Wheezing 10m old- lactose or cows milk mild intolerance?

[Frenchfancies]

I need help.

My son is 10months. BF exclusive for first four months. He didn't have a strong latch and was very windy. Was much better after TT snipped at 8wks, but did continue to be very refluxy (a happy one one not screaming crying) and still bottom windy.

At four months I introduced a ready made bottle of formula daily. Then 5 months went to two etc and then at 6 months decided I was using enough to move onto the powdered formula. So combination feeding still at this point but I reckon 70% formula 30% bf. He started to wheeze a little at a similar time I just thought he had a cold.... 5 months later he is still wheezing with one cough/cold after another. I would say it's slowly getting worse... doctors/ paediatricians say he is ok as he's gaining weight/ eating well/ alert/ happy/ interested/ developing etc etc.... but he is still wheezing. He's been a terrible sleeper I believe due to the constant coughing and wheezing.
I've wondered whether it could be a mild cows milk intolerance as it all started at same time as upping his formula and weaning... my health visitor seems s bit exasperated with me for suggesting this as she doesn't think it is, keeps saying he would have skin and gut issues too. She said if I think he has try a lactose free formula.... but this doesn't make sense to me as lactose is in breast milk and he was ok then apart from being refluxy and windy??? So I said to her about trying nutrimigen because that is cows milk protein free and she said it's far too extreme to do that?? I'm so confused and so frustrated. And not getting anywhere. Do I ignore the health visitor??? His wheezing might not even be anything to do with it but I've got two try something! He's a horrendous sleeper and I think due to all this going on 😔😔😔😔

Of course the lactose in breast milk is human rather than the lactose in formula which is cows so maybe that's why she's saying try the lactose free first 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

My son coughs when he has cows milk and when he has a cough/cold it makes it sooo much worse. Found this out after a few difficult months. He is now on toddler soya milk and have had no problems since.

Cows milk protein allergy isn't an intolerance. He'd be really poorly.
If it is an intolerance it's more likely to be lactose, but as you say, he's been breastfed and you (presumably) drink milk so he'd be getting a dose that way.

Have you considered any other possible causes? House dust mite, tree pollen etc?
Or he may just be a bit snotty: my first Dc was, until adenoids and tonsils out along with grommets on 3rd birthday, after which he never had a problem again.
How's your DS's hearing?

Just to add he also had it on formula, but much worse with cows milk. Everytime he had a cold he got admitted to hospital with breathing problems. Eventually got an inhaler for him but since I swapped to soya milk I've never needed to use it.

Banana - why did you try soya milk over lactose free out of interest?

Notatwork- but I keep reading that lactose intolerance is really rare..?

Lactose intolerance is to do with the gut (bloating,gas) whereas a dairy allergy can cause breathing problems so I went with soya.

Very common in babies to have a dairy allergy.

He doesn't have gut issues just this breathing and wheezing... but my health visitor makes me feel like I'm being extreme.

I'm going crazy here not knowing what to do for the best

I don't think you're being extreme, you are describing my DS exactly. He had a constant wheeze. It won't harm him to try and it may make him feel a lot better.

I would ask the doctor anyway, not your HV.

You can have cows milk protein intolerance or cows milk protein allergy, they are not the same. As you say it's unlikely to be lactose intolerance as breast milk is full of it too.

Banana would have tried soya first as its dairy free so has no cows milk protein or lactose (the milk sugar) whereas lactose free milk still contains the cow's milk protein.

So should I be trying lactose free, cows milk free or soya?

I'm don't know why I'm finding this all so agonisingly difficult. Just too much information. If i talk to doctors or H/Vs they say I google too much but they aren't suggesting anything else to do so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Soya wouldn't normally be a first choice formula milk but that's more for babies under 6 months. The only problem may be that quite a lot of babies who react to cows milk protein can also react to soya. I really don't set how lactose free milk would help if he was ok while breastfeeding. The other dairy free milks are expensive.

You could maybe try soya formula and see if it helps. After the age of 1 they are less reliant on milk so don't need as much. The issue would be other dairy foods as they may contribute too. Does he have yogurts, cheese, etc ?

I think lactose intolerance would be gut signs more than wheeziness... as my 5 month old seems to have lactose intolerance secondary to something... adding colief (lactase) to some milk before a feed massively improves things...

DD had cmpi, was colicky, refluxy and skin was a bit dry, has outgrown.

DS was wheezy when I was eating nuts, stopped when I stopped. Had the ongoing diarrhoea but minimal skin signs.

It's difficult to tell what is the main issue with babies. Certainly sounds like it could be cmpi but they're very anti prescribing the milks as they're super expensive.

He's on soya now he's over 1 years old. I'm not sure about formula.