A healthy way to replace milk?

[babygirlie]

I would like to go milk free for a week and see if it helps a very red rash on her face. She has had excema all her life and is doing very well (though now it looks like a fungus took over) but her face is still very red and angry looking. Mainly her chin and under her lip. The milk isn't bothering her except perhaps a little constipation.

I don't do soy. I was thinking of doing rice milk enriched with D but does it have enough fat in it? She still drinks a lot of milk a day and about 3 4ounce jars of food a day with maybe a banana if she's into it. Plus rice cereal in the pureed jars. So she really does need her calories from the milk I think.

I do not want to inhibit her already slow growth. She's dropped to the 15th percentile at last wellness visit. She's 14 months old. ty

[PatioGardener]

Rice milk is really more like juice - too little fat and no protein. Not a great cow's milk substitute.

nak

[Lauren31]

I know coconut milk is supposed to be healthy so is Almond milk. Not sure what they taste like in comparison though.

[alegna]

Is she not still nursing? That would be ideal.

-Angela

[mom2happy]

I gave mine a mixture of homemade almond milk and rice milk and rotated with nursing or pumped milk.
As long as they are getting their fats and vitamins from foods I dont worry about fluids other than for hydration.

[aet.tea]

At the advice of a nutritionist, I've started giving my 13mo a blend of about 3 parts whole goat milk to 1 part coconut milk. She gets about 4-5 oz of this a day (in addition to nursing)

Goat milk is supposed to be more digestible and more similar to human milk (as I understand it).

My LO is also a slow grower who has always been at or below 5th percentile, so this concoction is in part to help her gain weight.

[babygirlie]

she doesn't nurse. I wish she did. She's in the 15th percentile. I asked her dr and he recommended soy but that's not something I'm willing to try. And I don't know if she has a nut allergy yet. We went back to alimentum and her rash seemed better but it's so expensive.
*bump*

[SilverFish]

why are you so against soy? not saying it's your only option, but if dairy is causing issues (which it often does... it's not really the healthiest option for lots of people), how is that better than soy? there are plenty of organic, GMO-free soy milks out there if that is your concern.

almond, hemp, rice, coconut and soy milks are all options, especially if used in combination. otherwise, i'd work on introducing high fat foods (avacado for example) to boost her diet.

[LadyCatherine185]

I would go with Coconut Milk. That is what we give my DS who is sensitive to Dairy. At 18 months my milk dried up from pregnancy so he is no longer getting any breastmilk. Coconut Milk has a lot of good fats in it. I would also concentrate on making the solids she eats more whole-foods that are rich in good fats and proteins. Skip the jarred stuff and rice cereal. Try mashed avocado, sweet potato, beans, oatmeal, eggs, peanut butter, fruits/veggies, add olive oil and coconut oil to what she eats. Is there a reason that she is not eating solids?

[Ruthla]

Some people who don't tolerate cow's milk do fine on goat's milk- others are allergic to both. Some find they can tolerate raw milk better than pasturized. Soy is also a very common allergen- many people who can't have cow's milk are also allergic to soy.

I would suggest putting her back on the hypo-allergenic formula for a few weeks, and see if her rash goes away. Then try raw cow's milk, raw goat milk, or pasturized goat milk (if you can't get raw or aren't comfy using it) and check her for reactions. Oh, another option would be to make a meat-based formula (based on bone broth, which is high in minerals). But I'd still recomend getting her to baseline (giving her the well-tolerated formula) for a few weeks before introducing anything new.

If she really can't tolerate any mammal milks, then your best bet is probably to keep her on formula until she's ready to eat enough solids consistently.

[LadyCatherine185]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

If she really can't tolerate any mammal milks, then your best bet is probably to keep her on formula until she's ready to eat enough solids consistently.

[Pookietooth]

So you are no longer producing milk? Have you read about relactation? And nursing strikes? How long has it been since she has nursed?