon for Asian's to be lactose intolerant.

Thanks for the advice and support guys. :thumbup:

 

[peichef]

I personally did not like the taste of soy milk, but soy ice cream was quite tasty - if you find the right kind! I can't remember the brand name, but I'd know it by sight. Yum!

thumbup:

If you can find TOFUTTI brand -- it's great. Ice cream (& ice cream sandwiches, etc), faux-sour cream, faux-cream cheese, faux-cheese slices.

All their products taste as good or better than the real thing. I can get you contact information for the company if you want.

My mom (recently lactose intolerant) uses their "better than sour cream" when she makes dips for her church small group. Everyone raves about how creamy it is & asks for her secret -- she won't tell them it's "tofutti". It's her little secret