Tips on eliminating dairy?

[h@ppy mama]

My DS is almost 4 weeks old. He is SO gassy and cranky. He squirms a lot and is really fussy. I'm fairly certain it's tummy problems because on the rare occasion he isn't gassy, he's very happy. He doesn't have reflux, I don't think. He doesn't spit up a whole lot anyway.

I'm trying dairy elimination as of today to see if this will help him. Does anyone have tips? I love dairy and eat cheese and yogurt daily, as well as a big bowl of cereal for breakfast with milk. I don't mind giving up dairy if it will help him but I'm wondering how to replace my staples.

I also could use any tips/info you might have in general about eliminating dairy.

Please/thanks

[CoBabyMaker]

I once heard someone say that the first two weeks are the hardest and I have to agree. It's different way of eating if you are used to a lot of dairy.
I did a short blog post on dairy-free: here
You might also check out the Allergies forum. I chose to also avoid soy since that is also a common allergen. Try to make sure you are still getting plenty of fat and calories through things like olive oil, avocado and coconut.
Hope that helps a bit!

[Lineymom]

I avoid dairy, not really for my LO, but myself (it gives me acne)
I agree the first 2 weeks are the hardest. I am/was/could be again a cheese lover and ice cream... I don't eat a lot of meat either so cheese was my protein. I eat a lot of nuts instead. Walnuts have omega 3 really good for your milk supposedly. You probably won't be able to just sub. any of the other milks (rice, almond soy) for your milk in your cereal, I can't anyway. I just kinda gave up cold cereal, I can handle the fake milks in oatmeal, but I just use water because I don't want to buy it just for oatmeal.

Never tried the coconut or hemp milk. Very good info on the blog CoBabyMaker.

I have found that after avoiding dairy for awhile I have become lactose intolerant and when I slip-up and have some I get a stomach ache.
Oh, and when you are really craving it the first few days/weeks picture a gross dirty cow and/or think of how inhumane they treat milking cows. Do a search on the net if you dare.

[rhiOrion]

I've been working on giving up dairy for the past couple of weeks. I'm not worrying about really really scouring for hidden dairy, but I'm doing the best I can.

I love almond milk. I drank that before I gave up dairy. I like it in cereal just fine.

I just bought some fake shredded cheese at whole foods, it's soy/gluten/dairy free and I actually think it tastes pretty good. The texture was a little funny, but it worked well in the burrito thingy I made for dinner.

I also bought some Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream and it has a slightly tangy aftertaste, but otherwise tastes pretty much like ice cream. I think my LO may have some chocolate issues, too, so I bought vanilla. Probably would be even better in chocolate. And, oh, I hate coconut, and it was still good.

I'm wondering about calcium. Any suggests you veterans of dairy free?

[h@ppy mama]

Thanks mamas. I'm NAK and short on time but I read your replies and I appreciate them.

Dairy free day 3 here and it's going well. Baby is a bit less gassy and I feel better actually. Going to look into some of the things you mentioned.

Thanks.

[CoBabyMaker]

I'm wondering about calcium. Any suggests you veterans of dairy free?

There is some debate about that. Some people don't believe that the calcium in dairy is very well absorbed anyway. There is also calcium available in many fruits and veggies. Almonds are also a great source and many "alternative milks" are fortified. If you are concerned about it or feel that your diet may be lacking you could take a supplement.

H@appymama- Glad it's going well. I hope you continue to see improvement!

[Bellabaz]

The first two weeks are hard. You might mess up andhave some yogurt after 3 or 4 days. Don't beat yourself up, just try again.

Find a good margarine. Read the labels because I found alot here do still have dairy in them. I was not a huge milk drinker, but I like it in my coffee. So I use various alternatives milks. Right now the one I like best in quinoa and cocnut drink.

I use cocnut milk when I make pancakes. I can find dairy free chocolate spread and chocolate without any trouble.

If I am really craving cheese, I make an "uncheese" out of pine nuts I got from a blogging mama on here. (look in the allergy forum-kbrown I think is her member id)

I miss yogurt but thats life. I don't like soy yogurt and try to avoid soy in general.

Good luck!

[americajane]

I'm dairy and soy free b/c of my son (he's EBF). I agree, the first 2 weeks are the hardest. If you can eat nuts (I can't--he's off those, too) you have lots more options.(the vegetarian Mother's Cookbook has a good cashew yogurt recipe--we aren't vege but there are good dairy free recipes) there are good ricemilk and coconut ice creams, Purely decadent makes yogurt and kefir out of coconut milk. Trader Joe's has a great dark chocolate truffle bar in a fushia wrapper (ate my last one yesterday or I would tell you the exact name) that is dairy and soy free. My ped told me that many babies w/ dairy sensitivity have soy as well FWIW. Also, Earth balance makes a good "butter" w/o dairy or soy (it's pretty good--but let's not kid ourselves, it ain't butter!) I also love the cookbook, The Spunky coconut. Dairy is in tons of things so read lables! Good luck!

[beep]

Try oatmeal made with extra water and, just before eating, a spoonfull of nut or seed butter mixed in. It makes a good replacement for cereal with milk.

Mostly I've changed my diet to be normally-dairy-containing-food free. However, when I have cravings I cook with coconut or almond milk instead of milk and coconut oil or margarine to replace butter. I don't have a good cheese substitute.

For what it's worth, for my son it makes all the difference to eliminate every last trace bit of the dairy.

As PPs mentioned, it certainly gets easier over time.