really need some advice....

[user1464629497]

My lil man will be 8mths on the 16th, he was diagnosed lactose intolerant at 3mths. Im really struggling at the mo, the doc wanted to see how he would react will normal milk when he was 6mths and since then hes not been right

Sorry i clicked post by mistake before finishing my post! his main symptom is foul smelling nappies and its always full of mucus! Ilsometimes its the colour of meconium and other times its a mix of dark green, light green and brown. Doc is not worried im strict with his diet making sure there is no dairy at all but as he is gettig older he obviously is just progressing normal and wanting snacks etc but i cant give him anything other than rusks and it now seems they are upsetting his bowels! I just dunno what to do for him hes got other symptoms such as flush cheeks/rashes that come and go, and alot of gass with tummy pain. Hes also going alot but not as much as he used to before the diagnosis. I personally think he has other intolerances or allergies but nobody is willing to refere him for tests etc because he is thriving and putting on weight fine. I think hes on a growth spurt as hes become tired alot over the past few days and very irritable but then again thatcould be down to something irritating his problems. He had reflux and that seems to of calmed down now. He was born 4wks early incase that has anything to do with it, i guess im just asking if anybody has had similar experiences and can shed some light as i feel there is something wrong and just want some advice on what to do for him if anything at all??!

I've no personal experience of lactose intolerance but there are many mums on here that are.
I'm slightly confused. Is he having any dairy at all at the moment? The doctor wanted you to try him with milk at 6 months? You gave him some and you think it's made him worse?
He's presumably being weaned at the moment. Why can you only give him rusks as snacks? There are many dairy free snack options, especially if you bake them yourself. Do a search for child friendly, dairy free recipes.
What about bread sticks or rice cakes. Fruit and veg?
If you are concerned about other intolerances then you need to go back and push harder for a referral for further tests.

Some of these symptoms also sound like teething. Bad poos, mucus in poo, flushed cheeks etc. Agree with smartie that there are lots of dairy free weaning options.

It sounds very much like cows milk protein allergy. Have a read of the link and see what you think.

As for dairy free food, try New York Bagels cinnamon & raisin spread with pure sunflower spread. You can make custard with a milk alternative using Birds Custard Powder. Baked beans and sausage are good, just check the label on the sausage.

The main thing though is to insist on a different formula and a referral.

Try this too

My son is allergic to cows milk protein, he's 2 1/2 and is thriving. There is plenty of food available that does t contain cows milk - why does he only eat rusks? There is a lot more you can give...

Sorry i wasnt clear on certain things, its not cows milk allergy as when we got prescribed lf milk he changed over night and was a much happier baby his poo was normal and he wasnt being sick as much and no rashes at all and his belly went down(it was always very bloated looking) It presented itself at such a late stage because i was giving him lactase enzyme drops and when he reached the recomended age for stopping them the symptoms just kept coming. As he was early he was very poorly and spent two weeks in hospital before i got to bring him home. He had rashes and diareah then but i got told it was down to the problems he had. I wasnt satisfied tbh i always knew something was wrong ive never known a baby to just get rashes after having milk. I cant really give him anything other than rusk at the mo cus he has no teeth lol i also have an 18mth old toddler so its very hard to cook things all the time im just managing to do his meals everyday and im also a single parent. No the doc wanted to see if he could tolerate normal milk as i know with these problems its mainly trial and error. He is ff as i have kidney disease and couldnt bf with my meds. He has 3 meals a day breakfast, dinner and tea and 3 bottles of milk. I dont know if hes having too much milk now given his age but if so what alternitives can i use, i tried the arla lactofree stuff and it didnt agree with him and he doesnt like coconut milk either. Thanks for the responses btw much appreciated!

There are many alternatives to rusks. He doesn't need teeth to give most foods a good go.
Have you looked at all the products now available in the baby food aisle, the range is huge. Is he having purée - fruits, veg, baby porridge? Rice cakes and breads. Eggs? Dips like houmous?
To be honest he could be eating most of what you're feeding the 18mnth old.
I would not worry too much about his milk intake as long as he is happy and growing. He's still only 8 months and should be still having quite a lot of milk.

So is he on lacto free formula?

Agree with the teeth thing. Try giving him a round of toast (df) for breakfast. He will probably surprise you

I just figured he wouldnt be able to eat things that are abit harder and wouldnt melt like mush in his mouth like rusks. Cus my first wasnt able to enjoy foods more until he had a couple of teeth, he would get mardy cus he couldnt chew things like ricecakes. Ive given him some toast before and he liked it but it kept getting stuck and put him off.yeh he is on lactofree formula, he has 3 bottles a day the one in the morning i use half to mix for his porridge. By this time my first was only on one bottle of milk a day, he prefered tea and normal milk lol he has fruit puree for a pudding after his dinner with a bottle of juice. Yeh ive scoured the shops they have huge ranges of stuff but its amazong how much of it has lactose in or milk products! This is why im getting abit stuck on what to do i will try ricecakes though see what happens. Hes a hungry babycus i had to feed him every 2-3 hrs when he was poorly to help put weight on and its difficult sometimes tryna keep him happy. He gets like a blotchy rash on the sides of his face then that dissapears and comes back then his cheeks go bright red. Its not teething cus when i know somethings set him off he does nout but fart and is uncomfortable when sleeping then he starts with the diarreah. Before i got a diagnosis i was going through a pack of nappies every two days, though its not as bad as that when somethings set him off but he still goes up to 7x a day and thats not normal for him. I had to wean him at 4nalf months cus the milk just wasnt feeding him and he was guzzling 11oz every two hours lol

Hi! Haven't read all the post sorry.
I just want to say that .y daughter has milk protein allergy which means she can't have any dairy at all or soya until test are done, which is due in 3 weeks after waiting for 3 months and we got a referral because she went into anaphylactic shock at 6.5 months. They don't tempt to give allergy test unless in very serious and they explained to me that is hard to diagnose when in babies as symptoms are similar with reflux, colic, etc.

Lactose intolerance means the baby can't digest the sugar in milk, not the actual protein being the problam si unless is milk protein allergy you can safely gibe baby lactofree stuff which you can find at any major store. Even for completely dairy free check with your biggest Tesco store in your area, they have dome products lice violife spread cheese, cheese slices, coconut yogurt, there are more yogurt selections but most if them contain soya beans and usually when there's milk allergy is alzi soya allergy. I even found baking butter dairy free ar tesco. Margarine s are plenty, dairy and lactose free.
GP should have at least refer you to dietician to explain ti you the differences between lactose intolerant and milk protein allergy and how to deal with it.

My dietician couldn't believe that one if the parents child was suspected for being lactose intolerant as apparently is vary rare in the UK, very common in Asia. And he said most of babies have lactose intolerance at some point in babyhood but is usually just temporary when baby is unwell and can't digest well the sugar UB milk so maybe that's why the doctor tryed introducing the milk again.

Definetelly ask your GP to at least zee a dietician as you struggle ti cope with the condition

He should be able to eat, whether or not he has teeth. My dd scoffed a ham sandwich at 23 weeks. It's amazing what they can manage when they want to

Between 6 and 12 months he should have a minimum of 20floz of formula a day, so having 3 bottles a day is absolutely fine.

Have you made an appointment with your GP yet?

I know what lactose intolerance is i know he cant process the sugars in milk wich is why hes on dairy free diet its not just milk tht contains it though theres all other ingrediants that do. And i know its rare aswell, if it was a milk allergy the lactofree formula wouldnt of had any effect. Ive been to the doc number of times to the point where hes starting to think im a fruitloop! Im awaiting to see the dietician its months away though and ive tried and so has my hv to get in sooner but nothing they can do as its all fully booked! As ive said ever since i tried him on normal formula hes not been right since! When i first mentioned that i felt he has some sort of intolerance or allergy to my hv and doc when he was a couple of months it just got dismissed as bad colic. I knew it wasnt cus my first had it bad and the symptoms my 2nd had were similar but very different. And all the colic treatments never worked didnt even ease any of it. I live over the road from a massive tesco store and trust me there really isnt much in there. And the lactofree stuff doesnt work, all it has in lactase enzyme in so the lactose isnt actually taken out just broken down, ive tried him with that before and it just sets him off again. He was fine with coconut milk he just didnt like it, i might try soua but as ive said previously i feel hes got other intolerances aswell

So sorry that you have to wait so long to see a Dietician. Have yiu spoken to your HV or GP about being referred to a Paed too?

It is odd about the lacto free stuff isn't it, think it actually says on the packs "not suitable for people with Lactose allergy".

With him having such a limited diet are you giving him any vitamins?

Are you looking for things to try him with other than rusks?

You can try oats milk maybe, it is fortified with calcium and vit d, just doesn't have any fats really, only use it cooking or husband uses with porridge when hasn't got expressed milk. It really is frustrating I really now there aren't many things available but OK to just get by, I'm breastfeeding and I'm also on dairy free diet for mg daughter and before I found violife I really struggled. If they don't have much at tesco try finding some online and after you've tried it speak to customea service to bring some in store, they tempt to be good with that as long you will buy freequy

*Frequently. Good luck and hang in there is meant ti get better with time. 90% grow out of milk allergy between 3 and 5 years old, don't know about lactose intolerant though

Have yiu tried any of these?

All of those contain soya which he may be intolerant or alleegiy to it often occurs with dairy allergy. I would try them but keep an eye in effects, which is quite hard as qccory to dietician sometu it can take 3 weeks for a reaction. I would definetely ask someone about it. Can't wait to find out about soya allergy for my dd this month, a lot more options out there soya based

Sorry late reply lol ive taken your advice and hes much better now! Hes ok with alpro soya stuff and ive also found out its fruit setting him off! Hes ok with tiny amounts and i mean really small amounts every now and again! He sat there eating chips and fishcake yesterday lol only lil bits obviously hes always eating though right lil piggy haha thankyou all for your help it really did