Adding olive oil to food for dairy free baby

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

I've been reading about this and there seems to be a lot of good evidence for doing so.

She has plummeted down the weight chart and has now been referred. She is currently dairy free until the dietician appointment comes through to check for allergies.

I have just mixed some in with her veg at lunchtime and am now panicking that this is going to cause her a problem somehow!

Does anyone have any good advice about this? Have you done it or can recommend anything better? She is 8 months and breastfed. Thanks.

[Artandco]

It's fine. I wouldn't add excess with everything though

For calories try:
Houmous
Avocado
Coconut milk
Oat milk
Nut butters

[Artandco]

And at 8 months I wouldn't bother purée food.
Ie just steam some carrot and give her carrots and houmous and some pitta bread.
Or just some slices avocado with scrambled egg

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

Thank you. Is coconut milk ok with porridge etc? I don't need to worry about allergies? I have oat milk in the fridge but it says from 1 years old on it?

[ButtfaceMiscreant]

I used Oatly oat milk for my twins who needed to be dairy free due to Cows Milk Protein Allergy from 6 months (I also had it before they weaned as I breastfed them). They are nearly 14 months old now and still have it on their cereal but they are outgrowing their allergy now, thankfully, and are taking some dairy products now.

[ButtfaceMiscreant]

I wouldn't give oat milk as a drink until they are one though, but in food/cooked is fine.

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

Ok. She is breastfed a lot still so That would be her main milk.

[Melassa]

I used a lot of olive oil for my skinny baby, I added an extra spoonful to soups, pasta, rice, vegetables etc. remember to go for extra virgin, it's a better quality oil and better for babies.

I also used to stir a spoonful of ground almonds, ground mixed nuts or ground seeds into porridge. She would also get ground almonds or ground cashews in risotto and other savoury dishes where some creaminess was required. All this added extra fat and extra protein, calcium etc. to help her put on weight.

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

Thank you. And you weren't worried about nut allergies? I'm quite food anxious and I think I'm avoiding too many foods that she could easily have.

[Melassa]

No, not at all, but then we have no allergies in the family and there is no warning to avoid nut products in local weaning guidelines (we're in a Med country), nor during pregnancy, which is just as well as I practically lived off peanut and other nut butters when pg.

There appear to be fewer cases of nut allergies here compared to the UK, less peanut butter is consumed but almonds, hazelnuts and other tree nuts are very much part of the cuisine. I remember DD's paed thoroughly approved of my adding ground nuts and seeds to bulk out meals as that's what her grandmother did when children were "peaky". Mind you there were a lot of raw eggs used as well which wasn't something I was ready to embrace 😷.

My neighbour's DD had a CMPI and her paediatrician advised almond milk made up from ground almonds and adding almond powder to some foods. hers was an allergy she grew out of, though, I don't know if your DD's allergy is the same? Maybe try with a small amount and gradually build up if no adverse reaction?

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

We don't know if she has an allergy yet. We are currently in limbo. I really really hope she doesn't!

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

We are going to start the milk ladder tomorrow. It gradually introduces milk in varying levels.

[Melassa]

She might grow out of it, CMPI is often one that doesn't last beyond a certain age. Are you avoiding dairy in your diet as well?

[Artandco]

I think oat and coconut milk are both fine before one as part of food, just not as an actual replacement for breast or formula milk. So you can def add into meals like a mild coconut curry and rice, or as rice pudding or in porridge etc. I also added ground almonds to lots of things with my children. I still add them to porridge now often and school age

[LBOCS2]

I'm basically dairy free as I'm lactose intolerant, so apart from specifically giving my DDs cheese or porridge made with milk, we eat a really low dairy diet. I use olive oil a lot in my cooking - both regular olive oil to cook in, and extra virgin for flavour. Veg is sometimes dressed in it, I put it in mashed potato to make it creamier, my pasta sauces are often oil based. Not had any problems with either of them.

[PinkSwimGoggles]

rape seed oil is also very good. if you can get a good organic extra virgin one even better.
and yes, baby purees are very low fat, too low for a growing baby!
keeping up with bm is best

[vvviola]

We use oat milk for porridge etc, and coconut milk if I'm making a creamy sauce or for desserts. Coconut milk works really well in baking.

DD2 is allergic to dairy and we started her on oat milk at about 9 months in cooking etc, but was still breastfed.

She also dropped dramatically down the centiles - advice we were given by the dietician was, olive oil where possible, avocados, bananas, home baking and not to be afraid of fats/sugars. She also suggested we make a sort of "Turkish delight" with her oat milk (make jelly up double strength using the milk and cut it up into sweets. I never did that mind you as DD's appetite took off not long after the dietician appointment).

Incidentally, at 5 we are now half way up the milk ladder and we're delighted (we still have the egg ladder to handle yet)

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

Thanks so much everyone. I think I am worrying too much. I haven't given egg either. I think it's because I don't actually know what is causing her problems as it's all guess work by me. I am also dairy free at the moment.

Basically she is extremely windy, pinching sore tummy, some vomiting, reflux and waking hourly. She is on ranitidine for her reflux which I presume curbs the vomiting. Even when breastfeeding she crunches her stomach up and cries at times. I've really had to nag and nag the doctors as they are adamant that she's hasn't got a dairy problem as she has no rash.

[Artandco]

TRy no wheat for a week. Just rice and potatoes etc carb wise

[Artandco]

STuff like salmon or chicken with rice are easy for her to digest if her digestion if a little dodgy atm

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

It's why she has a basic diet at the moment and I think the reason she is dropping. She basically has chicken, all fruit and vegetables, toast. I've stared hummus today and she is ok with that.

[Kennington]

Coconut milk is dodgy as if you read the label it is 98 percent water so isn't a milk substitute.
I shoved olive oil in a lot of foods as we eat a med diet. Seems to work ok but we didn't have a milk problem.
You also need to replace protein though.

[Pimmmms]

Are you giving baby rice? My DS had terrible problems with it. It swells as it passes through the intestines and can cause a lot of pain for some children.

[MrsStinkey]

I have two dairy intolerant girls and have always used oat milk in cooking when weaning. It just shouldn't be given rather than breast milk or formula as a drink. If your little one can't have dairy and you're breastfeeding remember you should be cutting dairy from your diet too and taking the appropriate calcium supplements. Sounds really obvious but they don't actually tell you that a lot of the time! I had to give up dairy when breastfeeding DD2.

[WhatInTheWorldIsGoingOn]

It's just so hard as it's all guess work. I was dairy free for the first few months and then when doctor said it definitely wasn't milk allergy started again. She then went to waking hourly for months. Weaning came and I didn't give dairy but had it myself. Started her on baby porridge with dairy and within a week she had a rash. She also had a cold at the same time so could easily have been viral rash. Decided to go back to dairy free for me 2 weeks ago. She is often slightly more settled and we have had a couple of 2 hour sleeps but again it could just be because she is older/ had antibiotics for chest infection that's cleared it etc. It's so frustrating.

[Artandco]

An easy breakfast

In small bowl- Regular oats, add triple amount water, add ground almonds. Leave to soak in fridge overnight. Will naturally make oaty milk and soaked so can either eat cold or warm in microwave a bit. Add some fruit like 1/2 banana to gum

Eggs? Scrambled, poached, omelettes all great protein if no dairy