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Allergies and intolerances

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Original poster

ds 1 allergic, how do I wean ds 2?

15 replies

stottiecake · 27/12/2011 00:00

hi there,

ds 2 is 5.1mo and breast fed. he is showing signs of being interested in food (am having to wrestle him when trying to eat my tea)

Just wondering about others experiences of weaning a child when an older one has allergies.

ds1 (3yo) has an epi-pen for milk and egg allergy)

tia x

OP posts:
TamIAm · 27/12/2011 12:58

Do you mean you're going to wean him off the breast entirely? Or just how to start solids?

If the latter, we just kept the whole family dairy-free until both children were at such an age as they knew to ask if anything had dairy, and avoid it reliably.

If you mean the former...I probably wouldn't wean the baby from the breast until you can do it without having to give formula instead, to be perfectly honest. Having a child with a life-threatening allergy to milk means that they're always going to be at risk if formula is brought into the house and, honestly, I'd just avoid that if at all possible. That would also be very good for your LO - optimal gut health obtained via BM and all that. The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding (no solids or other milks) until at least 6 months, and combined breastfeeding with solid foods until at least 2 years of age - and then thereafter for so long as mum and bub are both happy to continue. Those were the guidelines I followed, with my eldest weaning at around 2 and my youngest weaning at around 3.

Original poster
stottiecake · 27/12/2011 14:23

sorry - I mean starting solids not weaning from breast. planning to continue bf-ing until he no longer wants it.

thanks for your response TamIAm. Do both your children have an allergy to milk?

OP posts:
TamIAm · 27/12/2011 14:54

Not an allergy, no - they're both milk protein intolerant though. Our whole family lives dairy-free as a result (except when their dad and I eat out without children).

Everything that's in the house can be eaten by all though :)

rosehb · 27/12/2011 21:56

I keep meaning to ask this question so very interested to hear what other folk think... dc1 4 yrs and has epi-pens for milk, egg and also nut reactions in skin prick tests. used to react on contact with milk and still does get random hives but not so much... anyway we've had dairy-free house for the last 3.5 years. egg-free for last 2 years.

dc2 now 11mths breastfed and solids from 6mths. Has some eczema under control with hydrocort so have taken it slowly and he's now eating mostly same as dc1. Only recently given him wheat, fish. Not done soya yet and no idea what to do about milk/egg.

Sorry not really any advice as not sure if doing the right thing at all... but you're not alone!

Original poster
stottiecake · 27/12/2011 22:31

wow!

Our house is not completely dairy free - perhaps it should be. Ds always asks before he eats anything and we have never had an accident - only when I was asked by the dietician to challenge him at home and got carried away....

I think I will do like you rosehb and go slowly and keep his diet the same as ds1 until I have spoken to the consultant.

I wonder what the chances are that he will have a severe allergy. ds1 had eczema before 5mo and ds2 doesn't so hoping this is a good sign!

thanks for replying Smile

OP posts:
londonmum123 · 27/12/2011 22:47

Hello,

I always wondered about this when I started to wean my twins (now 8 months) as DD1 (2.5) anaphylactic to dairy, eggs and tree nuts. I decided to just introduce a new food every two days and give allergens as early as possible. I sat with DD1's piriton and epipens when I gave them milk, eggs and nuts but so far so good.

I have no idea what the current advice is as opinions seem to differ. However, I had worried about weaning them for such a long time that I was just sick of the unknown. My biggest fear was the twins having different allergies to DD1 as it would make mealtimes a nightmare.

I can't describe what a joy it is to be able to give your children anything off your plate to eat without fear of contamination.

Good luck with weaning.

londonmum123 · 27/12/2011 22:51

Oh, and our house isn't allergen free either

rosehb · 27/12/2011 23:01

dairy-free house is something I really don't know about... pros and cons which I'm only really getting to understand as dc1 gets older. I've been dairy free as had to when breastfeeding and even when ds1 stopped bf at 2yrs couldn't bring myself to have dairy. I just can't deal with the stress of thinking I'll make her ill by contaminating her food. she used to be so bad with contact reactions that I just wanted home to be safe and easy.

BUT i know she now finds it really hard being with friends and food she's scared of... maybe if we had stuff at home she'd be more confident about it and less worried about everything Sad

rosehb · 27/12/2011 23:13

sick of the unknown

I'm with you on that.

Should really just get on with it and try dc2 with some dairy or egg.

But... I know dc1 is having a hard time with it all at the moment and I think right now it would break her heart if she had to watch dc2 eating cheese Sad

And I do know how silly that sounds Wink

Original poster
stottiecake · 28/12/2011 00:18

no rosehb that does not soumd silly - I will feel very sad for ds1 if ds2 gets to eat all the stuff he's not allowed.

It is scary thinking about giving your child a food which you have been so careful to avoid.

thanks for sharing your experience londonmum.

OP posts:
TamIAm · 28/12/2011 00:55

It doesn't sound silly - but there are LOTS of exciting dairy-free foods out there. Some of it is about imagination, some of it about creative googling, and some of it about the way you package it to children. My kids don't miss dairy because they know that it will hurt them, AND they're always presented with an exciting and yummy alternative.

Your kids will manage :) It's hard, I'm not meaning to be dismissive by any means - but it's do-able.

londonmum123 · 28/12/2011 11:02

It doesn't sound silly at all. I find it pretty heart wrenching when DD1 tells me she can't have something the babies are having as it has cows' milk in it. However, she is now very good at asking if things have egg, cows' milk, nuts in them while we are out, which is, sadly, the reality of her life at the moment. She doesn't know any different and just accepts that she can't eat certain things. I don't think she feels she is missing out (I guess this stage will come though) as I always try to source her nice alternatives.

I'm not imaginative enough to cook dairy/egg/nut free for all of us alas, so I applaud all of you that do. I'm vegetarian (have been for years), DP is an ex-farmer so loves meat, potatoes and lashings of butter so generally cook 3 separate dinners each night (the babies live off Ella's kitchen and Plum baby... don't have the time to puree... bad mother that I am). The only time I cook a meal that we all have the same is a Sunday roast (omitting the meat for me).

We do all eat pure spread though and I always have soya milk in my lattes (at home) so DD1 can eat the froth (wouldn't trust cafes to clean their milk frothers so never let her try when out). All cakes/biscuits I make are always allergen free too.

DD1 does react on contact but only hives and mild/moderate swelling which responds well to piriton. I do find it harder now the babies have formula as they dribble/posset so I have to watch DD1 like a hawk around them. Mealtimes are fine as they are all restrained strapped into highchairs/seats so I can clean up before DD1 touches anything.

I didn't want to omit anything from the twins diet in case they became sensitised through lack of exposure. Who knows what the right thing to do is.

rosehb · 29/12/2011 00:14

Thanks for saying it's not silly (but really there is some weird kind of comedy going on in my head involving running away from cheese monsters!)

It's not at all the food itself that dc1 longs for (lazy day foods tiffin are my fav treat!). It's the social thing of being able to share food, even just be next to someone else's food without worrying. That's the thing that just wouldn't work if dc2 was having dairy and egg. They'd have to sit at opposite ends of the table. She gets enough of that when eating with friends or at nursery. That's what makes her sad Sad. I think it's the age as it really didn't bother her 6 months ago.

It's really interesting to hear your experiences. londonmum I'm in awe of you being able to manage 3 different dinners each night!

Good luck with the weaning stottiecake I would go with what ever plan makes life easier for you Wink as I don't think there are any right/wrong answers!

rosehb · 29/12/2011 00:20

tamiam It's nice to hear from someone else in a dairy-free home - do you think you would've stuck to it if only one child had to avoid dairy?

TamIAm · 29/12/2011 13:04

Stuff making 3 dinners each night! Honestly, if your husband doesn't want to eat what you plonk on the table for him, surely he can cook his own?! That sounds really tough.

I'm in Aus, so I don't know all of the products that are available in the UK that are dairy-free, but here we have a margarine substitute called 'Nuttalex' that is totally soy, dairy, egg, and nut free. We also have rice milks and oat milks that are the same...For baking I use a combination of the Nuttalex and rice milk. For cooking sauces etc it's nuttalex and soy milk (rice milk is quite sweet). I find for my kids that it's the sweet things that they really miss out on in social occasions so I make sure that i always bake enough for everybody to share - that way my kids don't feel like they're missing out at all.

rosehb, if it had been my first DC - no we wouldn't have remained dairy free, she's actually starting to show signs that she's growing out of her intolerance (we're so lucky that they're intolerances and not allergies. I imagine allergies are that much more extreme and hard). If it had been our second DC though, yes, we'd probably have remained dairy-free. His issues were quire serious and cause him a lot of pain, so it's just not worth it. I have hopes that DC2 will grow out of his intolerances at some stage, too, though.

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