Milk alternative advice for 13 month old??

[jasperc163]

DD2 is has mild eczema (easily controllable) and seems to have a constant low level chesty cough (had an infection treated 2 months ago but rattle not going away) and runny nose. She was bf til 10 months and mix fed on Hipp Orgnic from 6 months. However she reacted to cows milk at a year (diarhoea) so we have carried on with formula. I suspect a mild intolerance as DD1 was on Neocate from 3 months til 3+ years (now 4yrs and grown out of intolerance totally).

I would like to try to significantly reduce DD2's dairy intake - at least in the form of milk drink, to see if it makes any difference. We are veggie but she has a good diet and is on the upper edge of weight charts so I imagine using a lower fat alternative isnt such an issue? I don't want to go down the prescription formula route as its vile and I think too late to introduce and prob unnecessary. But I would like to do a trial to see if the chestiness improves. I would carry on with cheese etc but experience with DD1 shows me this is far less likely to be a problem than the milk/formula.

So, what are my options? DH has chocolate oat milk that he drinks - is oat milk a good option? better than rice milk? I know Goats is an option (DD1 could tolerate goats cheese before cows cheese) but I am not sure it would be a good way of seeing if the chest issue is being made worse by dairy_?
Is it ok to do this ?

advice appreciated thanks

Have you tried goats milk - worked for a child I look after who got terrible eczema from cows milk.

Hi HSMM - no not yet. I would if I found that significantly reducing her dairy intake made a difference. ie then reintroduce some goats to see if she could take that or not. However if i try it first it wont tell me if the problem is dairy or not iyswim.

From what i have read, oat milk might be the best option?

Our dietician said soya (formula) was OK from 1 year on.

Oat milk is more like semi-skimmed milk and I know semi-skimmed is only recommended from aged 2 onwards, but friends abroad give their dc's semi-skimmed with vitamin D drops from 18 months on. So, that might be OK for a trial.

In the long run you'll need to ensure the fat is coming from elsewhere in the diet (esp as a diary free diet can by default be low fat).

I'm not sure about trying goats milk as most diary allergic children also react to goats milk, so I'd work on the remove dairy completely and then after a few weeks, work up to goats milk and see if the symptoms are still reduced (IYSWIM).

Thanks unseenacademicmum,
I am planning to leave cheese in her diet for the time being as it is quite a big issue for us to cut it out (vegetarian) so I am hoping that (as she is a good eater) the loss of fat/protein from the milk wouldnt be such an issue? This is only short term anyway and of course it may make no difference at all. The problem is that we introduced formula at the same time as solids and starting chilcare and the start of the autumn so its hard to be sure what has caused the mucus production.

We would only try goats milk if taking her off formula worked and then we would introduce it to see if the problem returned. I am reluctant to start on another type of formula now. Is oat generally considered to be better than rice milk then?

Interested to hear if other people have found dairy did make a big difference for this type of problem? It never caused DD1 an issue (she had reflux and later eczema and diarrhoea from dairy but no respiratory issues).

thanks all

Oat milk has more fat than rice milk and there have been some reported issues of rice milk and arsenic content (see details here www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/may/arsenicinriceresearch). Whilst rice milk is OK for older children and adults it is not recommended below 5 years old.

As you are veggie, you might also want to look at things like eggs, beans or nuts. DS1 had awful eczema and was very chesty from 6 months and as I am veggie (though he is not), his diet was still quite high in eggs, beans and pulses. He later turned out to be allergic to all of them.

Thanks am using oat milk as of last night. Cut out all dairy apart from small amount of cheese. Can't even begin to think about the others it could be!

IF dairy is the problem - how soon would i expect to see a difference and how long should i give it?

thanks

thanks madamdeathstare, we are ok for the short term as she eats a huge amount anyway and is quite a hefty girl! I assume i only need to try this for a week or so?

Broccoli, dried fruit and nuts and sardines are all full of calcium. (I don't know if you eat fish?).

You can get almond milk, and I used a lots of ground almonds in cooking (in cakes in place of the flour, and in sauces).

In terms of allergies, eczema etc, if you are trying to cut down on dairy rather than give it up completely, yogurt (and particularly live yogurt) is better than milk or cheese as it is more easily digested.

Oat milk can be a useful substitute, but bear in mind that oats are extremely high in gluten, and that could be another aggravating factor for eczema.

Most nuts are fairly high in fat, and and so are a good replacement for milk. Obviously at 13 months you won't be giving them whole, but in healthfood shops you can buy various spreads (like peanut butter, but made with other nuts) which can be useful at breakfast.
I have in the past also used them in cooking, to make cakes and crumbles, using the spread and ground nuts to substitute butter and flour.

4 days so far and no change at all. I am planning to carry on til end of weekend but my feeling is i would see something by now re the mucus/chest problem?