Any tips for a dairy free diet for two and four year olds?

[Stagiaire]

I want to try my dds on a dairy free diet for a couple of weeks and am keen for any advice from someone who has already done this with their child. My dds are 2 and nearly 4 and between them suffer with constantly blocked nose, ear infections, chest infections, eczema and loose stools/tummy ache. I realise that as well as leaving out the obvious milk, yoghurt and cheese, I need to watch out for any whey, casein or milk powder in stuff like bread, etc.

Does anyone have any other tips? Do you think 2 weeks is enough time to test for an intolerance/allergy? I was planning to use fortified soya and rice milk products during the 2 weeks - is this what other people have tried?

have you actually had it confirmed by a gp or a professional that they have dairy intolerances?
soya is an alternative to dairy.

personally, I'd first look to improving their diet as much as possible (ie plenty of iron, fruit and veg - not saying you don't feed them properly but nobody's perfect - plus maybe a vitamin syrup for insurance). I'd also see the Gp for a checkup. I'd only ever cut out a major calcium containing food group as a last resort. Why do think milk is to blame for their ill health? Do they see a doctor for any of their conditions?

Sounds very much like my DS when he was 2. A homeopath suggested cutting out dairy foods from his diet and the improvement was immediate - within 1 week his blocked nose had cleared up. So, I say, go for it. Provamel desserts are nice.

We've been through this - at the advice of our consultant (after I asked, partly as I am lactose intolerant and it gives me catarrh and a bad cough) - we went totally dairy free for one month. We then introduced for 2 weeks, then goats cheese, then goats yoghurt, then goats butter, followed by goats milk. Then sheep's cheese. We have just (10 months on) added normal cheese without an adverse reaction - its taken this long as we havn't added things when he is a bit under the weather as you can't tell whether its the infection or an allergy causing the catarrh and or ear infection.

We have been much more free of ear infections - which was the main aim (having one perforated ear drum (due to Dr ignoring on-going low-key ear problem) and one ear with glue ear). I got ds onto goats milk asap, although I cannot use it for myself, as I wanted to get him back onto natural calcium source rather than something with fortifications... and, although I use soya milk, I didn't really want him on that for any length of time.

Hope it helps!

our children (3, 5, 8) use Nutramigen formula which is superb nutritionally. Consultant is thrilled that eldest is still on it.

try lactose free milk and cutting down on other forms of dairy , before removing from diet.

its the lactose that causes problems for many.