Does cutting down help or do you have to cut out dairy....

[Milkymickey]

...my lo has reflux and ranitidine has helped a bit with reducing acid but all the symptoms are still there.
Do I absolutely have to cut out all dairy if I want to try that, or would cutting down reduce symptoms? Am very daunted by cutting out altogether but could easily cut down a lot for a week or so to see if it helped - but could this work? Am thinking could give up the obvious stuff but still eat bread etc...
Can anyone advise?

I found that cutting out all milk, cheese and cream made a big difference with both my DSs, but I didn't completely cut dairy. I didn't worry about checking ingredient lists of every product I ate so would still eat things with small amounts of "hidden" milk products in, eg some biscuits and crisps!

I also found that eating butter (not vast quantities of it!) didn't seem to be an issue/cause problems for my DSs. However on the few occasions that I cracked and ate cheesy foods or cream based deserts my DSs suffered for it.

However I know that others have found that they needed to completely cut dairy products and that it took a while before they saw the improvement in their DC's symptoms.

I found I could reintroduce dairy to my diet once they were well established on solids. It was a pain but made such a difference to the "colicky symptoms" DS1 suffered (it was only after having DS2 that I realised DS1 had reflux - he obviously didn't have an extreme case of it!) I quickly realised that cutting dairy would be good for DS2 so he didn't have many issues, but it was clear on the occasions that I had dairy it caused him problems.

Good luck with finding a solution for your lo.

For ds I had to eliminate completely otherwise he bled a little internally. I cut out all traces of milk and soya - as it is a similar structure. He was like a different child. He is 4 now and drinks enough milk to feed a baby calf!

I would say try to eliminate completely then gradually reintroduce until symptoms return.

I also have to eliminate completely. Even may contain traces of with dairy or soy if enough to make DS ill.

It's not like that for everyone though. If you start off totally free for 3-4 weeks then reintroduce, it will give you a baseline to work from.

I'm trying this and it is tough especially as I don't eat meat, just fish. They seem to put cows milk in everything!

I decided rather that cutting down, I'd eliminate for two weeks so I can see whether it helps (rather than doing it half heartedly every few days). Then I can have more of an idea about whether it is linked to dairy.

A good tip is they have a 'free from' section in sainsbury's and the lemon zest cookies and 'naked' bars are lovely!

smeehee and anyone else, what sort of symptoms do you have? Am trying to work out if my baby just gets bad wind or reflux.

DS has a fair few symptoms - super farty, green or mucus poo, reflux, dry skin, poor appetite. The biggest one for us has been his sleep or lack of it! He is really unsettled at night with tummy ache poor thing.

DS1 had a hugely bloated tummy (although in part this was because of overfeeding due to the reflux pain!) He was very windy and was frequently sick - it wasn't until I had DS2 that I realised the amount he threw up wasn't normal! He didn't seem distressed by throwing up but would have times during the day when he was inconsolable. He also often had green, mucousy poos.

Obviously some/all of those symptoms could have been due to other things, however when I cut out all "obvious" milk, cream and cheese the symptoms reduced (he would still throw up a fair bit!) or disappeared. When I slipped up the bloated/windy/miserable symptoms would return, often accompanied by "interesting" nappies.

Thanks for all the replies and the tips.
3 days in and DC is utterly changed. Poo gone from green and crying to get out, to yellow and easy. Sleeping at night for good chunks. Feeding in the day every two hours rather than every hour or so. Reflux almost entirely disappeared...
Hurrah!
And dairy free has turned out to be not that hard, with the help of an online shop. Of course it couldbe a coincidence or the ranitidine kicking in, but I'll go with it for now.