9 Responses

1. Emelina

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   1

   Many children in the world cannot tolerate bovine dairy products, but can tolerate goat’s milk and other mammal dairy products. However, soy "milk" is a godsend and it’s available in many brands and styles. The one thing to be very careful of is the amount of added sugar. Some brands, like Vitasoy Lite Original are very low on added sugar (and I think it tastes better). It turns out that many people (adults and children) were not meant to partake in bovine/cow dairy products; Lactaid may help some, but not all of us. For babies, there are formula products based on soy that are cow-dairy free. I had to use this with both of my children to get the right balance of nutrients. For toddlers who are weaned and would not be taking a "bottle," the soy milk and soy cheese products are a great option.

2. Adam

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   2

   a lot of juices are fortified with calcium. Especially a lot of the orange juices. Look at the cartons. Is your kid allergic to dairy, or are they lactose intolerant. If they are lactose intolerant, they can still drink soy milk.

3. George

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   3

   1: Go the the grocery store.
   2: Buy whatever vitamins/minerals you think your child needs. (Child brands, since overdosing is always possible, even with vitamins)
   3: Ground them up with something blunt (a spoon may work).
   4: Mix it into your child’s food IN SMALL QUANTITIES.
   5: Feed your kid.

   Now here’s the thing. I have no medical license, nor am I certified in any way to make this call. I wouldn’t rely on the internet to deal with this issue. Schedule an appointment with your pediatrician. The government requires health-care insurance now, so affording the appointment shouldn’t be too expensive. Ask your pediatrician what you can do, and he will probably recommend either buying vitamins, or subscribe one for you that’s SAFE for your child to use. ALWAYS trust a physician’s opinion over the internet, ESPECIALLY when it comes to medication.

4. Guest Starr

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   4

   Hi, firstly allergies are very common these days. Is your son’s and husband’s allergy diagnosed? That is crucially to make sure you have a clinician advising you through the process. Dietary allergies can be difficult to monitor as many products include hidden ingredients. My advice, contact your family doctor and arrange a consultation to discuss your concerns. As your son is still very young he still has a very immature immune system that may be over reacting towards a specific ingredient, i.e. lactose sugar (found in cow’s milk), which is very common. Fitting, sounds like an acute systemic reaction, very similar to anaphylaxis. Calcium supplements do exist to add additional mineral support, but again please discuss that with your physician before beginning any homeopathic treatment.Contact your physician now and make an appointment, or contact your local hospital and inquire with the immunology/allergy department. I’ve added a link page below, it has far more information and guidance for you to read through.
   All the best.

5. mathematician2009

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   5

   calcium tablets, i guess

6. Carin

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   6

   So my mom used goat’s milk and it worked perfectly. I know there are some studies that say cow’s milk can also be the cause of allergies, so it might be a good idea anyway.

   Also, my brother is on the raw diet. This includes milk, there are a lot of sites out there that deliver raw milk, etc. if you want to go that route, just do a ‘raw diet’ search or go here

   http://www.rawfoods.com/

   It’s a pretty good community for resources (maybe your husband wants to take a look)

7. pennypincher

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   7

   My son became lactose intolerant at 15 months old. What I did was get some calcium capsules, instead of the pills. I opened the capsule and mixed it with applesauce to get him his calcium. When he was older, I gave him chewable calcium. Now as a teen, he takes citri-cal.

8. Octavia

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   8

   Beans (dried-type), greens, and tofu are also good, at least for calcium.
   Just to clarify, has your little one’s MD diagnosed this dairy allergy, or are you just worried that your baby might be allergic? If you’ve discussed this with your doctor, s/he should have given you some pointers on calcium replacements for milk.

9. joanne

   May 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm

   9

   You need to determine if your son is actually allergic to milk. If he isn’t, then don’t fret. If he is, there are several options.

   To determine the allergy, you have the choice of giving your child as bit of milk and see what happens. If there are hives, swelling of any body part, stopped breathing, etc, he’s allergic. There are also two tests. One is a back test. The doctors poke the back with the "allergen" to see if there is a reaction. The other test, RAST, is much easier on the child. The lab will draw some blood and will run tests on it. This is easier since the child doesn’t have to sit for all the poking and prodding. The only drawback for the RAST test is that it takes two weeks for the results to come in.

   Once you have the results, you can move on. My son, now two (28 months), was found to have food allergies at 13 months. He’s allergic to eggs, milk, wheat, oat, barley, rye, yeast, oranges, kiwi. Plus we’re avoiding all legumes (beans, peas, etc), nuts and seafood… due to family history.

   We’ve found several substitutes for each "allergen". I’ll only mention the milk substitutes as that’s your concern. Try soy or rice milk. Most doctors suggest replacing cow’s milk with soy due to the fat content. However, our son went directly to rice milk. At first he loved it, but now we have to flavor it with Nestle Strawberry Quik. Quik does contain calcium.

   Look for yogurts, cheeses, etc that don’t have milk in them. They make great soy cheeses, yogurts, ice cream, etc. More than likely, you’ll have to go to a health food store, but Wal-Mart carries Rice Dream Rice Milk in the cereal aisle (small containers) and larger sizes in the refrigerated section (by the soy milk). Rice Dream comes in original, vanilla and chocolate. They also come in "regular" and "enriched". ALWAYS get the enriched… this has more calcium than the regular.

   I have to run and put my son down for a nap, but look into other foods. Broccoli and spinach are great sources of calcium. I could list more, but I’m out of time. Before you remove the foods from your son’s diet, check with your doctor about getting the tests done. It will save you a lot of headaches and heartaches in the long run. (Plus, my nephew and niece will never outgrow their allergies because we didn’t know about them. Not realizing they had problems, they were fed foods that caused problems. It is heartbreaking denying your child something other children are eating because you "don’t know").

   Also I’ve learned this the hard way… a lot of "milk / dairy free" foods contain casein. Casein IS milk!!! Please do not forget to read each and every food label every time you shop or go to a restaurant. Food ingredients are changed often. One day your child can eat a certain food; the next day, the recipe was changed and it’s no longer safe. This happens more times than not. If you need more information, send me a note. I’ll be glad to pass along more information.

   I hope this helps. Just relax, verify that it is a true allergy first and move on from there. My husband and I have no food allergies, but our son is allergic to so many foods. Your husband is allergic, but your son might not have this problem. Check it out before taking away the foods.