coconut milk allergy? and milk alternatives...

[jennasuz]

my 13 month old seems to be lactose intolerant like his mommy... I've had him on soy formula since he weaned a few months ago, have given him soy yogurt as well, but I don't really want to continue with the soy now that he's over a year... so I'm looking for alternatives... Rice milk is an option, but I feel like it doesn't give much, nutritionally speaking...

I gave him some coconut yogurt this morning and a few sips of coconut milk (from SO Delicious) and within about 20 minutes of his breakfast, he had a rash on his cheeks and around his ears, just little red bumps, not raised... could it be an allergic reaction? Should I lay off the coconut with him completely?

[boobs4milk]

i have a coconut allergy, but i get the full blown anaphylaxis reaction. i didn't when i was younger; i got the rash you speak of. i'd definitely lay off the coconut and maybe try almond milk? s

eta: i just saw that your ds is only 13 mos and may not have been introduced to nuts yet. the almond milk may not be a good idea, either. they do have regular soy milk that isn't formula.

[wombatclay]

It could certainly be an allergy. There are a lot of non-dairy "dairy" options if you feel the need to introduce this food... nut milks, hemp milks, rice milks, etc. But many of these don't have a lot of nutritional value on their own, so you might decide to just focus on higher nutrition solids and offer water for drinking.

Do you know if the problem is lactose itself or if it's cow milk protein causing the reaction? If it's lactose, you could maybe use the lactaid style dairy products or experiment with yogurts/kefirs. If it's the protein you may be able to tolerate milk from other animals (goat or sheep). A bit ot for your question, I know, but maybe something to explore?

[ktmama]

I think you should begin with your assumption that your baby needs some sort of "milk". He doesn't, unless it's breast milk or formula. Eating a healthy diet that includes dark green veggies will give him calcium. Most "milks" are loaded with sugar and cow's milk has a host of problems all it's own. FWIW, none of my kids have ever drank cow's milk or any other "milk". Just water here.

[AustinMom]

My son had milk intolerance and soy allergy as baby (we couldn't breast feed) and he has been on hempmilk since 8 mo old. We recently added coconut milk for him to get more fat.

We saw a pediatric nutritionist and she said Hempmilk is great! It's all kinds of nutritious, and VERY rich in Omegas and such. Also, a great pro for us, THERE IS NO KNOWN ALLERGEN TO IT!!! YAY!!!! It's expensive, but it's been almost our only option. It's better than rice or oat milk as those are mostly sugars and carbs. Living harvest (Tempt) makes one and so does Rice Dream, it's called Hemp Dream, and there is HempBliss as well, but it's not fortified with vitamins.

[jennasuz]

My son is going through a "no veggie" thing. I'm hoping it's a phase as we are total veg-heads around this place, but the only way I can currently get him to eat greens is pureed, and even then it's a battle. So yeah, I guess I do feel like I need some sort of "milk".

I'll try the hemp milk, thanks for the help!