Lactose Intolerant Toddler?? Inexpensive milk alternatives?

[JenniJ]

My DS cannot drink ANY milk type products. We have tried soy, almond, rice and lactose free. All give him the runs! He can eat milk by products, cheese, yogurt, etc.

All the doctors in my Peds office said that as long as he can get his calcuim from some other source, he will be fine. So everyday my DS will eat some cheeseand serving of yogurt. Both he LOVES! Your child can get calcuim from other sources as well.
These nondairy foods can be good choices for kids with milk allergies who need calcium:
•Salmon
•Tofu
•Rhubarb
•Sardines
•Collard greens
•Spinach
•Turnip greens
•Okra
•White beans
•Baked beans
•Broccoli
•Peas
•Brussel sprouts
•Sesame seeds
•Bok choy
•Almonds

 

[JenniJ]

Oh btw, my doc said some people can have milk products because it is easier to digest since they are processed. Milk in it's pure form is harder to digest the milk proteins.

I couldn't even drink milk or have yogurt when I was breastfeeding him. He just would be in such pain afterwards. It wasn't until I stopped drinking milk that it stopped.

 

[Nicolepa]

Thanks so far...his dr. says it seems only to be a lactose intolerance...not an allergy. he says an actual allergy to milk would produce different and more severe symptoms. There's no rash, swelling, runny nose...none of the allergy symptoms...For over a week my son has vomited and had yucky yellow stool and gas within 15 minutes of having milk. No reaction to yogurt(I know different entirely) or cheese(but he only will eat a miniscule amount of cheese at a sitting) or even ice cream. It only occurs with whole milk. At first I thought it was a virus...but it really did not present like one....no fever or constant gastric upset. It just came out of no where...

LIZ

The vomiting does not sound like an intolerance. As a child I had an allgery to milk, now I have a severe intolerance. I have never heard of vomiting w/just an intolerance. ??

 

[FOXFIELDZOO]

I know sounds strange, but my 18 month old son has suddenly become lactose intolerant... The Pediatrition says go to soy milk. I say no...I read enough about soy milk over the years to know I am not trying that. But, the other "milks" like Almond and Rice milk are so expensive. I asked why I could not just try one of those lactose free milks on the market or even unpasturized milk and the doc said soy would be better. I love the doc....never had any problems with him at all ever....but we disagree on this issue. Does anyone have a lactose intolerant child? I would especially like to hear from anyone who has a child that did not have this problem since infancy. What have you tried, and how's the cost??? My guy LOVES milk and since I had to cut it out completely a day ago, he is just beside himself so i need to try something new ASAP, LOL!

LIZ

My son had a lactose intolerance ,he was on the lactose free formula after he stoped nursing I kept him on that until he was 14 mos.then switched to the lactose free milk I started at that time slowly mixing regular milk with the lactose free until I could put him on the regular milk all together sometimes there little systems just need to get used to it slowly,I did buy the great value lactose free (walmart) It is alittle cheeper,I also did not want to use soy because I had other children who have a soy issue,good luck ! my sonis 2 now and doesn't seem to have a problem with an dairy

 

[squirrel]

The vomiting does not sound like an intolerance. As a child I had an allgery to milk, now I have a severe intolerance. I have never heard of vomiting w/just an intolerance. ??

My niece had vomiting along with other things. I guess everybody's body reacts differently.

 

[Evi]

I would go for enriched rice milk. Recently I've seen the prices vary depending on where you buy it. I find its cheaper and more likely to go onsale at whole foods vs regular market and I found it once at price mart in nyc for 1.99 for half gallon the stuff has a long shelf life just read the package sometimes they try to slip some soy in some brands.

 

[ADAMANDLISA]

I know sounds strange, but my 18 month old son has suddenly become lactose intolerant... The Pediatrition says go to soy milk. I say no...I read enough about soy milk over the years to know I am not trying that. But, the other "milks" like Almond and Rice milk are so expensive. I asked why I could not just try one of those lactose free milks on the market or even unpasturized milk and the doc said soy would be better. I love the doc....never had any problems with him at all ever....but we disagree on this issue. Does anyone have a lactose intolerant child? I would especially like to hear from anyone who has a child that did not have this problem since infancy. What have you tried, and how's the cost??? My guy LOVES milk and since I had to cut it out completely a day ago, he is just beside himself so i need to try something new ASAP, LOL!

LIZ

My youngest (14 1/2 months) is also lactose-intolerant! He has not really had the problem since infancy, as I breast-fed until he weaned himself 3 months ago. After that, I started giving him whole milk.

From almost the beginning, although you don't realize why at the time, he was sick. My oldest started preschool this year and was bringing home all kinds of sick so we just assumed that the poor little guy was catching everything.

There finally came a point when I said this is crazy. He can't be sick like this all the time, so the doctor finally said put him on soy milk. We tried it and one week in, he was screaming. Poor kid was miserable. We immediately took him off of the soy and put him on 2%. When we still had problems (vomitting and diarrhea, same as yours), I went back again and said I wanted him tested. This was when the NP told me it wasn't an allergy, but rather and intolerance and put him on EleCare (or liquid gold as the dr calls it). It costs $160 a case! Let me tell you though.....I have a completely different child. We always thought that he was just moody and difficult...but no way! He's happy all the time with no vomitting and only has diarrhea when we screw up and accidently give him something with milk.

This is a formula that kids can be on until they are 13. It's not just for babies. I really can't say enough about it. There is an alternative called Vital Jr, which we were sent free cases of, but after he had problems with it, we checked and found that it has soy in it, which was still causing diarrhea for him.

If you want more info on the Elecare, PM me and I will tell you more about it and how to get financial help for it. I'm really hoping he'll outgrow this soon!


Also, check online for lists of foods that should be avoided. We had no idea that hot dogs, lunch meats and other such things must be avoided.

Yogurt is ok, especially with active cultures. Also, if you are going to do milk---whole milk is best as it is digested slower.


I just did a whole bunch of research last night because I was frustrated that I couldn't feed my kid mashed potatoes. I was amazed at how much we will need to cut out of his diet.

 

[mhsjax]

Thanks so far...his dr. says it seems only to be a lactose intolerance...not an allergy. he says an actual allergy to milk would produce different and more severe symptoms. There's no rash, swelling, runny nose...none of the allergy symptoms...For over a week my son has vomited and had yucky yellow stool and gas within 15 minutes of having milk. No reaction to yogurt(I know different entirely) or cheese(but he only will eat a miniscule amount of cheese at a sitting) or even ice cream. It only occurs with whole milk. At first I thought it was a virus...but it really did not present like one....no fever or constant gastric upset. It just came out of no where...

LIZ

Not having a reaction to yogurt is a good thing. My kiddo is lactose intolerant but also something else because he can't eat yogurt. My dr and a pediatric gastro dr, but said that there is no lactose in yogurt. My DS reaction is throwing up after a few hours of intense stomach pain.

My DS doesn't like milk so I am lucky in that area, but pizza parties at school and for birthdays become a real problem.

I have no advice, just wanted to say sorry. I know it is such a pain to deal with this.

 

[Mickeys.friend]

OP here...Hooray for Lactaid! He has had about 16 oz of it since yesterday afternoon, and no problems so far and my guy is happy to have his "muk" back! Last night after having some, he kept making "pretend vomiting noises" as if he was actually expecting to be sick...poor kid....but everything was fine. I sure hope this does the trick....I may investigate getting some of those Canadian lactaid drops if I can find one online that's reputable and wont send me spam email for viagra, LOL! I don't want him to miss out on pizza! Thanks for all the help!!!

LIZ

 

[MomToOne]

I am going to suggest unpasteurized milk as well. See how that works. I know there are some farms near me that sell it.

While unpasteurized mild has enzymes that produce lactase, studies have shown they do not generate enough lactase to destroy a significant amount of lactose, until after the milk otherwise goes bad.

 

[MomToOne]

I may investigate getting some of those Canadian lactaid drops if I can find one online that's reputable and wont send me spam email for viagra, LOL! I don't want him to miss out on pizza! Thanks for all the help!!!

LIZ

Just a warning - I've looked into using the drops, and by the time I add in the cost of the drops, the cost of shipping and the cost of the regular milk, it's just about a break-even with buying the store brand lactose free milk. The drops are meant more for milk, although I guess some folks use them with other foods - but for pizza and such I'd just look at the Lactaid pills that are available in just about any drugstore, Target, etc. these days. Target even has a store brand of them. You can get huge boxes at CostCo of their brand too. They are great to take with you on outtings, travel, etc. where you can't control the environment as well. Talk to your doctor about using them - it may take some experimentation to get the right dosage. They aren't cheap either, but they make travel MUCH easier.

 

[auroralark]

I'm lactose intolerant, and I used to buy lactaid, but the store brands are MUCH cheaper and work just as well. I buy BJ's brand.

My intolerance is weird, because milke, yogurt and ice cream without a pill make me sick, but I can eat all the cheese I want and I can tolerate milk if it's been used in cooking. My doctor told me that's because there are different amounts of lactose in various dairy products.

 

[Nicolepa]

OP here...Hooray for Lactaid! He has had about 16 oz of it since yesterday afternoon, and no problems so far and my guy is happy to have his "muk" back! Last night after having some, he kept making "pretend vomiting noises" as if he was actually expecting to be sick...poor kid....but everything was fine. I sure hope this does the trick....I may investigate getting some of those Canadian lactaid drops if I can find one online that's reputable and wont send me spam email for viagra, LOL! I don't want him to miss out on pizza! Thanks for all the help!!!

LIZ

You can buy lactaid at the grocery store. They come in pills or chewable's. I've never seen drops but I've never looked. I ususally buy mine at Costco.

 

[LeslieG]

Fill me in on the issues with soy milk. My son has a milk allergy, and he's always drank soy milk. I thought it was supposed to be good for you.

 

[Reagan&Co.]

hard cheeses have very little lactose in them. He may be able to eat pizza just fine.
I can eat all the pizza, cheese, etc. I want...it's the ice cream and straight milk that make me sorry afterward........

Glad the lactaid worked for your DS!!

 

[jackie101]

One of my twins was lactose intolerant & we just bought lactaid milk and he could tolerate yogurt & cheese fine. He is 6yrs old know & I stared giving hm regular milk about a yr ago & he has been fine.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

If it hasn't been already suggested....I believe there is a way to make your own almond milk that may help you cut costs. I'm not sure how to go about making rice milk.

As an alternative, I'd seek out alternative choices for calcium and vitamin d--even if it is a supplement. Humans don't really "need" dairy and if the substitute is too expensive, research ways to acquire the nutrients in milk that are necessary.

 

[Colinsmom]

Just a warning - I've looked into using the drops, and by the time I add in the cost of the drops, the cost of shipping and the cost of the regular milk, it's just about a break-even with buying the store brand lactose free milk. The drops are meant more for milk, although I guess some folks use them with other foods - but for pizza and such I'd just look at the Lactaid pills that are available in just about any drugstore, Target, etc. these days. Target even has a store brand of them. You can get huge boxes at CostCo of their brand too. They are great to take with you on outtings, travel, etc. where you can't control the environment as well. Talk to your doctor about using them - it may take some experimentation to get the right dosage. They aren't cheap either, but they make travel MUCH easier.

Unless the price of the drops has gone up significantly, I saved a ton of money doing this. I'd order 4-5 bottles of drops at a time, though, to minimize my shipping costs. You can only use them with milk, and the milk must sit for 1-2 days after you put in the drops while the lactose is being broken down.

For things like pizza and ice cream, you need to use the pills, which I never tried to get my then-1yo to take.

 

[wtrmlnlabs]

Didn't read all the answers, and I don't have a child with lactose issues, just myself. As a teen I developed lactose intolerance and indeed I can drink skim milk with no issues. I only have trouble with milk, not ice cream or any other milk products, but I can not drink even 1% milk, it must be skim. I never tried the lactose free, didn't have need, this may work also, but I read PP say if you're lactose intolerant skim will be the same as the others and I wanted to let you know this is not necessarily so. I agree with the soy issues, would not want to do it either if I were you. We had to do rice milk for DS2 at the time to check milk allergies, it is so expensive! I'm still thinking of trying and switching to almond or rice milk for all of us for other reasons.... dreading the price though
Good luck

 

[shortbun]

I get the whole soy thing. My son was lactose intolerant and when I changed to a soybased formula but began reading about soy at the same time, I was pretty freaked out. So, I decided to do a little of all of it- there was no good source for lactaid at the time. Once in a while he got milk but it was always chocolate which seemed to limit his reaction. I used soymilk for travelling because it was easy to transport. I kept almond milk in the frig for the other days but I also began to wean him off milk period and supplement other things in his diet for protein, calcium, vitamin D. I moved him to water as his primary liquid. He was about the same age as your son and my pediatrician was on board with the switch to water. He was a very good eater preferring veggies often to sweeter fruits or meats. He's 14 now and NEVER drinks milk, isn't a cheese eater and will eat ice cream only once in a while so the only lactose he gets is on pizza(they all love pizza) but that seems to work for him.