Dairy free advice

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

I'm after some advice about going dairy free for my 18month old ds.
He's always had 'baby poo' I.e. It never firmed up once he was on solids. I stopped breastfeeding about a month ago and his eczema and bowels have got worse
Went to GP who was not very helpful, just said to try cutting out various foods , seeing if his symptoms improve then reintroduce them to see if they return.
We tried egg, but it's not that, so trying 'dairy' next.
He likes yoghurt (plain and flavoured)
Milk
Mayonnaise
Ice cream

Please can you help me with some good alternatives?
TIA

[YeOldTrout]

Humus for yogurt?
Mayo is milk free, I think.
nobody needs ice cream

I'd want advice on how to substitute cow's milk, it is nutritionally complete after all & toddlers are faddy eaters at best.

[LadyPlumpington]

There are loads of dairy-free substitutes out there (vegan here). I'd steer away from an excess of soy as it may not be great for boys (something in it v. similar to female hormones IIRC) but there's rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk..... plus coconut yogurt (Koko brand are fab) and dairy-free mayo (never tried it but seen it in Tesco). Swedish Glace do dairy-free ice-cream too.

Nutritional advice is a good idea though, esp at his age.

[midnightvelvetPart2]

Just a thought, I know Health Visitors are not regarded well on here, but if your GP was rubbish then I'd contact the hv for advice before you start cutting food groups out of your child's diet.

[DXBMermaid]

Mayo is dairy free.

Coconut yoghurt is lovely

He could have ice lollies instead of ice cream.

Once I stopped bf'ing I never replaced those feeds with milk. Dd has milk on her cereal (could be rice or almond).

Calcium can be found in other foods such as broccoli. You may have to make sure your little one gets enough healthy fats. Nut (butters), olive oil, coconut oil will all be great.

My friend's little boy is the same. Eating lactose free is not the same as eating dairy free. It means reading lots of labels, but it makes such a difference to her sons bowels it's worth it!

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

Which is least restrictive, lactose or dairy free?
I want to find out what is causing this without cutting out any essential nutrients.

[shewolfroar]

booja booja ice cream......mmmm

[QuothTheRavenNevermore]

Hi mistletoe,
I am not a qualified dietician. However, my DS is allergic to milk, not just lactose (lactose = milk sugar), and has been under the care of a dietician since he was approx 6 months old. He eats some soya substitutes such as Alpro yoghurt/dessert products - not all soya products, as PP recommended. Rice milk is NOT recommeded below the age of 4.5yrs according to dietician. We like coconut and /or oat milk. Regular mayo can be dairy free (check label). I buy Swedish Glace dairy-free ice cream plus regular sorbets. For spread, Vitalite is dairy-free and good for baking with. You don't need to buy everything in the free from aisle, quite a lot of regular foods are dairy free.

Most of all though, I second the suggestion to get a 2nd opinion or referral to a paediatrician or dietician, if possible. If not, I got quite a few leaflets from my HV about going dairy-free so perhaps you could ask? Is his weight gain ok? If the GP isn't concerned, it sounds like his growth and development are normal, which is a good sign. It's still v worrying for you, I'm sure

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

Started today (KoKo milk ) and his tummy is already less distended.
Went to the weigh in at the HV clinic, he's 50th centile weight and between 9-25th for height as he's always been so that's good
HV recommended going dairy free for a couple of weeks and then going back to see her, also going back to GP to get a dietitian referral.
Will go shopping today for some spread, yoghurt etc.

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

Thanks for all advice
Especially the dairy free things you or your little ones enjoy

[purplesnail]

Hi, I would give a dairy free diet 4 weeks to be more sure as sometimes 2 weeks isnt long enough. If things improve but not 100% try also cutting out soya which is in alot of things as the protiens are very similar.
Fir ice cream chop a ripe banana and freeze then put into food processor straight from freezer until like ice cream, can add a splash of koko if needed and coco powder/a few strawberries to flavour.

[captaincake]

Rice milk is not suitable for under 5s. Oat or koko are good milk alternatives, hopefully he likes coconut as that solves ice cream and yogurt, pure sunflower spread instead of butter, you can make custard using the powder and the milk replacement and putting cocoa powder in is yummy.

[MistletoeBUTNOwine]

Thanks for all the suggestions.. He seems a lot better already! Must be milk

[LostMySocks]

If you are cutting dairy make sure you are getting advice on the key nutrients that will be missing from your DS diet. My DS is outgrowing. CMP allergy (lactose is fine) but we had pricl tests at hospital followed up by dietician advice.

[Flingingmelon]

We aren't dairy free anymore as DS grew out of it, but Alpro so a +1 soya milk that is specially fortified for toddlers. It was our saviour when he was weaning as it's got pretty much everything you need. It's a bit expensive though, I reckon unsweetened soya milk with some multi vits and a bit of apple juice would do the same job.

Other than that I'd second the Pure spreads and Coyo yogurt. Delicious.

[Flingingmelon]

That should say 'Alpro does a '+1' milk', sorry

[Flingingmelon]

Also, have a look at the Nutramigen Facebook page. There's loads of help there.

[BabyMum1]

I second the comment about the coconut coyo yogurts, really yummy and really fatty!!
If u can find A2 milk try it as it's supposed to eliminate ezxema etc
It's still cows milk but doesn't contain the dodgy proteins!