I have no idea where to go from here

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0 - 6 months ds was exclusively bf and a very, VERY vomity child.

From 6 months (weaning) he developed terrible eczema and continued with the vomiting.

For a year we treated his symptoms with steroid cream / antihistamines / usual eczema stuff.

At 18 months I cut out dairy from his diet and he miraculously got better. All eczema gone. No more vomiting. Started sleeping. Was much happier.

Occasionally we would make a mistake, he'd eat something containing milk or milk powder or butter or something and his eczema would flair up and he'd be miserable for a couple of days.

He is now almost 4. Has been dairy free for 2 and a half years.

A couple of months ago he ate some cake that was made with milk. I waited for the inevitable reaction... nothing happened.

Then a couple of weeks after that he ate some cheese crisps... nothing happened.

Since then, without telling him, I have let him have the occasional thing containing dairy... no reaction.

I am a bit flummoxed. A strong reaction such as he had is unlikely to have disappeared completely.

I guess I now need to start reintroducing dairy to his diet but I don't know how to go about it. Perhaps he can have some things but not others?

I am also wondering about how to explain it to him. All he has ever known is that dairy makes him sick and he is massively invested in avoiding it.

Have tried to keep it short. Would appreciate help from anyone who has been here.

You could try raw dairy. It's hard to get as the farms have to be immaculate to be allowed to sell it, but DH has been allergic to dairy his whole life and he can have it raw no worries. Apparently pasteurisation destroys the enzyme that allows people with this allergy to process the milk. Google "raw milk" to find your nearest farm.

Starting with small amount of cooked milk is ideal as the milk proteins (such as biscuits) are broken down a bit. Then I believe yoghurts and cheese are the next step. Your're supposed to try the same thing (not in huge quantities) over four days (reactions can be delayed or need a 'build up' to show). You could ask your GP if you could be referred to a dietitian for advice - this is where I've gone for advice for my little one.

I was told that about 95% of children grow out of cow's milk allergy or intolerance by age 5 so it is quite likely that this is what has happened - great news! As the others have said, baked milk is normally the first type of dairy that is tolerated so stick with that for a while before trying uncooked milk and do it very gradually.

Thank you all for posting.

I doubt I'd be able to find a raw milk source.

I thought this would be something I could google for instructions, but there is so much conflicting advice.

4 days of small amounts of baked milk seems as good a place to start as any.