dairy allergy?

[MNIma]

We are wondering if my 13mo has a dairy allergy or intolerance. How long should we do without dairy to test this idea? He loves milk and yogurt so I hate to have him without it for too long. How long until the dairy will be out of his system so we will have a good idea if that is the culprit?

He wakes about every hour or two all night long. He is in a crib. We have been wondering about dairy because it started around 12 months when he started drinking whole milk.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

[Missy]

The dairy protein should be out of his body w/in two weeks, but, to be safe, I'd eliminate it for a month, maybe a little longer if his sleep hasn't yet improved. Also, because night-waking is frequently tied with a delayed reaction, when you reintroduce dairy, it could be days, even weeks, before his sleep pattern is interrupted again. Just watch carefully. It seems like a long process, but it's for a good reason and, if dairy is the problem, you could be heading off a more serious condition down the road.

Missy

[thepeach80]

We took AJ off all milk products between 12 and 13 mos and he's still off of them. Did you take all dairy derivatives out of his diet as well? The last time AJ accidentally got something w/ milk in it he still broke out in a rash so we know it's not time. We just did eggs and he was fine, next is soy when we run out of rice milk (we stocked up last time and now he doesn't drink as much so it could take a while), then if soy goes well, we'll do regular milk. I don't plan on doing regular milk till his 2nd birthday at least. Most will outgrow the intolerance between ages 2-5. There are plenty of soy alternatives, soy yogurt etc, but watch for reactions to that as well. Also, maybe he doesn't want to be in his crib anymore. AJ refused to sleep in his at 12 mos. We let him sleep on his crib mattress on the floor till we could get him a twin bed and he's been much better since.

[Sandrine]

I took dd1 off dairy when I found out her sis was allergic to dairy. I took her off in april and only since Jan 05 did she sleep better. She went from waking 3-12times to 1-2 times. I tried to give her dairy again this past few wks and she started to wake up again often at night. So I stop. She now back at waking up about 1-2x. So not too bad for wakings.

HTH