Dairy and Soya intolerant baby

[Zoay]

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie.

I finally clicked that my 12 months old is dairy intolerant about a month ago. She was (and still is) breast fed, but if she ever had a bottle of formula she got horrible nappy rash around her anus. She has always had loose, frequent stools but since weaning, and especially since having cereal (with milk) for breakfast, it worsened. I didn't think much of it at first as breast fed babies have looser stools anyway.

But when I hadn't shifted her nappy rash in months (poor baby!) it suddenly clicked that she was worse when she had more yoghurts. I stooped dairy stuff and within 3 days we had solid poos and a clear bottom. Also, the cough she's had for 5 months is almost gone, and her eczema is a bit better.

But 12 days later it all returned... so I stopped the soya stuff I had been using - and it's clearing up again. So it looks like it's soya too.

I've also noticed that if I drink a glass of milk, she gets the symptoms again.

Her behaviour has changed too - she's generally a bit happier and more snuggly. poor poppet, I wonder what she went through when we didn't realise what the problem was.

So we're waiting to see a paediatrician and dietician now. I'm on the foul rice milk stuff and she's having no milk except breats milk - and the odd bit of rice milk. It does make feeding her a challenge! Those fruit pots have been substituted for yoghurts and get mixed into readybrek instead of milk.

My sister is lactose intolerant, my brother's daughter is badly milk allergic (immediate rash, swelling and vomiting) and I was patch tested as a child and told I was milk allergic, among other things. But I was with my rather vague Dad at the time, not my Mum so we ignored it :lol2: , and I only remembered it last night! It'll be interesting to see if I get any benefit from avoiding milk.

So, any hints or tips very welcome! Especially... how strict do I need to be in avoiding hidden milk as in ingredient, both for me as a breastfeeder and for her? Also, is there any substitute for margarine, yoghurt etc that is soy free too?

[happycat]

Zoay hope things improve for your daughter on her new diet.

I have never found any yogurts that are both soya and dairy free. Sainsburys do a dairy free spread that appears to have no soya in it, tastes okay.

My main concern is without milk or soya and my other intolerances I get little or no calcuim in my diet so take a calcium supplement.

Good luck and hope your visit to a paediatrician and dietician answer all your questions and concerns, prehaps write down everything you want to ask and know about.

[Copper]

Welcome to the site Zoay. At least you have found out what was making your baby poorly. I guess you need to be quite strict with her diet. You will soon learn to read labels carefully when shopping.

I can't help with dairy free and soya free but others here should be able to help.

[caralee]

Hi

My daughter was diagnosed as milk allergic at six weeks old, she was really poorly with low weight gain (mostly weight loss) and watery stools. It took them so long to work out that she was allergic to milk because she was completely breast fed. The allergic reaction was being cause by the 3-5% of the cows milk protien that I was consuming being passed to her in my milk. But when I avoided all dairy products she improved so much, and I had a happy baby again!

As for how much you can consume is down to your babys tollerence, I couldnt eat any milk products including lactose, caesin etc because within hours of a feed all of her symptoms would return. But a happy baby makes for a happy Mummy so its well worth the effort of avoiding dairy (plus it also cleared up my own IBS).

She was later diagnosed as having a soya allergy when we did try to put her onto formula. So she remained breast fed with rice milk too. By the way, The oat based milks go better with coffee.

I have recently found a rice based pudding which my daughter calls yoghurt called 'Rice & Rice' made by probios it comes in chocolate and vanilla, unfortunately the caramel has been discontinued. Its available online at goodness direct but my local health shop orders it in for us a bit cheaper (and no postage, always a bonus!).

Rice milk will make an ok custard with powder which i serve if others are having puds. Bottle green make sorbets which they have confirmed to be milk, soya, gluten, nut free the summer fruits is like a light strawberry icecream.

All the best to you all, I know that all the advice in the world doesnt help when your standing in the supermarket or the kitchen but your not alone and you will become an expert in a relatively short space of time.

GOOD LUCK,
Cara & Willow

[caralee]

Oooops forgot the marg, in the 'PURE' range is a sunflower variety in the yellow pot which is S, M, G, E free. I havent used it for a while but 'STORK' the hard variety in the gold paper used to be fine would be worth a check as it was good as a butter substitute for baking.

Bye bye,
Cara & Willow

[goose]

Welcome to the site zoay, hope everything goes well with the visit.

[Zoay]

Thanks very much everyone, especially Caralee for all that info. I've made notes! Off to Sainsbury's tomorrow then.

I had a Chinese meal last night which set of my IBS instantly. Today my little one has a bottom on fire. :( Poor little love.

[Nic]

Welcome!

I'm only dairy free, so can't help on the soya free stuff. But I do know there's a baby formula that's free of both (someone here will definitely know - I don't, what with not having kids) - perhaps you could use that in baby cereal etc?

Nic

[matt]

welcome to the site. hope you manage to get things settled.

[Zoay]

Thanks all. Matt - we're geocachers too - presume that's what you mean?! :)

[matt]

hurrah no longer do i have to be the only oddity who enjoys hunting tupperware!!! got my 300th on saturday near newbury.

where you based?:cool:

[Zoay]

We're in Derbyshire. :)


Well, rice milk is starting to taste better, and Linnhe has had good poos for a week now :lol2: I seem to get away with eating cheese, and Linnhe is ok with soya marg... so maybe we're winning.

[Copper]

It sounds as though you are getting there.

[matt]

excellent news keep it up.... and get out there hunting tupperware!:lol2:

[ryla69]

Hi my daughter Olivia ( 6 months ) has been milk intolerant since birth. Its been a nightmare. We have just found out she also soya intolerant constant vomiting wheezing weight loss etc. No 1 else in family suffers from anything like this. I got no advice for you but wondering if you or any1 else has recipe for dairy/soya free bread. Find it easier to cook everything myself. Any advice would help. Thanks Paula

[Copper]

Hi and welcome Paula. Do you use a breadmaker to make your bread? I use a breadmaker to make my bread. Others here have said that the bread works just as well without the powdered milk. Have you found a dairy and soya free margarine? You can use that in the bread - some recipes use vegetable oil. I hope that this helps.

[matt]

you can make bread with just flour yeast and water! the additional stuff just makes it last longer and have a slightly different texture.

if you haven't got a bread machine let me know and i'll dig out a specific receipe but like was said just change any butter for dairy/soya free spread or olive oil. and just leave out any milk powder won't change a thing.

[yvie]

Hiya welcome from us too.

Its quite time consuming staying dairy free but most major companies have dairy free lists, asda (hmm under discussion that one!!) sainsburys, birds eye, cadbury, they are all worth a call or email to ask for a list. I call any company thats got a number or address for info. ALso there are the dairy free shops online. Waitrose are brilliant. And a lot of companies have online nutrition lists as well. watch out for gravy and tomato sauce!!!!!

Yvie and Haylie

[ryla69]

Thank for that info. Finding things really hard as she is not long being weaned. Not even sure what to give as next appointment is not for a couple of weeks. Thanks again:lol2: Arrrrrgh!

[heidi]

:) Hello, also new to all this but looked a useful site as have 7 month old dairy intolerant baby.
He was also breastfed and I avoided dairy as much as possible (under dieticians supervision at hospital) this helped him loads and actually made me feel better as well. Did the rice milk thing and actually still have it as i did not think it was too bad, swapped marge for Pure marge, cut out yoghurts, cheese (this was hard as i'm veggie as well) etc...Jake was also not too great with soya so cut down on this as much as poss so i ended up living off fish but his tummy upsets and skin are much MUCH better:) :) :)
He is now under dietician and has Pepti Junior as milk which took a lot of patience and effort before he took to it as it does not taste great (especially after breast milk) and he has this in everything he eats. He has a calcium supplement too so i dont need to worry if he isnt getting enough calcium in his diet.
He has lots of home cooked stuff but there are loads of shop jars that are milk free and even though its a bit of a struggle im finding new foods in the shops he can try.
We have to introduce a new food every few days to see how his skin reacts....he's not great with perfumes, creams with milk proteins in either. We use Oilatum products which are really good for him.
Hope this helps.................

[matt]

welcome to the site heidi

[Pam]

Hi Heidi, welcome to the site. It sounds like you have actually found a dietician who knows what they are talking about - they are few and far between. It sounds like you have got the dairy free diet cracked already. You might find some useful information on the Vegan Society web site, especially being as you are vegetarian.

[goose]

Hello Heidi and :bwelcome: to the site.

[Zoay]

Well, we're still waiting to see the paediatrician/dietician but are working things out on our own. (Apparently the waiting time is 6 months - how poor!) As well as curing her diarrhoea and nappy rash, stopping dairy has also cured her 6 month cough and 8 month eczema! So, thing are getting there.

Thanks everyone for all your help.

[Copper]

I am so pleased that your daughter is getting much better. It sounds like you will be able to tell the paediatrician/dietician a thing or two. I think that a six month wait is terrible especially when it is a baby that is waiting.

My lactose intolerance was undetected when I was born (well it was the dark ages :) ) and as a result my growth was behind by three years!!! Luckily for me I was able to tolerate lactose by about two months old and then the intolerance came back again when I was about 7 or 8 years old. The first year of a baby's life is one big growth spurt, so it is not good that you have to wait so long for advice - good job you found us and that we have been able to help.