Looking to remove dairy from DD's diet- what can/cant I give her

[bumbershoot]

OP, honestly I'd bypass the ped on this one. S/he isn't a nutrition expert. If you want info, GOOD info, on foods, get to a nutritionist/registered dietician with extra training in kids and who knows about avoiding dairy. Not all RDs have knowledge in avoiding dairy, so you'll want to vet them on the phone.

Casein, sodium caseinate (that last one is in Dole Whips by the way, so much for them being dairy free!) are both dairy byproducts. I have gone vegan a couple times, and I remember one time, I had finally gotten to a month. I had dropped weight (not that your daughter will, but it's MY problem with dairy) and had NO environmental allergies whatsoever, and one day I sat down to eat organic chips with a black bean dip, also organic. While munching, I started massively sneezing! I was shocked! Finally I got myself together and was able to read the label, and there was casein in it. So for me, once I rid myself of dairy, I get super-sensitive to the byproducts. Something to watch for.

Check out mothering dot com's discussion boards for their health/allergies section. There are many kids (and nursing moms) on elimination diets, and they can tell you all the things to watch for.


And don't worry about calcium. She'll probably have more calcium in her body once she dumps the dairy. Dairy takes more Ca to digest than it has in it, so is it any wonder that the dairy-eating countries have such high rates of osteoporosis? We eat something FOR the Ca that's actually leeching Ca from our bones! Crazy.

Also, some people with dairy issues have soy issues too. So soy isn't always an answer. And rice milk is practically junk food (I also hate it b/c I'm allergic to it, it makes my throat itch), so that might be out as well. But really, no one NEEDS a milk other than their own species' milk during the nursing years, so it's OK to have a child not drinking any sort of milk-like substance.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

Thanks for the replies. We are going in for DD's 1 yr checkup in less than 2 weeks and I will be talking with the ped then. I figured I would do this "test" by taking out dairy and then we would have more to talk about at the visit as to how she did. I am not too concerned about doing this without the peds advice at this point since it is a very short time.
I did buy her the rice milk-as I have heard the same stories about soy and little girls and puberty early, etc.- but she only took one bottle yesterday and then wouldnt have anything to do with it. I did get her to take an 8oz bottle of the rice milk this morning so I guess I will just keep trying.
She has silent reflux and does not vomit as a PP asked. Lucky for us I guess. The restless sleep is the huge issue in our house. We had an even worse night last night for some reason. We havent slept through the night in a year now and DH and I are just walking in our sleep during the day. We have 3 other kids to take care of and DH works long hours at his job. I just need to figure out why DD cant sleep at night without waking so much and being so constantly restless. I truely dont think that people realize how little we actually sleep. People keep saying "this will pass", but its been a year and they arent living my life!!
Sorry for the rant- Im going on a couple (maybe) hours of sleep

I so know where you are right now. We were at the same point. It was a year without sleep..We were at the end of our rope.

Its just my Ped's opinion but he aways said Cow's milk was overrated..there are many other good sources of Calcium...So I would just make sure she's getting it other ways if shes not doing to many bottles.
Good Luck!

 

[happymommy]

My DS (now 11) was first diagnosed with dairy allergy (and egg, sesame, and peanut) at 8 months. Okay, he hadn't had any peanut or sesame, that had come through in breastmilk very early on. But anyway, he had an anaphylactic reaction to a teaspoon of milk in his cereal (I was going to try to introduce milk, he was on soy formula due to fussiness early on when I stopped nursing). I was so scared! He was swelling head to toe, vomiting, covered literally head to toe in hives! Thank God for the paramedics.

My DD had a different type of milk allergy, and had similar symptoms as your baby. She had reflux (and also bad messy poops), and I nursed her very long (and had to watch to not eat any dairy while doing so or I'd face the consequences). She was also very small, less than 20 pounds at one year old. She outgrew her allergy by age two (thank God!).

I would immediately go get a good allergist, and order a RAST test. It is a blood test, that will indicate with fair accuracy not only a yes or no to an allergy, but a number that can indicate to some degree the severity of it. My son still gets this done annually at Johns Hopkins.

Also, I'm not sure about soy. Kids in Asia (my DH is Korean) drink tons of soy milk, and they start puberty later than some cultures. My kids have been drinking soy milk (and we do as well) for 9 years. I guess I'm not saying it's good or bad, just whatever you decide. I know for me, it's good for my digestion, and the soy is good for my heart and for premenopausal symptoms. It's really recommended for women in their 40's (yikes, that's me!). Oh God I'm old!!!!!!!

I would do this before eliminating anything in the diet. You really need some clear answers first from a good pediatric allergist.

If you would like any more info on our experience, feel free to PM me. This is a big part of our lives, and we are grateful for two things. Only about 5% of kids outgrow peanut and sesame - my son did! Also, I am grateful for Disney - once we took him to WDW and saw how wonderful they were with his food allergies (now just milk and egg), I don't want to go anywhere else!

Also, I am grateful for the allergists at Johns Hopkins. My son was in a research study last year, and now can consume about 6 ounces of milk (only needing some benedryl) where before that would have probably been fatal to him. We're still working on it; he was only one of the two in the study that weren't potentially cured. He's just taking longer.

I also recommend the book his doctor wrote "Food Allergies for Dummies" by Dr. Robert Wood.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Also, some people with dairy issues have soy issues too. So soy isn't always an answer. And rice milk is practically junk food (I also hate it b/c I'm allergic to it, it makes my throat itch), so that might be out as well. But really, no one NEEDS a milk other than their own species' milk during the nursing years, so it's OK to have a child not drinking any sort of milk-like substance.

I am sorry but you are wrong. You have an issue with it but it is not junk food. It is also a dairy free food. Trust me, we have a dairy free house and if you are allergic to it, it could be something else in it. Not all rice milks are the same however they do not have dairy in them so you might want to look into what it is that you are allergic to. Not to flame and all but rice milk is not practically junk food. I do agree with you in that we do not NEED (cow etc.) milk at all. The reason many have an issue with soy is that soy breaks down much in the same way that milk does.

 

[gr8leg8]

could someone please say more about soy?
DD is a Silk drinker,

I am a little concerned now...

if there are sources I could follow up with...

 

[GoofyG]

I see a lot of people have posted. If you are interested, just P.M. me! I have a now 2 yr old that is allergic to milk. it's been a yr since we took her off milk. At a yr she weighed 15lbs. REFLUX! Among other things. She doesn't eat ANY food with milk in it.
I will second that DIsney is GREAT for the food allergy. I feel at peace when we eat there.
Just let me know if you're interested. It is overwhelming ate first.

Oh, they just took my DS who is 4mos off milk. So no milk for me, and soy formula!

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

My son (3) has a sensitivity to cow's milk, whenever he drinks it his nose runs, and he wheezes. So I have taken everyone in our family off cow's milk, and we currently drink almond milk. It's a little pricier than rice and soy, but I felt more at peace about it b/c of the nutrients and vitamins in it. I don't like rice milk simply b/c it's kinda chalky, and it also has very little nutrients and protien. Soy is not good for boys, I read somewhere that an 8oz glass of soy has the equivalent estrogen (in a different form) in 1 birth control pill. So, no soy for our boys!

 

[Miss LD]

My son (3) has a sensitivity to cow's milk, whenever he drinks it his nose runs, and he wheezes. So I have taken everyone in our family off cow's milk, and we currently drink almond milk. It's a little pricier than rice and soy, but I felt more at peace about it b/c of the nutrients and vitamins in it. I don't like rice milk simply b/c it's kinda chalky, and it also has very little nutrients and protien. Soy is not good for boys, I read somewhere that an 8oz glass of soy has the equivalent estrogen (in a different form) in 1 birth control pill. So, no soy for our boys!

My son is allowed some dairy, but I'm not keen on overdoing it.
We tried rice and soy milk, but he hated them. So, we tried the Almond Milk and he loves it.
We put it in smoothies all the time.
But ... recently in our local grocery stores they have put soy, rice & almond milk all at the same price point. So, maybe you will see the price lowering as well. I was pleasantly surprised.
I was also trying to go organic (which we've done pretty well with) and I've noticed that in the last few months the organics are often the same price or only slightly more than the non-organic.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

could someone please say more about soy?
DD is a Silk drinker,

I am a little concerned now...

if there are sources I could follow up with...

I tried to find you some links but to be honest there are so many out there I didn't know which to chose. It is bad for boys too so girls are not the only ones who have to watch. I think in moderation it can be fine. Our kids just don't like many soy products. I still limit it though. You can google "soy bad for kids" and you will get many doctors findings. From what I have read it can cause early puberty in girls and infertility in boys. Once source state that an infant on soy formula was getting the estrogen equivalent of 5 birth control pills a day. Now I am not giving scare tactics so please don't take it that way. I am just saying that you have to read through it and make a decision based on all of it. Some of the stuff I have read seems a little ooky at best but some of it is consistent in every single doctor's findings. So look through the info and see where you fall in. Also, not every ped is updated on this info so sometimes talking to your ped is not very helpful. Ours are wonderful but they never picked up on our child's dairy issue. I was the one who figured it out. So remember, you know your child best. Good luck!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

My son is allowed some dairy, but I'm not keen on overdoing it.
We tried rice and soy milk, but he hated them. So, we tried the Almond Milk and he loves it.
We put it in smoothies all the time.
But ... recently in our local grocery stores they have put soy, rice & almond milk all at the same price point. So, maybe you will see the price lowering as well. I was pleasantly surprised.
I was also trying to go organic (which we've done pretty well with) and I've noticed that in the last few months the organics are often the same price or only slightly more than the non-organic.

We do organic too and I have noticed the prices coming down. I personally think that we are just buying the food that we ate as kids except now it is organic because everything else has so much junk in it!

 

[Elmo888]

Ugh. I just did a quick search on "soy milk girls" and found lots of negative stuff.

DD8 seems to be lactose intolerent, so we give her soy milk. She still has dairy, but just in moderation. If she wants to drink milk or have cereal, it is soy. If she wants yogurt or cheese, it is dairy. This just started in the spring because of stomach problems.

Now, I wonder. I know that you can prove anything with the internet, but it does bother me.

After the ads, these were the first two articles. And I didn't search on anything negative.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.html

http://westonaprice.org/soy/onewoman.html

Ugh. Again.

 

[happymommy]

could someone please say more about soy?
DD is a Silk drinker,

I am a little concerned now...

if there are sources I could follow up with...

There is no evidence that soy does any harm. Some folks worry about it, but if you look at Asian countries, they consume lots of soy, and have much less menopause symptoms, longer life span (Japan) and they don't start puberty any earlier.

Be careful of the sources of what you are reading, especially on the internet. There are many websites that have misinformation.

 

[laughinplace199]

I haven't read all of the responses, but I would suggest checking out FAAN's website - I think it's www.foodallergy.org. They'll have info on how to read labels for milk ingredients.

When my youngest DS was an infant, we suspected a milk allergy. His pediatrician said that 40% of kids who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy, so he put him on Nutramigen. When his first birthday came, we had him allergy tested for milk and soy, and they both came back negative. So, if your little one does have an allergy, hopefully she will outgrow it.

 

[npmommie]

There is no evidence that soy does any harm. Some folks worry about it, but if you look at Asian countries, they consume lots of soy, and have much less menopause symptoms, longer life span (Japan) and they don't start puberty any earlier.

Be careful of the sources of what you are reading, especially on the internet. There are many websites that have misinformation.

asian countries are not taking in large amounts of processed soy ( like soy milk, soy burgers ,etc) they primarily use fermented soy products.

my kids love almond milk and rice milk.
almond milk is more creamy. the blue diamond brand is good and reasonable priced at trader joes.

 

[disneymomof2boyz]

asian countries are not taking in large amounts of processed soy ( like soy milk, soy burgers ,etc) they primarily use fermented soy products.

my kids love almond milk and rice milk.
almond milk is more creamy. the blue diamond brand is good and reasonable priced at trader joes.

Completely agree...Asian countries are not eating soy like we are. There are plenty of studies out there, and my opinion is that even if there aren't negative reports we have to be careful....now, when there are more than 1 or 2 negative reports saying the same thing.....STAY AWAY