Best non-soya based dairy free milk for infants

[ManCubsMama]

My baby boy has a dairy intolerance so I’m wondering what I will give him as an alternative to Whole cows milk when he turns 1. I have seen Alpro Growing Milk has all the fats and vitamins but I am very concerned about the affects of soya, particularly in males.

Can anyone suggest a good follow on formula or milk alternative that is dairy free, not soya based but has all (or as close to) the essential fats and vitamins that whole milk does?

Thanks!

What's he having right now? Have you spoken to your gp/a dietician?

The dietician told me to use oatly barista, she said any milk is ok as long as it’s fortified but some mills have fewer calories and those have to be made up elsewhere in the diet. You should be able to get a telephone dietitian appointment and my ds was prescribed the dairy free formula for drinking betting one.

He'll need to stay on prescriprion formula until 2, alternative milks aren't recommended ad a main drink until 2 due to lack of nutrients

@missmonkeypenny it depends on their diet. My older DD ate well and a varied diet as was refusing formula so the dietitian said alternative milk was fine. DD2 on the other hand doesn’t have much food so I wouldn’t be giving her an alternative milk as a drink.

The research into effects of soya on males is very dodgy and not independent from the American milk industry. Oatley Barista is high is fat and has added iodine.

Don’t mess around with random alternatives. Get it prescribed, if necessary.

He is currently breastfed, but I’ll be returning to work soon and find expressing a chore.

I did have a call with my GP who recommended the Alpro 1-3 growing milk, but reading up on the affects of soya I’m just not comfortable with giving him this in the quantities he would need.

To add, the GP was not concerned about his intolerance as it currently only presents itself as a rash on his face (sometimes hands as well) which does go away within an hour or so, no vomitting/diahorrea.

They don't need huge quantities after age 1. Will you still breastfeed to some extent after you return to work?

Oatly Barista is generally recommended. The private paediatrician we saw wasn't keen on soya either for a boy and the dairy free formulas are generally not palatable unless introduced pretty early.

Speak to a paediatric dietician.

Nutritionally, Alpro Growing Up milk is the best option for your child. It has more nutrients - including iodine - than the alternatives. There is no need to avoid soya unless your child is allergic to it (some children with CMPA also have issues with soya).

If your child is allergic to soya or if you really don't want to give it (I'm not convinced by the evidence against it) the next best option is Koko Super.

dilanandme.com/alternative-milks-cmpa/

Also agree with this:

"They don't need huge quantities after age 1. Will you still breastfeed to some extent after you return to work?"

It would be very beneficial if you could continue to breastfeeding in the morning and evening (and on non-work days). That way he will still get some of the nutrients and calories he needs through your milk.

Nice guidelines say that children with CMPA should have breastmilk or hypoallergenic formula until they turn 2, but in reality most HCPs won't prescribe the formula after the age of 1, because of the cost. So it's best to continue some breastfeeding if you can, alongside whatever alternative milk you choose.

We gave Oatly Barista btw (and still have it with cereal etc) but it doesn't have much iodine so it's not ideal, Alpro Growing Up milk or Koko Super would be better.

If you continue to breast feed before work, after work and before bed he won't actually need much milk, they need around 1 pint a day. We never used bottles instead introduced a cup around 1, and if I was out (admittedly not often as I stayed home with mine) h would use formula with a little nesquik powder as both of mine refused formula or cows milk. (1/2 teaspoon rather than the full amount for the milk)

From age 1 they only need around 300/350mls of milk so if you breastfeed they could still get the majority of the milk they need from that.

I plan to continue breastfeeding until he self weans, at the moment (9 months) he barely feeds from me during the day, just has a big morning & bedtime feed and 1-2 shirt overnight feeds. I imagine we’ll keep this up as he loves his boobie.

He will starting nursery/grandparent childcare in September. He doesn’t take a bottle but is great with a sippy cup. I thought they needed more than 1 pint during the day! I always thought of older babies/ toddlers guzzling milk with all their meals.

Would I have to go private to see a paediatric dietician? My GP didn’t mention any kind of referral and seemed largely unbothered as my boy is not suffering digestive issues and is growing healthily.

This sounds silly/vain but my DH are not the tallest of people and I really don’t want to do anything that could stunt my boys growth and make him short in his adult life.

They can have up to 1 pint after age 1 but only really need 300/350mls to get the right nutrients. They don't need to be taking loads of milk as they will be getting lots of nutrients from their food. Both my dc's were having 2 milk feeds at age 1 and had water with meals.

It's pretty standard for babies/children with CMPA to be referred to a dietician on the NHS, you should ask your GP and if they don't seem bothered you should see a different one. Go armed with the Nice guidelines on CMPA, that should help!

Useful info and links here
www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/conditions-and-symptoms/469-cows-milk-allergy

Morrisons own oat milks are fortified with vitamin d & calcium I use this all 3 of mine.
You’ve also got coconut milk yogurts, oatly cream & squirty cream & custard you can give too.

You don’t need to see a dietician, I’ve only seen one once with my eldest but to be honest she was crap.

The whole soya thing about Male etc is crap too btw, but soya can have the same effect as dairy. Mine are all dairy & soya intolerant so we use oat & coconut milks.

My ones over 3 have a calcium supplement & drink 2-3 cups a day plus I put it in smoothies & cooking.
They’re all healthy heights & weights as I regularly check in with my health visitor.

Hospital allergy dietician advised me oatly barista was the best option and to give from the age of 1. DD dangerously allergic to milk and soya. Aldi now make a similar milk to oatly with added oils.
I was also told to give added baby vitamins )eg abidec drops). I was told as long as DD was eating well and a very varied diet, she shouldnt suffer any deficiencies. She is under the care of the hospital who recently checked her blood levels and everything was ok

Hi OP. Your DS sounds similar to mine who has allergic reactions to cow's milk which became obvious when we started on solids - he immediately comes out in hives wherever the milk (or other dairy product) touches his skin. By the time he started nursery at 10 months, he was only breastfeeding in the morning/evening - we saw a dietician following referral to the allergy clinic who suggested oat milk is a good option so he had this in cereal etc but did not use it as a replacement to breastmilk until he weaned fully at 15 months. We have used normal oat milk (usually Alpro) since then. DS did have other soya products (e.g. Alpro yoghurts) and dietician thought that was fine.

It might be worth asking GP to refer to local allergy clinic. Although blood tests weren't that helpful it has been useful to have confirmation of allergy and have a plan to share with nursery (if he has a reaction he takes Piriton which does the trick).

We have been discharged from dietician as we were confident in avoiding dairy and no concerns about weight/growth so wouldn't say it is absolutely necessary unless you're worried. However they did give us information about the milk ladder (how to challenge the allergy by gradually introducing dairy to diet) in the hope he will grow out of it.

Hope that's helpful :)

Just to add: my DS was also a staunch refuser of bottles so would have water from a cup from 10months during the day/at nursery!

DS is 2.5 now and the milk allergy has certainly not hindered his growth one bit! In some ways it has been a positive as I think we have had to be more conscious of what he eats and grandparents haven't been able to feed endless brioche/chocolate buttons ;)

@girlfrombackthen that’s all really helpful, thank you! x