Nutrition for a 14 month old, losing my mind!

[ThundersCry]

I will be back tomorrow when more lucid with more information, but long story short-

tongue-tie, corrected at 4 months
formula from 6 months due to supply issues related to tongue-tie, 2 hospitalizations (mine) and inability (mine) to respond to supply boosters
no apparent food issues until recently
food intolerances noticed when intro'd to whole milk- fussy, bloody stool, allergy ring around anus. Also noticed intolerances to eggs, soy, apple.
Now I am slowly introducing that stuff back, lactaid is tolerated, at least in the small amounts given, and egg seems to be okay, so far.

So my question is, if I can't give my child dairy, soy, egg, and apple, and he has recently refused formula AND bottles in general, and any milk-type substance in a cup... how do I supplement his diet accordingly?

Again, let's assume that he doesn't get dairy at all, because it is being very slowly reintroduced. I want to make sure he gets what he needs in his diet though, the pede was adamant that he needed the fats for brain growth. What do vegans do then?

I never worried with my daughter because I Ebf'd her until it wasn't even an issue. She still doesn't drink milk, but eats yogurt and cheese to the point that i have to limit her, lol.

I think that is all the info I have to offer, but ask away, I am sure I may have missed something.
He has strange preferences all in all to begin with, which I am sure have to do with the whole tongue-tie/palate/formula-fed thing.

[Shakti77]

Is he allergic to nuts?

Almond milk, coconut milk [preferably freshly made by blending coconut meat in a blender with water and strained] are good fats for the kids. If he refuses to drink milk like stuff, Add some organic sugar and make popsicles out of these and stick it in the freezer.

Will he try milkshakes? icecreams made with almond milk or coconut milk?

[ThundersCry]

Originally Posted by Shakti77

Is he allergic to nuts?

Almond milk, coconut milk [preferably freshly made by blending coconut meat in a blender with water and strained] are good fats for the kids. If he refuses to drink milk like stuff, Add some organic sugar and make popsicles out of these and stick it in the freezer.

Will he try milkshakes? icecreams made with almond milk or coconut milk?

So far he has been okay with coconut milk yogurts. I am hesitant to try almond though, it just doesn't sit with me right, don't know why. Is that all I would have to add to give him what he is missing by not having dairy?

Would a coconut milk yogurt a day be enough?

Is there a good commercially available coconut milk to drink? I have Whole Foods and Trader Joe's nearby as well as Shop Rite, A&P, Pathmark and Stop and Shop, if that helps any. I fight with coconuts on the rare basis I even find them to buy, so I can't foresee doing it myself.

[lil_earthmomma]

Ok, so

dairy, soy, egg, and apple and nuts are out of the picture. No prob.

Coconut yogurt is great, I'd also feed him coconut milk and coconut oil for anything you cook for him.

Fruits and veggies sound like he's good with all of them right? So I'd introduce sweet potato, avacado, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. For fruit, bananas, mellons, berries. (My 14 mo really likes frozen berries, still frozen.)

Green smoothies would be a great way to get coconut milk, fruits and some baby spinach into him (and you!) You won't taste the spinach, promise! Both of my littles LOVE them.

Meats, he should be able to eat stews, and all sorts of other meat. My 14 mo has no teeth and eats everything from chicken to steak. I just shread apart the tougher parts and he gums the softer meats.

Bone broths would be good if you can get him to eat soup. I use those big boat like spoons you get at chinese food restaurants, and they can self feed after a little bit of practice, but even if you're feeding it to him, they help!

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I was also going to suggest meats. My DD (14 mo) LOVES chicken cooked anyway. She will also do ground beef if it has certain flavorings added. She had ribs last week and loved them too (ate a 1/4 rack by herself!).

[ThundersCry]

Awesome! I feel so much more inspired now! LOL
So if he has meats (I forgot to add that I limit ground beef for now, because it may have an issue as well), bone broths, coconut products, plenty of fruit and veggies, then he should be getting adequate fats and vitamins.
Also, in the meantime, I am slowly introducing lactaid to him and he seems to be tolerating it okay (it is the first day though), so it may just be a lactose thing to begin with. Hopefully it resolves. I have a stupid issue with lactaid, because I like to give foods as whole and unprocessed as possible. I almost would rather keep him off of dairy than give him processed dairy, if that makes any sense. At the same time, I suppose that some processed foods have a purpose. I guess it is just a personal fight I am trying to figure out.
Since he has been off of dairy, he craves bananas like no tomorrow. I have to actually hide them from him.
Sooo, another question then, is it okay if I break up a chewable vitamin for him to have (we use the gummy vites by whole foods for 3yo DD). The pede wants him to have vitamins but I don't want to give him the polyvisol with flouride.

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by ThundersCry

Awesome! I feel so much more inspired now! LOL
So if he has meats (I forgot to add that I limit ground beef for now, because it may have an issue as well), bone broths, coconut products, plenty of fruit and veggies, then he should be getting adequate fats and vitamins.

Absolutely!

Also, in the meantime, I am slowly introducing lactaid to him and he seems to be tolerating it okay (it is the first day though), so it may just be a lactose thing to begin with. Hopefully it resolves. I have a stupid issue with lactaid, because I like to give foods as whole and unprocessed as possible. I almost would rather keep him off of dairy than give him processed dairy, if that makes any sense. At the same time, I suppose that some processed foods have a purpose. I guess it is just a personal fight I am trying to figure out.

Oh, that would be hard. I think if I was in that situation I would just avoid dairy for now, as I know that my sister who is severely allergic still has mild reactions even with the lactaid, which to me says stay away!

Since he has been off of dairy, he craves bananas like no tomorrow. I have to actually hide them from him.
Sooo, another question then, is it okay if I break up a chewable vitamin for him to have (we use the gummy vites by whole foods for 3yo DD). The pede wants him to have vitamins but I don't want to give him the polyvisol with flouride.

I'm sure crushing a vit would work, or I know there are liquid vits at the HFS without flouride.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by lil_earthmomma

Ok, so

dairy, soy, egg, and apple and nuts are out of the picture. No prob.

Coconut yogurt is great, I'd also feed him coconut milk and coconut oil for anything you cook for him.

Fruits and veggies sound like he's good with all of them right? So I'd introduce sweet potato, avacado, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. For fruit, bananas, mellons, berries. (My 14 mo really likes frozen berries, still frozen.)

Green smoothies would be a great way to get coconut milk, fruits and some baby spinach into him (and you!) You won't taste the spinach, promise! Both of my littles LOVE them.

Meats, he should be able to eat stews, and all sorts of other meat. My 14 mo has no teeth and eats everything from chicken to steak. I just shread apart the tougher parts and he gums the softer meats.

Bone broths would be good if you can get him to eat soup. I use those big boat like spoons you get at chinese food restaurants, and they can self feed after a little bit of practice, but even if you're feeding it to him, they help!

All this and also you can freeze the smoothies in to pops for something different. Coconut milk is FABULOUS!!

[ThundersCry]

lil earthmama, thanks! It is just my gut reaction to stay away from dairy with him. It turns out, putting him to bed he was tugging his ears. During the time he was on dairy he had fluid in his ears a lot, and while off, no fluid. I think the answer is obvious now. It just sucks for him because I didn't realize it but my family and extended family is very dairy based in a lot of cooking. Which isn't a good thing for any of us.

Also, I have not really ventured into smoothies. THe most I have done is frozen over ripe bananas and blended into milk for DD. Where do I begin? AH I wish it were the spring and I could grow a garden again. I didn't do it this last year, too many health issues alllll around.

[ThundersCry]

PS Thank you all so much. I don't know what i would do without this place. My pede's answer to these questions was to do research because she didn't really know. and she is one of the best around here!

[Brigio]

I would forgo cows milk all together for him- including lactaid. I would use coconut milk as his soul "milk" source- and maybe down the road slowly introduce raw cows milk but it is not absolutely necessary. We dont do cows milk because we dont have accesses to raw milk (live in canada). So we do lots of coconut milk/oil. I make smoothies w/ coconut milk/water/hemp seeds/frozen berries/banana. I also add Garden of Life greens (cant even taste it) and bee pollen. That is the basic recipe. We do this almost every morning. We also do fresh juice( with a juicer) every few days. Meat and bone broth. Cook everything with coconut oil/butter. We supplement with cod liver oil/extra D (I take other stuff as well). My little monkey (2 years old) hasn't been sick this year!

[ThundersCry]

Thanks Brigio!
See that is the thing. I know something is not right, my little bean has been sick more in his little more than one year, than DD has been in her almost 4 years. Also, loves to share his sickies with me (yay). My gut is it is a combo of not getting the proper nutrition and his food sensitivities. Now I feel other mama's pain. Allergies are one thing, set in stone, this on the other hand is not an exact science. I can't explain to people how I know these things bother him but they do. I have taken to telling people that he is allergic to make things easier on me (and his potential ingestion of said things). Somehow people understand allergic more than sensitive. I hate to overuse the word allergic because of those that truly are though.
I also thought to look into CLO for him. I wish we had the $$ for a nutritionist, because I really feel like he needs one. IN the meantime i am just up all hours of the night trying to find healthy tasty and proper foods for him, because I feel so bad for my baby that I just don't know this way of eating. A juicer is a great idea. Actually. Everyone is at a loss for christmas gifts for him, and I might just ask someone to get one because it would be for his primary benefit. And mine. I won't have to look at toys that are not needed and cluttering our already small place!

I am sorry if I am being a pain, I am really just trying to slow my brain down. It is going in circles.

What do you all think of this- DS got a hold of DD's pasta last night that had garlic/oil and a sprinkle of parmesan on it. He seemed to have no problem from that. I definitely agree no milk/butter/creamcheese/sour cream/cheese etc... but what about parmesan in small quantities? Would you still do NO dairy. I think I would, but just wondering because DH questioned me on it. He said that DS seemed to be fine, so what would the harm be in it?
Also, what about dairy from other animals? Do they have lactose as well? Yes, right?
I am totally fine with NO dairy, I am just trying to feel out the options and keep the kitchen as singly-mealed as possible. Not in the mood to be a short order cook, and between budget and picky DH, I am pretty close to one to begin with. Of course I feel DS needs come before DH's pickiness, but I digress. Also I feel for DS because he knows others are eating things that he is not.

[lil_earthmomma]

I think for now you should avoid all dairy, esp if it's causing fluid build up in his ears.

Parmesan is pretty easy to add at the end of a dish, and if he has a couple bites it's probably not so bad, but I wouldn't feed it to him as his meal yk?

As for smoothies, half a can of coconut milk, a frozen over ripe banana, or a fresh banana, 2 or three handfuls of baby spinach, and 1 or two handfuls of frozen mixed berries, or frozen strawberries or whatever. Perfect berry smoothie.

Another hit with my kiddos is half a can of coconut milk, two handfuls of pineapple, 2 handfuls of spinach, and frozen mango. Mmmmmmmm tropical!

[Jenille]

Originally Posted by ThundersCry

Is there a good commercially available coconut milk to drink? I have Whole Foods and Trader Joe's nearby as well as Shop Rite, A&P, Pathmark and Stop and Shop, if that helps any. I fight with coconuts on the rare basis I even find them to buy, so I can't foresee doing it myself.

We've been drinking So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages, and enjoying them tremendously. Coupons here, too, for not only the coconut milk beverages, but also coconut milk kefir, coffee creamer, yogurt, and ice cream, too!

[kjbrown92]

You might want to head over to the Allergies subforum of Health & Healing. They'll give you lots of ideas.

My DD2 was on about 20 foods at 14 months because of food intolerances. They are every bit as real as food allergies. A different mechanism, and not life threatening, but very real.

My DS can't have almonds, rice, soy, cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, or water buffalo milk. He does coconut milk smoothies (coconut milk, banana, frozen blueberries OR coconut milk, banana, 1 tsp. of cocoa, 1 tsp. of maple syrup for a real treat).

Goat, sheep, cow, water buffalo, and human milk all have lactose in them. It's very rare for someone that young to have a lactose intolerance. A milk intolerance is much more likely.

If you think beef is a problem, there's ground chicken, pork, or turkey that you could make into meatballs. Are you keeping a food journal to see what other foods he might have a problem with?

I actually used fitday.com to figure out if our nutritional needs were being met with what we were eating.

[ThundersCry]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

You might want to head over to the Allergies subforum of Health & Healing. They'll give you lots of ideas.

My DD2 was on about 20 foods at 14 months because of food intolerances. They are every bit as real as food allergies. A different mechanism, and not life threatening, but very real.

My DS can't have almonds, rice, soy, cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, or water buffalo milk. He does coconut milk smoothies (coconut milk, banana, frozen blueberries OR coconut milk, banana, 1 tsp. of cocoa, 1 tsp. of maple syrup for a real treat).

Goat, sheep, cow, water buffalo, and human milk all have lactose in them. It's very rare for someone that young to have a lactose intolerance. A milk intolerance is much more likely.

If you think beef is a problem, there's ground chicken, pork, or turkey that you could make into meatballs. Are you keeping a food journal to see what other foods he might have a problem with?

I actually used fitday.com to figure out if our nutritional needs were being met with what we were eating.

I sort of figured it was a protein thing vs. a lactose thing when he had issues with soy. I am going to start keeping a journal, but pretty much since i pulled those foods from his diet, his poops were better to the point we barely even smell them, his sleep habits improved tremendously, and you can just tell he is better all around. Not to say there aren't more things that could have an effect on him, or that something can't slip in there.
He is still eating breads and other processed foods that have trace amounts of the things that bothered him straight up, so I still have to work on those. Why would there be milk in bread? I don't get it.
Never heard of fitday.com, thanks! Probably just what i am looking for! I have dietary issues to the extreme since I have had him and had my gallbladder out, so I need it for me as well.

[kjbrown92]

If you go over to the allergies forum, under resources, there's a bunch of links to recipes and blogs with recipes, in case you're looking for ideas.

[ThundersCry]

thanks, will do! I wasn't sure if this was a allergy issue or a nutrition issue since it is kind of both. I meant it to be, we are steering away from abc what do I do, and it didn't! I found some good stuff last night though on the allergies forum! coolness.

[ThundersCry]

We've gotten this far and he is slowly SLOWLY getting over this! Definitely a FPIES sort of kind of thing that was going on.