Dairy allergy in nursing infant

[shanniesue2]

Long story short...DS is 9 weeks old and exclusively breastfed, and I'm convinced he has a dairy allergy. He had a diaper rash, runny nose, and generalized skin rash (mostly on his face-so at first we thought it was baby acne, but then it was spreading to his hair, shoulders, neck, ears, chest, and groin). Anyway, this all went on for 5 weeks before a nutritionist suggest I try going off dairy. After a week of no milk, cheese, ice cream, or anything cooked with any of the above, all of the symptoms went away. Well then I forgot, and went out for pizza with my mom and ate 4 slices (that had mozerella and feta cheese on them)... the diaper and skin rashes started coming back the next day. Oops.

Anyway... I'm doing okay without drinking milk b/c I didn't like it that much in the first place. But things cooked with milk and cheese are a bit more difficult to avoid, especially since I work at a day care and have been used to just eating what they serve for meals.

Should I be avoiding all forms of dairy? Or just the really obvious ones? Is there any other common food that has casein and/or whey that I should be cutting out? And for a family who looooooves cheese in most recipes and meals, I need some good and simple meal ideas that we can add to our rotation.

[scsigrl]

Sorry to hear you are dealing with this.

Hate to break it to you but your answer is YES You need to stop all of it. BELIEVE me I know how hard it is. I am now 3 months into being dairy free (and a long list of other things free as well). My DS is doing so much better though that I can't even THINK of eating it. I WANT to, but know I just can't.

Good luck and PM me if you need some support!

[Chinese Pistache]

It's hard, isn't it? I'm sorry you're dealing with it, too.

We do all cooking/baking with rice milk and use palm shortening (Spectrum brand) in place of butter (if you don't have problems with corn or soy, you could probably use regular shortening).

Sadly, there isn't a decent cheese substitute, imo. Many of them still contain casein, which isn't dairy-free. Also, be aware that there is a huge overlap of dairy-allergic people who are also allergic to soy, so you may want to be cautious about substituting soy products (soy milk, for example) in place of cow's milk. My dd didn't start out allergic to soy, but became so several months later when we'd been using soy milk regularly. Now she can't do any soy at all.

In a lot of ways, you just have to change your ideas about food and what food requires. We never have casseroles or any creamy dishes, for example. But we do a lot of meat and/or vegetable sauces or things with broth. Good luck.

[kjbrown92]

I have lots of recipes in my blog (in my signature). I have two kids with multiple intolerances. One of mine was a projectile vomiter at every meal from when he was 2 weeks old on, and I figured out the milk thing pretty quickly. The hardest thing for me was giving up ice cream!! But it's true, you just have to rethink your meals. We do chicken, gravy, and rice; or baked salmon, hamburgers....

There is hidden milk in a lot of things. Get familiar with all the terms and take them all out... casein, lactose, lactate, whey, etc. Alot of breads have it.

We saute in olive oil. I don't put cheese in my spaghetti sauce anymore. It's a change. But a happy child makes a happy family!!
Kathy

[matey]

Another dairy-free mom here. Just hearing the word pizza made my mouth water, but I will contain myself.

We have made adjustments, and eat dairy free, but all the pp are right, it is hard but you must do it. I too wanted to drop off "major dairy" items, but it just isnt good enough, especially when the intolerance is so obvious.

So sorry mama, I know it is rough. Dairy is such a staple in foods, and is added to everything. Even Qdoba chicken!

[kittywitty]

Yes, you have to cut it all out. My LO is my 3rd dairy allergy baby. It is difficult at first, but becomes a lot easier over time. There's a thread in the veg forum on dairy free foods at restaurants. I would exchange Spectrum shortening or Earth Balance for baking and butter usage, respectively. Pizza from many restaurants is good without cheese. Get more toppings, check to see if there's dairy in the crust. Some kids are ok with milks from other species than cow like goat, or more commonly mare or sheep.

Just go through your recipes and make exchanges. Dairy free "butter" for butter, broth or soy/rice milk for milk and cream, etc. If you have questions about a recipe, I'm sure we can help you.

[matey]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Yes, you have to cut it all out. My LO is my 3rd dairy allergy baby. It is difficult at first, but becomes a lot easier over time. There's a thread in the veg forum on dairy free foods at restaurants. I would exchange Spectrum shortening or Earth Balance for baking and butter usage, respectively. Pizza from many restaurants is good without cheese. Get more toppings, check to see if there's dairy in the crust. Some kids are ok with milks from other species than cow like goat, or more commonly mare or sheep.

Just go through your recipes and make exchanges. Dairy free "butter" for butter, broth or soy/rice milk for milk and cream, etc. If you have questions about a recipe, I'm sure we can help you.

Any way to get a link to that thread? I can't seem to find it.

[nalo]

Since pizza came up...for anyone who is dairy free yet is still consuming gluten, Amy's makes an AWESOME dairy free pizza. I used to eat it frequently when I was still doing gluten and it totally satisfied my pizza cravings. I hope to be eating gluten again soon...we'll see.

[matey]

Thanks for that info, I am going to go look for it. I have major pizza cravings!

ETA: Amy's Rice Crust Spinach Pizza is gluten free and dairy free, but does have soy

[shanniesue2]

thanks everyone for the support. ugh, this is going to be harder than i thought. but my baby is worth it.

[Chinese Pistache]

This site lists alternative names for dairy: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/allergy.htm

On the topic of pizza, we eat it with marinara or homemade pesto (no added cheese or nuts, just basil, olive oil and salt) and whatever toppings we like.