We've been dairy free for a week but still no signs of improvement in blocked nose

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hello, I'm hoping you can help. Having heard from various sources to try a dairy free diet for my 3 1/2 year old daughter I'm not feeling it has had much success. She has constant colds (runny nose predominantly) and I haven't really seen a break in it this time since september! Sometimes it's better than others but it's a constant problem for her. She has been diagnosed with glue ear and I'm wondering if these problems are interlinked. We are awaiting a ear nose and throat appointment. Anyway...should a week of dairy free have shown up the improvement by now? Anyone found it takes a while? Any other ideas of what I can do? Be good to hear from people who have had similar problems. Thanks :-)

TBH I would seek medical advice before cutting out a major food group in my child's diet.

Have you thought about getting her tested for allergies?

could be something like rhinitis. My dh has perennial rhinitis and takes a daily anti-histamine plus a nasal spray

It's a commonly heard myth, that dairy products encourage mucus production. There is no evidence to support this. It's bollocks, actually.

I would guess it's more likely she's allergic to house dust mites, mould or pet hair.

If it is dairy that causes it, it will take longer than a week to notice any improvements, it is probably more like 3-4 weeks.

Thanks for the replies. We have been having soya alternative and I have made sure she's not missing out nutritionally. I have heard that the evidence is lacking but have been encouraged by several success stories. Allergy testing might have to be the next step. :-)

Gone - My DS has had ear and nose problems for years....after repeated ear infections and years of me pestering I finally got him a referral to the ENT department of our local hospital. He had mild glue ear, his hearing had been slightly damaged and he constantly has a blocked nose!!

The doctor was brilliant....he has been prescribed with nasal spray, he has to blow up a nasal balloon every day to help clear his ears and he takes a syrup too.

At his follow up appointment his hearing had improved, there was no fluid in his ear and generally his blocked nose has improved although he still sniffs when he gets upset. Does your DD sniff a lot. My DS was sniffing very very loudly and violently as he said it used to feel like he had bubbles in his ears and sniffing was the only thing that cleared it.

I think DS's nose problems are also allergic rhinitus but the spray helps with that. His problems have nothing to do with his diet at all. His nasal and ear canals are still quite narrow but hopefully as he grows they will widen and he will improve even more.

Really push for that ENT appt asap and good luck :)

Soya and Milk proteins are very alike according to the hospital dietician that we see. If you think that is the problem why don't you try Oatly or Rice milk.

It is the time of the year for colds. And I would be wary of cutting dairy out of a toddler's diet- she needs the calcium, among other things. Why not wait til you've seen the ENT person?

If she got it since September I expect that she has been going to nursery/kids activities since September and been picking up all kinds of viruses.

The best way to prevent ear infections (recurrent ear infections can result in glue ear) is using a saline spray/Sterimar/something similar to clear her nose as best as possible (several times a day).

Only when she is older you can start giving Sudafed, which is brilliant, but unfortunately she is too young at the moment.

I would discuss with your GP before cutting out dairy altogether.

Thank you again for such thoughtful replies, I am so grateful and humbled that people have given their time to help me! This is my first posting that I started and I'll take on board what you have said for sure. Especially grateful to 'Betty', thanks loads :-)

Good luck OP. Do let us know how you get on.

Betty may I just ask... Was the advice to use the nasal balloon on an ongoing basis or just for set time. I have had wonderful results on my child using otovent balloon. The improvement took 8 days after 2 months of v low hearing due to awful glue ear. The instructions say use for 3 weeks. We did nearer 4 & stopped 2 days ago but I was/am tempted to keep using if it may help prevent a return. Didn't know if any problems may be caused by over use so thought best stop as per what it said on the box!!

Hearing test was cancelled by clinic due to bad weather so I am yet to know how good balloon was (although it was life changing for us - that much I do know!).

Biscuitmillionaire there is strong evidence that milk products cause allergic-type symptoms in some individuals - it's referred to as MSPI (Milk Soy Protein Intolerance) in the US and CMPI (Cow's milk protein intolerance) in the UK. In non-allergic/ intolerant individuals there is little evidence that dairy increases mucus production. However, if she did have CMPI I would expect her to have had some symptoms when she was little related to feeding - e.g., significant vomiting, weight gain issues, diarrhea/ constipation.

moomintash is right about soy being a cross allergen - those who are allergic to milk are also often (not always, my DS is not) allergic to soy products. With milk exclusion you need to be very thorough and remove all sources, including things like whey powder (often found in biscuits and other processed food).

It often takes up to six weeks for milk proteins to leave the system. Milk products are not an essential human food and you can have an adequate diet without, but it needs careful planning so if you are going to do it long-term then you would need dietician input.

I think it's reasonable to consider other allergies - e.g., dust mites, mould, dander if the milk exclusion doesn't do any good after a reasonable amount of time.

There is no medical evidence for this but I have found that changing my daughter onto lactose free milk really helped with her constant colds. It is widely available and I was very reluctant to try a dairy free diet as she was about to start puberty.

Mumchat, we have the otovent balloon but she is unable to fully inflate it, any tips? Tia

Hi vjg

We had same problem to start with. Her Dad blew up the balloon as big as possible a couple of times (can be done by mouth) to soften it a bit. This helps ever such a lot. Do it as much as you need as once child can inflate once themselves they get the confidence and technique then you can always switch to a new balloon if initial one too easy.

Then it was just loads of clapping, cheering and chocolate coin (it was Xmas!) as a reward. I found tilting the child's head so ear down towards their shoulder made it more effective on ears but easier to learn to inflate with head up normally. There is a very good video clip on Otovent website which we watched with her daughter. This helped a lot. Her Dad (like the Dad in the video) also inflated ballon with his nose to demonstrate! Do it yourself as it will help you help your child.

Good luck. I am so glad we persevered.

Thanks mumchat, that's really useful. My daughter has learning difficulties so does take longer to "get" stuff. I have tried demonstrating and getting my other daughter to do it but will persevere.

Fantastic that it has worked so well for your child.

My daughter has a hearing test on monday and I'm sure her hearing will be down and fluid in her middle ear.

mum....with the nasal balloon we did it twice a day for about 3 months till his follow up appt. his ears have cleared but if i get any sign that fluid is coming back we will start to use it again.

it was hard to start with...poor ds was almost purple....but just block one nostril with finger and really go for it!! we used the balloons for longer than the 5 days each but as soon as it got too easy we would use a new one.

his ENT doctor agreed it was a good idea to use the balloon at the first sign of ear problems too.....