To be a bit shocked at the milk ladder's advised foods?

[InMemoryOfSleep]

My DS has an intolerance to cows milk protein, and now that he is 1 we have been advised to start him on the 'milk ladder' to trial reintroducing dairy. The first attempt has not gone well However AIBU to be a bit at the list of advised foods - starting with a malted milk biscuit, going up to pizza, and a packet of chocolate buttons, each to be consumed daily, bearing in mind he is only 1?! I try my best to feed him a good, balanced diet, and I'm not massively keen on introducing biscuits and chocolate so early on - is it just me?!

[NoCapes]

No I thought this too, and isn't step 4 or so a muffin?
I was fairly surely it could just be adding milk and cheese to normal foods and it doesn't have to be treats

[user1490142285]

No yanbu, that's ridiculous. When my xp was dx with type 1 diabetes half the 'diabetic' recipes I came across used white flour and artificial sweeteners. I have no idea why they're so reliant on rubbish. I suspect they assume that's just how people eat and there's no point in giving us instructions that involve actual food when we're just going to eat chocolate buttons anyway. Lowest common denominator stuff.

Is the point of it to give ds gradually increasing amounts of dairy? Surely this can be done with small amounts of milk itself (starting with drops?)?? Maybe ask your gp? You'd think they'd be a bit more clued up.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I kinda thought this too. Dd was just over a year when was started and given shed only been eating properly since she was 8/9 months (up til then she's just picked at stuff tried the odd thing not eaten meals) the last thing I wanted was biscuits and wotsits etc

Anyway we stopped bothering in the end she few out if it and we just tried when she could communicate. Far less stressful than trying to work out why a non verbal baby //toddler was grizzly

[PonderLand]

I thought the same thing!! I suppose hope they've looked at the level of milk content and how it's incorporated into each food?

Do you have a dietician? Maybe ask her/him what other foods they can suggest for the steps you're not keen on?

[ScarletBegonia1234]

The reason is that processing/cooking milk in different ways changes the protein and so how the body recognises it (how allergenic it is). So all the early stuff is baked skimmed milk powder in varying degrees til you get to the pancakes i think. But i agree it is all really junky stuff....one of the reasons I put off doing it for so long with my ds! He passed until pancakes but the knowlege that he can eat biscuits and cakes itsnt particularly useful to me day to day!

[InMemoryOfSleep]

This is the NHS advice, from their dietician, that's why I'm so shocked! You're right in saying the aim is to reintroduce milk gradually, but raw cow's milk is the top of the ladder so to speak, and milk that's been baked, cooked, etc is less reactive, which is why you start with biscuits. I totally agree, feels like they're catering to the lowest common denominator - but why not give healthier options at each stage, there must be some?

[ScarletBegonia1234]

We didn't do it until he was 2.5 as I didn't want him eating that crap when he was any littler!

[HaudYerWheeshtBawbag]

They are tiny amounts, not exactly buckets loads of the stuff, when ds was on the milk ladder, and he still cannot eat dairy, theybwerenin that order due to the processed way the dairy is cooked.

[ButtfaceMiscreant]

I ended up ignoring it to be honest; I couldn't believe what they were asking me to feed my 7mo twins! So I just very slowly added a bit of cheese/cows milk into other foods. One twin grew out of his CMPI by 12months, the other still has a reaction at 21 months (skin only so not as bad as it was).

[ScarletBegonia1234]

You could maybe buy some skimmed milk powder and add it to cooking at the correct amount but it would need to be cooked in a similar way so you would probably end up making biscuits anyway! I just followed their suggestions but I ignored the advice to continue giving the previous levels food as well as the current level! Can you imagine how much crap they would be routinely eating by the time you got to the end! I'm not sure it's even possible!

[Redredredrose]

We thought that too. We ended up just slowly introducing butter and cheese, but we were very lucky in that DS tolerated them very easily though he couldn't drink actual milk until he was 20 months or so.

[WaxyBean]

Eh? Both the milk content and the structure of the milk protein (dependent on heat and length of cooking) has been carefully calculated. They are standard foods that children will eat - no point creating a milk ladder if 50% of children won't touch the foods (cheesey spinach etc) and parents won't support.

We've tried the milk ladder annually now and still never reached the top for my 7yo DS but do helpfully now know that small amounts in biscuits is ok, but that milk cooked for a short period of time in pancakes is not. He doesn't live on biscuits just because he can tolerate them.

[InMemoryOfSleep]

@WaxyBean yep totally understand about the structure of the milk protein etc, but surely there are other options than pizza or chocolate buttons?! Making the assumption that those foods are 'all kids will eat' is what leads to poor diet and health issues like obesity, surely? I just think it would be useful to have a range of options at each level.

[WaxyBean]

Be inventive - melted cheese on pizza (approx 10 in hot oven) could also be small amounts of cheese on top of a pasta bake cooked for a similar amount of time. Biscuits could be crackers with milk in a similar position on the ingredients list. Mini muffins become savoury muffins. All once you know they can be tolerated.

You don't need to eat the whole amount of the exact food every day but you do need to consume that type/structure of milk protein regularly to maintain tolerance (DS has crunchy nut cornflakes or peanut butter 4x week so that he maintains a tolerance to peanuts).