Need some advice.

[Artechim]

I'd try him out on your skim milk, I don't see how it can hurt.

I didn't even know that they aren't supposed to have skim - does any one know the reason why? My DS has only ever had low fat.

[kitten2b]

There is always UHT cows milk, the girls Paed says that the heating makes it more easily digested by the kiddies and it seemed to stop my girls having tummy aches when they were drinking fresh cows milk.

[BekZ]

Is Sam eating a full and varried diet? Is he ok with cheese and yoghurt now? If he is eating well I wouldn't bother with a toddler formula. My DD1 had a milk/soy intolerance due to proteins not lactose and she was on rice milk until 2yo. She could tolerate hard cheese and small amounts of yoghurt and even the odd drink of milk.

After the age of one they really don't need a lot of dairy. If Manta drops in she can tell you the RDI. Maybe give rice milk a go, that way you'll be avoid overloading him with too much milk.

[butterfly_warrior]

I haven't tried yoghurt again recently - and he's refused to eat cheese the last few times I've offered it. The only dairy he consumes is in his bottles. The problem is that I don't know which particular part of the dairy he is reacting to - so the lactose free stuff is just a guess at whether it will work.

All I do know for sure is that regular formula is an issue, but the HA formula with partially hydrolised proteins is ok for him. I have to admit that I'm leaning more towards the toddler formula for him - IF it's not a flavoured thing. If it's flavoured he can stay on stage two.

BW

[MantaRay]

Have you considered not giving him milk at all? There is no need for him to have milk of any sort once he's 12 months, as long as he's getting the nutrients he needs from his diet. A dietician who specialises in allergy and intolerance (and there are many of them!) could assist you with a diet plan to make sure he's getting all he needs.

Personally, if it was me, I'd prefer this option to toddler milk. Toddler milk does not have all the nutrients he needs, and often it fills them up enough that they don't enough other foods.

If you are interested in this approach, you can search for dieticians by specialty on the Australian Dietician's Association website.

[briggsy's girl]

MR - that doesn't sound right at all.

for one - why is there so much emphasis on kids getting three serves of dairy a day if it's not necessary. whether it's delivered via a bottle or in a cup, the question still remains - how does BW ensure that Sam is getting the nutrients he needs? i'm pretty sure there wouldn't be the push for having dairy if it wasn't important for the overall health of children (and adults for that matter!). Sam is not quite one year old - up until now, as much as he's been having solids, the mantra of "food is fun until they're one" has still applied - well, i'm guessing - i'm not his mum! but, is it really appropriate to now expect a toddler to cease drinking milk and get all their nutrition from food? is it only ok for BF babies to get their nutrition from milk, but FF babies are expected to get it all from food? if Sam has a lactose intolerance or another protein intolerance, how is he to get the calcium etc that dairy carries

i am in no way trying to start a BF/FF debate - i just want to know HOW it differs. How is it that the WHO recommends babies continue to have BM until at least two years, and yet it's ok for FF to cease all milk at age one? if you can explain, i'd really appreciate it.

back on the topic of what to do for Sam - BW, i know you've had issues with yogurt coming straight back up in the past, and given it sounds like Sam is not keen on cheese, i agree with the other ladies in trying him on your milk first. if he doesn't react, it would be worth buying the full cream version. if he does, it would suggest that lactose isn't the problem, and it's perhaps another protein in the milk causing him issues.

is it possible to get a smaller bottle of the full fat lactose free stuff to try? is normal powdered milk an option? (i know mum told me that i was on powdered milk for a looooong time cos i reacted to full cream milk badly - my dad still does!)

if sam is happy to eat his three meals and snacks, and still wants milk, i wouldn't deny him any. i know of a lot of children that refuse to drink milk at a young age as they want to be drinking juice or cordial - i personally would prefer to have my kidlets drink milk if possible.

hope you can come to a result that works for you all. i know the cost of formula can be almost prohibitively expensive - if you can find something that reduces that expense and agrees with Sam's stomach, it would be a great relief both emotionally, physically and financially...

[Oorki Galoorki]

lots of babies who are weaned at 12 months(ff or bf) are ok to not have milk or dairy. calcium can be sourced from LOTS of other foods and is infact better absorbed then dairy products.

the WHO rec are that for optimum health babies should be breastfed for 2 years when not bf they are ff because this is for nutrition not for (optimum) health it can be stopped at 12 months or continued for as long as parents want(like BFing)

Full cream is a must it is CRUCIAL for the brain do not skimp on this.

a tip for yoghurt is serve him yoghurt that is very close to the useby date as the enzymes in it 'eat' the lactose in it so the older it is the less lactose it has.

also maybe try a baby probiotic for a little while to improve his gut health.

when he first had cheese and yoghurt was there lots of dairy in his diet? as dairy overload in babies is often the same as dairy intolerance