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not a problem technics as i said tis taking up self space, good luck with demands for a referal!
FWIW DD1 had 'allergy' testing for cmp and it was negative however she still has a swollen abdo and stomach cramps when she eats it(just like my dh), and she is not allergic just intolerant so even with our referal we were none the wiser.! We'll just keep trying every so often!
Hi all, thanks as ever for your comments, advice and experiences. Just wanted to catch up with you all and update generally.
OK here goes! kif: from what I've read if you having problems from drinking cow's milk, it's highly likely you will experience the same problems drinking goat's milk. I agree dairy is not essential for a (balanced) diet however as DS is 11 months and drinks formula for the two days he is at nursery during the week, I think it best I find a substitute that will provide similar nutrients etc until he is a little older. I'm unsure whether rice or oat milk is sufficient for this or indeed whether he can go without as he is bf at all other times but this is something I will look into.
Turniphead and amidaiwish thank you for your tips. I completely agree with your posts too, self-diagnosis is not a good idea! Just to recap, after my first appt with dr, she wasn't interested in finding cause of eczema just treating symptoms. I am currently just trying to see whether eliminating dairy would show that this is what is causing the eczema so that I can be referred to a nutritionist who can suggest/prescribe a suitable alternative for the two days when DS is in nursery (i.e. not breastfed) as i'm not happy giving him cow's milk formula on those days as it appears to be giving him eczema. atm I'm not too concerned with the consequences of eliminating dairy from his diet as he is blw and breast fed at all other times, apart from his two days at nursery a week (i.e. atm he doesn't need diary in his diet anyway).
jumparoo I'm very envious! I was fobbed off by my first dr too and saw another dr today (will explain below) and was fobbed off again!
csws honestly I cannot believe the results already-not only has the eczema just about disappeared but he is so much more happier after a day at nursery and sleeping better. unbelievable. GP more receptive? hmmm see below.
Anchovy well the eczema isn't baaaaaaaaaaaad it's just bad . With the eczema almost disappearing after eliminating cow's milk for four days (and DP's milk allergy), I find it hard not to see a link there however I'm not happy trying to diagnose or resolve this myself. I completely agree that you can go round in circles trying to find a 'cure'; while there may be a link btw the eczema and cow's milk I'm really not sure whether there really is, whether it's the whey/casien/GMO etc etc - all I want is a referall!!
Doris I know I started to feel a bit faint in the pharmacy! I can't believe I actually asked the lady to check her stock to see if they had a bigger tin and when she said they didn't I said 'oh ok i'll take the small tin, how much is it?' Thank goodness they didn't have any of the big tins in stock!! Anyway, thanks so much for your offer, unbelievably kind that somebody i don't know is not only trying to help me with my problem but offered to take the time to send me formula in the post, thank you. At the moment, however, I'm really not sure i know what to do so I am going to try one more time for that referral!
So, if you've got this far, well done! The long and short of it is i had an appointment with another dr today. He seemed to fully take on board everything I said although was still reluctant to refer me. He suggested I keep a food diary (good idea) and try another formula as (in his words) it may be that DS is allergic to something in Aptimil and Farley's, the formula I have used so far, but not necessarily all formula. Well yes, I was thinking, it's the COWS MILK in the formula he seems to be allergic too!!! He said that going from Farley's to Nutramingen would be like going from a bicycle to a Mercedes when there could be in fact a Vauxhall Astra that would suit DS well. What a great analogy eh!
Anway, I'm going to try one last time, this time by speaking to another one of our hvs, apparently she specialises in nutrition. In any event by the time I do get referred DS will probably be over 12 months and be able to cope with oat milk for two days of the week!!
In the meantime if anybody has any further thoughts, they are all gratefully received. I hope this message posts ok it's taken me ageeeeees to write!!
Wow seansgirl.. didn't know you could get ROC suncream on prescription. By DD has milk allergy and excema and we have been using Dr Hauska children's sunscream. But it is really expensive. Will ask the doc about the ROC. Am sure they will be delighted to add to her already huge prescription list...
Just a second here for doublebase. In the summer also found that regular suncream s caused very bad reaction in my DD, even the sensitive ones etc, had ROC suncream on prescription for her it is fab! (but v expensive to buy so get it on prescription)
Technics- {shock} at the price of nutramigen I had it on script (a months supply)but dd2 refused it so just use soya for making up breakfast and BF the rest of the time I'm dairy free.
If you would like anymore nutrimigen I have 7 completely unopened (sealed)tins of nutrimigen 2 ( the second stage version for older babies like your ds I'm in devon but could post if you needed ( probably about £ 10) although I would say try your GP again as a first option if she's still resillent come back as it will still be taking up space in my house.
Oh, and for those of you who were doubting that goat's formula is illegal, here is the info confirming it. I thought I had posted this already, but just realised it was on another thread.
thanks just never had this with dd1 but will see how he goes i use to think i was a bit of an expert on milk intolerances, but this has thrown me totally!!! just praying the girls are okay and we dont get it if it is a bug, as its dd2 christening on sunday.
mumtoo3 - there's no way that any of us could know for sure, but milk did used to make my dd throw up. If he doesn't come down with a bug then try offering another yogurt next week and see if the same thing happens. Good luck.
sorry to jump in here but need some advice before i go mad, my dd1 was milk intolerant until she was about 3 when she started to have a yog every morning she still wont drink milk and has only in the last few months started to touch cheese!
ds is also milk intolerant and i breast fed him until he was 15 months, so i too was milk free, he then went on soya milk and about three months ago started refusing soya milk altogether, i have always challenged him every couple of months with a piece of choc, a tiny piece of cheese in his food or anything which has a small amount of milk in, because after seeing a dietician with dd1 she advised me to challenge her it would turn into an allergy instead of an intolerance! anyway yesterday he had a milk over load, half a home made pizza, which he has had before and he gets a runny bum, and dry skin on his arms! but last night he also had a muller vanilla yog like his sister had, he has never had this before, and last night he was sick, is this the milk ,bang to the head, or a dreaded bug????????
ps sorry to ramble but i have a phobia of sickness, i have younger baby as well, and i feel like i am the worst mother ever for subjecting him to this please help me
Anchovy - there's a bit in the middle of the thread where technics says she had reduced dairy in her diet for the last few days, and is using a hypoallergenic formula when her ds needs it, and his eczema has improved massively already. (thread has got quite long to read start to finish)
Sorry, haven't read all of the thread - just the beginning and the end.
My DD - now 4 - had quite serious eczema as a baby. Not severe, but quite bad. (We never had to wet wrap, but that was partly because the worst stuff was on her face anyway, which was very often cracked and bleeding).
If your DCs eczema is bad, you do need to think about steroid creams. I'm sure, like me, your knee jerk reaction is - how awful, there must be something organic that can sort it - but there just wasn't for us. The only thing that kept DDs eczema under control was a hydrocortisone cream. Used properly and judiciously it is a real blessing.
We then looked at a battery of other things. Quite frankly I think you can go mad looking for "the cause": for us there wasn't one single cause that could be eliminated and suddenly she looked like a lovely rosy pink baby instead of a scrappy angry blob.
You moisturise - and it may take some time to find a cream that works well - we had rubbish results with Eucerin, but Double Base was much better. We did cut out dairy, but under the drs instructions and guidance - don't cut out a major food group for babies without proper medical support, or on a whim. My DD was much better on soy formula (we checked out the infertility point, and had to wash/wipe her teeth after every bottle). She could tolerate dairy better the less "raw" it was - so cream was the worst, then fresh milk - the best was hard cheese.
You then have to look at washing powder (Surcare is best but doesn't get things clean, and we used to do a double rinse on it as well to get rid of any residue). Central heating was another trigger, as was cold weather. Also any time DD was ill or upset - teething, mild cold, very over tired etc, she would get a flare up - it was like her body simply could not cope with keeping the eczema in check as well.
So basically you have to work out through trial and error what your DCs triggers are and gradually you get a regime going that contains it. And as you can't avoid some of these - the cold, being ill, that's where the hydrocortisone comes in.
If it helps, my DD's suddenly cleared when she was 2 and at 4 she is the prettiest, prettiest little thing .
Hi again technics. I'm so glad that our advice last week was helpful and that your ds's eczema is already lots better.
As far as cutting out soya goes, I would be inclined not to cut it from your diet if he seems to be improving whilst you are still having it. I cut it out for about 3 weeks when I first wanted to eliminate likely allergens, and it is very hard to avoid! On the flip side though, I would try not to increase your intake significantly, so perhaps avoid substituting cows milk with soya in your own diet, but go for rice/oat/nut milk instead. I did give dd soya yogs on occasion, and would have been comfortable with her having one a week if she had wanted it. I'm not sure of the 'official' line on this, but this is based on my own experience/intuition/research/common sense.
I do hope that your GP is more receptive when you go back to see him. My GP also took a lot of persuading from both me and my hv to refer us to a paed, despite a whole list of symptoms. GPs are notoriously bad where allergies are concerned.
My dd was ignored by 1 GP at our practice and I was palmed off with cream, the next dr I saw took on board my findings around the milk (even though I had this diagnosed by a kinesiologist) and has now referred us to a dermatologiust because she is concern about a major food fropu such as diary being eliminated with a rubber stamp from conventional medicine - she also wants me to have the support of a dietician.
All I know is that my dd's face and eyes were swollen and the rash was horrendous - now we have no dairy and the rash has imporved and she doesn't swell. Cutting out what you think is the offending product for a matter of a couple of days can produce real results - stuff that you can take to the doctor and look for answers. Keep a diary if necessary. I worried myslef crazy about calcium deficiency but cutting it for a few days is not going to be harmful.
Kif… I agree that I don’t feel that dairy is vital to overall health either… although I love a good cheese and cracker feast. If you eat a well-rounded, balanced diet, you should be fine.
Turniphead… it sounds like your child had a time with milk poor thing. From what Technic says, her boy is only suffering from eczema and eliminating milk from diet and using alternatives to see if that is the problem is hardly a restricted diet. My friend however has her son on an extreme vegan diet and although at 7, he is very smart and mature, he’s a little washed out. Crazy.
After breastfeeding for 5 months we decided to go with Nanny Goats Milk (I beleive mentioned above). I dont want to compare my or anybodies child/children to animals, but for the longest time whenever an animal is born in captivity and the mother does not make it it is reared on goats milk most of the time if milk of their own species is not availabe. But never cows milk as the animal would not survive. It is a very simple fact that has been a reality for centuries.
After sourcing ours form the local health food shop we found it on www.mummydeli.com along with other products we had to source form different places. For example baby bottles that are BPA free (BPA is a know hormone disruptor that most of all available baby bottles on the market at the moment are made with this chemical.... look on http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/toxicnation/action/bisphenolfaq.htm Once you read this you will also consider looking for BPA bottles as well!
I think at the end of the day we all want to provide our children with the best we can.. And if we can avoid giving them things we know are not good for them, or could not be good for them why do it. Good luck.
technics, i buy the organic formula from a chemist near us, The Maple Leaf, which has a lot of homeopathic/alternative medicines too. Or Sloane Pharmacy i think which maybe a chain.
or try olimia.com ?
Turniphead i do agree that it isn't great to self-diagnose or to follow a restricted diet if it isn't necessary. however i also know of 5 children in real life (rather than on mn!) who suffered severely from eczema and changing/reducing/eliminating dairy brought about an instant improvement/relief.
i certainly don't think these children have an "allergy" as they do not have the serious symptoms associated with an allergy. However most of us in the west drink/consume far far far too much dairy.
My DD was around 6 months when we suspected she had a milk allergy. She had quite severe excema and also was very "sickie" (a five bibs a day girl. She was mixed fed from about 3 months. It is quite unusual for excema to be the only sympton of a true allergy. It would usually (but not always) be accompanied by a lot of possetting or reflux and loose stools (or as other people have mentioned, hives, swelling of the lips etc).
In general, GPs are a bit plagued with people thinking that excema is caused by a food allergy (this is not meant as a criticism - it was our first clue). Their guidelines are generally that unless there is another symptom, they don't refer for allergy testing. This is also the view of my DD's allergy consultant (who is basically the top guy in the UK).
My DD was also allergic to egg - but her reaction to this was very immediate and severe (vomiting and diarrhoea). She is now 4 and a half and her egg allergy has reduced but her milk allergy is more severe (her reaction if exposed is lip swelling, vomiting).
With regards to testing, my consultant also is of the general view that it is very difficult to do any valid testing (either skin prick or bloods) before 12 months. In saying that, in severe cases they can do testing earlier than that as a previous poster said I think.
I would be fairly wary of self-diagnosing any allergy (I know you aren't suggesting that). There are a lot of children out there who are on restricted diets that don't need to be. In doing an elimination trial yourself, you may just coiincide with a period when the excema gets better by itself.
For alleviating the excema, I was advised by dermatologist - bath every day with emollient in bath don't rub with a towel, pat dry avoid swimming pools when flare up moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! use hypoallergenice washing power like Surcare make sure bedroom is as dust free as poss wear cotton no synthetics diprobase ointment (rather than cream) is very good for very dry areas
You might want to try excema relief and then asking for a referral when your DS is 12 months. I am not sure if you said he has any other symptoms? If you have private health insurance you can get this done quickly. The area is very underresourced in the NHS, esp outside London.
Hopefully your DS doesn't have a milk allergy - but if he does the good news is there would be a stroung chance he would grow out of it (esp if your husband did). I really hope his excema improves - I know how distressing it is. I always found my DD's improved in summer months.
Also - I'm a bit sceptical that dairy is really all that vital with a good overall diet and a decent amount of breast milk.
When my ds started having problems, it prompted me to look at how much dairy me and Dd ate. I realised it was very little compared to other people (I eat cheese and take milk in my coffee; Dd used to eat yogurt and a sip a little chocolate milk. She drinks much more milk now we have goats milk.) . However, we both naturally ate a lot of other foods which were rich in calcium.
Are you oriental? Apparently it's more common in people with oriental background. If you look at chinese, japanese cooking, virtually no dairy. Instead, lots of dark green vegetables etc.
I'm a big fan of goats milk. It worked for my family, and is a very natural 'normal' product . Formula from independent health food shops or waitrose. Fresh goats milk from any large supermarket.
Morethanmum… some children are more tolerant to products and physical reactions are not the only problem that incur from altered and processed food. My friend’s child was diagnosed with ADD and promptly told Ritalin was the only answer. She had reservations and I suggested she try changing his diet to only whole foods and try go organic for as much as you can. There was an incredible change in her ds’ behaviour and attitude. Although now she is fighting all the neighbourhood kids off from her extensive fruit bowl.
Of course some children will have a milk allergy, I’m just saying that it’s a good idea to stop feeding them milk till the ailment goes away then try organic milk to see if it is a milk allergy/sensitivity or simply the added stuff.(Provided the kids are not doubled over in pain when consuming the milk or whatever food you think may be causing the problem.) And if you are breastfeeding, try changing your dairy to organic as well.
oh my goodness why on earth am I not drinking organic milk already.... Thanks chefswife
amidaiwish I have found some organic milk formula on a website (thank you) but can I ask, do you buy it online? And, if so, can you recommend a good/cheap website please?
GMO’s are about gene splicing. You can’t ‘add’ it to milk. My post wasn’t very clear. I meant that the food that cows are eating, grains and corn, are GMO’s, (unless they are organically reared) and that affects their milk they produce as well as the heavy amounts of hormones and medication they are injected with. These elements are found in the milk even after pasteurization and then we ingest them which can lead to ‘food’ sensitivities. Drinking milk directly will have a more pronounced effect on us rather than a product that has a milk component. IE: a glass of milk opposed to a cookie. Organics can get expensive but if you do one thing, go organic with dairy products.
i think the nanny goats milk thing is that it is no longer allowed to be called "formula". it def is not illegal and is for sale in waitrose.
very interesting post chefswife. DD2 had terrible eczema from formula and normal cow's milk but was fine when we moved her to Babynat Organic Follow on Formula (cow's). maybe it is due to a lack of GMO or something else in it.
she has a diagnosed egg allergy but negative to diary allergy when tested (RAST and skin prick). the dietitian at the hospital is analysing the babynat milk she was so astonished at the difference in DD2.
v surprised re allergy to cows milk being to GMO and not the actual milk. Surely children would react to more than just milk and milk products in that case?
Hi Slowly, thanks for all your tips. My DS' cheeks are also very dry and I've found a supplier for the Forver Living products (I would not be able to keep an aloe vera plant in the house without killing it!) so thanks for that. I will be making another appointment with the dr as it seems to be the only way forward.
And thanks too chefswife that's very interesting reading. A very good point about the organic milk too. Is it a given then that organic cow's milk from, say, sainsburys doesn't contain hormones then? And all other nasties? I will eventually try that in the future for cooking etc but ideally I'd like a cow's milk substitute for DS's formula in the meantime. I think I will need to go to the drs/oat milk route for that because as far as I know there isn't an organic cow's milk formula? or is there? Just thinking that if there was I could reintroduce that to see how he is with it.
My previous post should have read goat's milk formula oooops
One main reason there is a rise in child food allergies and (more commonly) food sensitivities from products like cows milk, soya, corn and potatoes are because these products are generally GMO products and we react to the added strains oppose to the actual vegetable. With cow’s milk, the reaction is from the extensive hormones they’re injected with and food they eat: same with eggs. Soya and corn are also ‘E’ numbers on processed food. Not all ‘E’ numbers are bad, (unless you are sensitive to them, obviously) but it is, for whatever reason, the labelling system here. MSG is the sodium salt form produced from glutamic acid which is a natural constituent of many fermented or aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese. However, as soon as I eat it, I know because I double over in pain. My dh ate a pile of cherry’s one year in BC and within an hour, broke out in an all body rash. So did many people across BC and Washington State and it turned out cherry farmers where experimenting with a new pesticide. Anyhow, I’m rambling,,,
You said you were going to eliminate milk from son’s diet to see if it clears up his eczema, (I suspect it will) but after maybe introduce organic milk and if he is fine then you know it’s not a milk allergy. Here’s a couple of site’s too. Good luck. Let us know how you fair.
Hi technics. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to read through all of the posts but I can give you some advice from my experience of having a child with horrendous excema and a milk allergy. I was referred to a dermatologist for my DD's excema and given all sorts of potions which really only ended up drying her up even more. The thing I recommend to anyone and everyone who has excema is aloe vera - not any old aloe vera but Forever Living Products aloe vera (I'm not a supplier so not plugging it for any other reason than it works and is amazing). You can find your nearest supplier on their website I'm sure. I use the aloe vera gelly morning and night and on top of that I use the aloe propolis. My dd's excema has disappeared completely. I still use it on her skin as it's so nice and keeps her skin moist. My dd's face was raw with excema and now it's gorgeous again so please give it a go. My dd (just 2 years old) has nutramigen 2 formula. She had a bad reaction to a rice pudding at 5 months (I breast fed her til she was 6 months) so she was given a blood test (which isn't conclusive as it said she was allergic to wheat too but she isn't!). I was told by a nutrionist not to give her soya milk to drink - something to do with oestragen (probably spelt that wrong!) but my dd does have soya yogurts quite often - sometimes one a day. I haven't been told this is bad for her, the nutrionist said it was fine. So, that's my story. You should persevere with your doctor and explain your findings. They can prescribe formula as it is very expensive. Your baby should start on the Nutramigen 2 from 1 year I think. Keep on at the doctor and ask to be referred to a paediatrician. It's right to go with your gut feeling and not to feel put off by the doctors. They are often good but quite often they get things wrong or ignore things that shouldn't be ignored. Take care. Hope this helps. PS I gave up dairy when I was breastfeeding her after she had the reaction and I drank goats milk and used the pure butter. I steered clear of cheese completely and all this did help. Good luck. x
Hi - we had a similar problem. DS was breastfed to a year then developed eczema every time we gave him formula. Experimented with help of HV (v basic - formula = eczema, no formula = no eczema). Our gp was great and prescribed soy formula. We avoid rice milk because of the arsenic scare, and use aveeno and hydrocortisone on prescription. He is coming up to 3, and definitely losing the allergy as predicted.
Hi guys, just wanted to thank you all for posting, your input is very helpful, and give an update generally.
After reading Friday's posts I decided to take action and eliminate milk from DS's diet for a short while, just to see if my suspicion was correct. I visited the pharmacist on saturday (AM, before your post Jumparoo) and she reluctantly sold me a small tin of nutramigen (£12 I couldn't believe it!). I have also cut down on milk myself (DS still bf), not completely eliminated, just cut down.
Anyway, I just cannot believe the results already. DS eczema has cleared up hugely and is well on its way to disappearing! I'm over the moon but on the flip side just a little disappointed that my dr poo-poohed my suggestion it could be food related.
So Jumparoo I think you are right, I really do need to go back to the dr and beg ask to be referred. Interestingly, friends who have babies attached to my DS's surgery were very quickly referred to a dietician but only after vomiting when drinking cow's milk formula, not merely coming out in eczema.
With regard to allergy testing Bambi, I think the idea is that it's not wrong/bad/incorrect to test very young babies for allergies but merely pointless as it may give incorrect results - false positives/false negatives. But please don't quote me on that, it's just something I've read over the weekend and based on my very very limited knowledge on this subject!
CSWS if you visit this thread again, I wonder if you have any views on me eating soya? Do you think this is a bad idea given DS is under one and still bf? And your thoughts on giving DS, say, one soya yoghurt a week (he's now 11 months old) Is it right that babies under two should not be given any soya?
my s is 7 months and has allergies to soya,milk and eggs, hes had lots of tests done at kings hospital in london , prick and patch testing, prick testing they told me is not as 100% as other tests, he had bad reaction to soya through the patch testing..i don t know who told you about too young for testing !! my son was tested at 4 months !! hes been on nanny goats milk since 3 months old although he is BF as well. i have to exclude from diet all the things hes allergic too!!what a pain.esp as im vegetarian!! they tested him on goats milk and that came back as fine and theyre happy for me to continue with goats milk[i would have anyway] its not supposed to be available here in the uk as new zealand won t allow testing done on it by the uk , health and safety ...!!!thats the only reason.. however since it suits my son fine i will stick with it..my first son 8 years ago was brought up on it too.. weve tried all the allergenic milks available through th e hospital and hes shown an allergy to them all..two because they contained soya..fancy putting soya into hypoallergenic milks when its a possible allergenic itself!!! my son has eczema because of his allergies, they are delayed reactions which means he ends to react the next day for a few days until it works out of his system again..its a real pain as he loves his food and desperately wants to try everything were eating which often involves slight accidents when his exzema flares up...tonight he had tuna pasta for the first time[tuna being the new food] and hes thrown up all of his tea straight after so im wondering whether he has a reaction to tuna or it was just to heavy fo r him although he loved it ..poor thing..
I am in a similar situation - waiting for milk allergy to be rubber stamped as the cause of dds excema - using 'neocate' at the minute on script from my GP. It has everything cow's milk has (nutrients, calories etc) but it is a replica.
My advice would be to go back to the GP and ask her to prescribe something so you can try and compare your lo's skin before and after.
I would try to be firm and insist that something is done aside from being prescribed the usual emollients. It can be hard enough to manage the skin without worrying about reactions and them getting enough of what they need.
Afraid it is definitely true ladies, since Nov 2005 if my memory serves me correctly (which it might not ).
That's a good point from girlfrommars though - your ds may be able to manage without milk at nursery, although if he's happy to drink it then I really can't see any problem with giving him oat milk instead of water. It will after all contain more nutrients than water, so can't really be criticised for containing less than other types of milk.
That's a very good point girlfrommars, thanks for that. I guess my only worry there would be that DS is blw so his food intake is not huge (my nursery had never heard of blw before and I'm sure they think I'm a cruel mother who is starving her DS - still perservering nontheless) so he does still rely quite heavily on bm. I can express some milk but not enough to keep up with the (usually) six 8oz bottles that he drinks at nursery, two days a week (three a day that is, not six a day!).
goat's milk is illegal in the UK I was just looking at the nannycare goat's milk formula web page !!
I knew mm would be able to help me.
I can't add too much about the PCOS/infertility/soya thing - when I was trying to self-diagnose (again ) I found out that with PCOS a lot of it is to do with diet and they suggested drinking soya instead of dairy, all linked to your hormones. I did try this myself at the time (well it worked, I'm on mn now!) but of course this can't be a good thing for LOs, messing about with hormones.
I was going on my aunt's experience and the fact that you would be using it to supplement breast feeding.
If your child is allergic to cow's milk they're quite likely to react to goat's milk, but if it is a milder intolerance rather than a full-on allergy it could help.
I have never heard of the arsenic or infertility thing. I am giving 15 month old ds rice milk most days to try and wean him off bf (it's not working) but he has a cup a day, and usually a soya yoghurt too. Is this bad every day?
There are several MNers who have had success with goat's milk, but the proteins in it are very similar to those in cow's milk, to the extent that goats formula is now illegal in the UK. I think the stats are that less than 20% of children who are intolerant of cows milk will be tolerant of goats.
Not a stupid question, I was told there was no such thing
No I haven't tried goat's milk, that's kinda why I posted here as I'd read a bit on the t'internet and it was a bit overwhelming being new to this ezcema/food intolerance/allergy/dry skin rash whatever this problem is! I wanted to hear other people's experiences and advice.
Did you switch to goat's milk after cow's? and if so did it help?
Yes CSWS that was the thread that sprung to mind! Although I hadn't read it at the time (I have now thanks) and could only remember the media hype from a while ago. However like somebody on the thread said, every single food stuff in the world comes under scrutiny at some point!
You might have read this thread about arsenic technics?
The occasional use is nothing to do with arsenic, but merely the fact that it is not nutritious enough to constitute the main drink for a child so young (dd's dietician advised it was ok as main drink from 1 yr, but that bm or hypoallergenic formula were still preferable at that age).
As per my recommendation on the linked thread, you could try oat or almond milk instead, if you are genuinely worried about arsenic levels.
Contradict away wb . I always go by this definition, but will happily admit to not being sure exactly what constitutes an immune system response and what doesn't.
Firstly, thanks all for taking the time to read my posts and give advice, even if they are contradictory, it's incredibly helpful to be able to take everything on board with a view to going forward on this.
cantsleepwontsleep I fully take on board your comments re soya milk - I have PCOS and am aware of the link between soya and hormones. This isn't something that I had thought about previously so thanks for reminding me about this. I will speak to the pharmacy tomorrow to see whether they can order in some hypoallergenic formula as I just can't express enough bm to feed DS the 4-6 8oz bottles a week that he drinks at nursery.
With regard to rice milk I'm sure I read somewhere that this can contain arsenic??? I see you said occasional use so is the idea that as long as you don't give too much then the amount of arsenic wouldn't be so high as to be dangerous?
and mspotatochip what is about DPs/DHs and drs???! DP's ezcema has just recently reappeared but do you think he will see his dr despite my insistence
Just jumping back in to contradict cantsleepwontsleep
As I understand it an intolerance is an inability to digest certain foods eg lactose intolerance. Allergies on the other hand are caused by an inappropriate response by the nervous system. Eczema is an allergy.
we stopped giving her e.g boiled egg/omelette /home made custard etc but I gave her tuna mayo sandwich for tea today (no reaction so far). Essentially I haven't been frantically checking packs for egg content (I know with DP it everywhere).
Doc said wait until shes 2 and try and re-introduce. i think the initial rash isn't the problem its how it might escalate.
Nursery doesn't use eggs and we cook a lot from scratch but she eats all sorts at grannies and when we're out.
DP had severe excema from very small child alwaya managed by GP. hes 31 and only went to dermatologist *last year* after years and years and years of nagging from your truly. I can say hes not perfect but much better and dermatologist had totally different approach than GP and poo poohed some creams DP had regularly been --fobbed off with-- sorry prescribed
Hi technics. This is probably an intolerance rather than an allergy, and testing is very very inconclusive for intolerances.
Please please don't start giving your ds soya milk as a substitute. It shouldn't be used for under 2's, not just because of the risk of it sensitising him to it, but because it has been proven to increase the chance of tooth decay and infertility in later life.
If you are still breastfeeding, you should limit the amount of dairy that you eat as well as ds, as some does pass through bm. I had to give up dairy totally as even a tiny amount affected dd.
As long as breast milk remains his main drink, then rice milk with added calcium would be ok as an occasional alternative, or for cooking with.
Even better would be to use a hypoallergenic formula if he will take it (some taste revolting, and some bearable). You can buy these, although they are quite expensive, and may need to be ordered in by the pharmacy. You should ask for either Pepti-junior, neocate or nutramigen.
For yoghurts we did use soya ones, but dd only had one a week at most.
My DS's rash is always there, it doesn't disappear at any time, although it does sometimes seem to appear more red/irritated although I haven't yet been able to link this to anything (that is to say I haven't yet tried!).
Out of interest, do you still allow your DD to eat egg?
My DD (14 months) has recently started wheezing and is being treated for asthma. My DP has bad excema and has been allergy tested by dematolgist and reacted to dairy, gluten, eggs, soya and peanuts (we knew about that.
Anyway I asked about having DD tested and they said shes too young and would get loads of false positives and end up on a very restricted diet etc
but she did say if she regularly comes out in a rash to something its probably an allergy. this happens with egg she gets a red raised rash on her face
Goodness there's no doubt DS has had soya then! ooops. Looks like I may have to become a little bit more aware when reading ingredients on packets... Being only 10 months and blw he does eat quite simple unprocessed foods but he does of course at times eat bread, organix biscuits etc DP has even given him a bit of dark chocolate on more than one occasion
So looks as though I will definately have to push for that allergy testing doesn't it. I instantly thought as DP had a milk allergy, given DS's symptoms, DS must have a milk allergy but, as food allergy appears to be such a complex subject I don't think I can self-diagnose this one!! Thanks once again for all your advice.
to turn your question on its head: the symptoms your ds is displaying (eczema, mucous etc) could be caused by an allergy to any food (tho likely to be something he eats regularly).
Likewise, any food could cause an allergic reaction that presents differently - so an allergy to milk can cause eczema, diarrhea, asthma, hives, facial swelling or anaphalaxis in any given individual (my ds is allergic to milk and comes out in hives). Certain foods, such as nuts, tend to be associated with serious reactions. Soya allergy is (disclaimer: I'm no doctor) similar to dairy so no more (of less) likely to cause a serious reaction. (Also: are you sure your ds has had no soya? Its in most bread, cakes, biscuits etc so unless you have been strictly avoiding it he probably has had some already).
Also, re: rice milk, oat milk etc. These can be suitable after 1 year of age if calcium enriched and if you give vitamin d supplements (according to my son's dietician)- if your lo has other sources of animal protein (like meat) and if you have no concerns about your lo's weight/growth (cause they are very low on calories). My son is a shrimp so was on hypoallergenic cows milk formula (brilliant but only available on prescription) until age 2.
Hi wb, thanks so much for you reply, I thought nobody was going to bother for a while!!
Very interesting about the soya milk, I didn't know that. I have read that rice milk is not a good idea so did discount replacing with that.
Unfortunately I think you're also right about the dr too. Although she is lovely, she doesn't seem to want to do/prescribe much unless you're seriously ill, which I agree with to a certain extent but I do think this ezcema is serious as something is causing it, it's spreading and I don't think it's fair on my DS. I also think that something must be causing it, and so surely I should try to stop the cause rather than clear up the symptoms (proactive rather than reactive iykwim). It is possible for me to get an appointment with another dr, so I will try that.
Could I just ask, with allergies relating to soya, are they similar to milk or different or does it vary (DS hasn't tried soya yet)? Or do you know of a website I could look at? To save my endless questioning!! I could switch to soya while waiting for an appointment with the other dr but won't do that if the possible reactions are worse than ezcema. I'm thinking that if I do cut out the dairy and ezcema clears up, my case will be a lot easier to argue if the other dr ends up as unsympathetic as DS's regular dr.
Right, well the first thing is nobody can say that eczema is not food related without an extensive series of allergy tests - so ignore their advice. The stuff they are prescribing will certainly ease his symptoms but you're wise to think about what's causing it.
My own experience is that most eczema is caused or at least significantly worsened by food allergies (disclaimer- but I'm no doctor~).
Rather than trying to keep your doctor happy I'd be tempted to change her for a more sympathetic /allergy knowledgeable one (but that's just me).
Regarding the formula, you can buy soya formula to replace the dairy but not all parents of allergic children like to do this 'cause soya is also another common allergen.
Ideally - get sent for allergy testing to confirm the source of the allergy (but you'd need your GP to cooperate and it can take months).
Hi everybody, This is my first post so please be gentle
I have a 10 month old son and in the last few months ezcema has appeared, mostly over his tummy but it is slowly spreading to his legs, arms and neck. I have been to the drs and spoken to hv and they have said it is certainly not food related but have not suggested what the cause could be. DS has been prescribed diprotherm(sp?) and oilatum bath. DS was exclusively breastfed to six months and is now blw. DS is still bf but I do use some dairy: about four bottles of formula a week when he's at nursery, yoghurts and the odd bit of cow's milk when making porridge pancakes.
Anyway, I've read a lot of threads on mn re ezcema and I'm now almost certain this ezcema is caused by a milk allergy. DP has only recently told that he in fact had a milk allergy as a child, DS is very mucus-y/snotty and of course the ezcema.
I was thinking of cutting out dairy for a couple of months and seeing if there was any change. So my questions are: can I buy a formula substitute from the pharmacy (I don't want to ask the dr to prescribe it because she has said she is certain the ezcema is not food related and I don't want to tell her how to do her job!). And what can I use as a substitute for it in his food i.e. yoghurts, and small amounts of milk when preparing meals.
Thanking you all in advance and look forward to receiving any advice
. With the eczema almost disappearing after eliminating cow's milk for four days (and DP's milk allergy), I find it hard not to see a link there however I'm not happy trying to diagnose or resolve this myself. I completely agree that you can go round in circles trying to find a 'cure'; while there may be a link btw the eczema and cow's milk I'm really not sure whether there really is, whether it's the whey/casien/GMO etc etc - all I want is a referall!! 
) although I would say try your GP again as a first option if she's still resillent come back as it will still be taking up space in my house. 
).
) I found out that with PCOS a lot of it is to do with diet and they suggested drinking soya instead of dairy, all linked to your hormones. I did try this myself at the time (well it worked, I'm on mn now!) but of course this can't be a good thing for LOs, messing about with hormones. 
