DS is 15 months old and our GP suspects he may have a food allergy/intolerance and has suggested cutting out dairy first to see if that helps (while we wait for a paed appointment). There is a long list of symptoms but the main one is vomiting, and it seems to be worse when he has dairy so thats why we are starting with that.
DS is fully breastfed on demand still, doesnt eat overly much solids wise but he is teething atm so tends to bf more than eat which is fine. We normally use milk for cereal/cooking and he gets a little in a sippy cup with morning/afternoon tea when he is eating more solids and bf-ing less. He gets it mainly for something different, he doesnt really drink a lot so I'm not worried about him filling up on it.
What is a good alternative milk for toddlers? Soy would be out, as as far as I know the protein is very similar? And the hormones not being very good for boys? Which is a shame because he had some of my soy milk ages ago and really liked it lol.
I know of almond, oat & rice milk, have had it myself but would any of those be suitable for a toddler? Not to replace breastfeeds though!
We've done dairy free before, but it wasnt overly strict as I was just hazarding a guess as it being the culprit. Things did improve a little, but then stayed the same for a few weeks when I re-introduced dairy but have slowly gotten worse again. So this time seems a little daunting in comparison as I'll be label reading and not sneaking the odd bit of cows milk into my coffee lol.
Oh and whats the best milk to cook with, for things like mash potato? I found things got a little sweet when using almond/rice/soy milk, it wasnt overly nice lol.
Could you see a naturopath in the mean time? They were able to pin point Dd's allergies and intolerances. She is dairy intolerant but can tolerate goats milk so that's what we use as well as rice milk. Dairy is in a lot of things so you need to know what to look for on packets in order to totally avoid it. We were given a list by the naturopath of all the words they use as alternatives to milk.
Tbh I hadn't thought of that! Thanks for the idea!
Do you need a referral to see one?
I'm off to do some googling now lol, if we can get someone to see him sooner to help see if there are in fact any allergies/intolerances then I will definitely be taking him!
Just bear in mind that opinions differ on whether naturopaths are able to accurately determine allergies. I'm personally undecided, so not having a go at them.
I use rice milk (quite like the one with chickpeas in it - a bit creamier and not so sweet). We also use nuttelex and I prefer the olive one. You get used to them in most things. Don't forget to eat enough fat from other sources. There are a few threads on here with food ideas. My DS has had rice milk since he was 11 months old.
ds is just over 19 months and also breastfeeds on demand. I think he's still getting loads of breast milk and I have never given him cows milk. He doesn't have any milk as snacks actually. He has goats milk yoghurt every now again. I love oat milk, I cook with it too even for muffins, pancakes and in my home made bread etc. Eventually I will give him oat milk, I don't see a problem with it. Following on from that I will slowly introduce raw milk and home made yoghurt made with the raw milk too. Nuttelex is great as there are vegan cheeses out there, check what your local health food store stocks. I think a probiotic is important if you think there are food intolerance, maybe ask the naturopath about that too.
My DS has soy milk but I would prefer he didn't as I had also read about the hormonal effects. I tried oat milk and he liked it but I worry about getting calcium into his diet more. (DS can eat cheese and yoghurt but limited) I read oat milk is not ok for under 5's only milk??)
Loula soy is also one of the highest GMO foods too which is just yucky all round. Oats milk is fine for under 5's don't believe all you read, cows milk is not all it's cracked up to be and the powers that be will write anything to convince people it's the best thing for your health when in most cases it's far from it.
I wouldn't give any of those milks from tetra packs you can buy in the shops. If you wanted to give milk I would make homemade almond milk or coconut milk. As for calcium I would get him onto bone broth and try and get him eating sardines and leafy greens.
Also, look into healing his gut so that he doesn't have food intolerances. Best to heal the cause than just treat the symptoms IMO.
We are doing GAPS to heal our guts, but we're currently off dairy too. My 17 month old was also reacting to it so I've cut it all out for now and we'll start a reintroduction after 6 weeks. As he's BFing I don't give him any other milks.
I agree with meow about making milk, I make oat milk almost daily, it's so easy! A scoop of organic oats, hot water, soak for 5 mins and then add a bit of cool water. Great for everything and I soak my hands in it daily as they have eczema on them. Almond or coconut would be ideal for drinking but a bit pricey for me and coconut harder work. We have a fresh coconut in the fridge at the moment and it takes forever to get the flesh out.... I must be lazy lol but they are the best options if you are really committed. Do check out GAPS, there is a thread on belly belly about it.
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