Alternatives for milk for a one year old?

[victorialm]

My DD was put on Lactose free formula because my husband and I are both lactose intolerant. My doctor suggested that after 6 months of age we wean her off it and on to regular formula. We started by doing half lactose free formula and half regular formula and she had no problem. I gradually got it down to 3 scoops of regular formula and 1 scoop of lactose free formula. She had no problems with that either so I thought maybe she didn't inherit our lactose intolerance. She can even eat whole milk yogurt and cheese without problems ( i know the Lactose in these foods are lower, I can tolerate them too). She turned one year old a few weeks ago and I thought I would start whole cows milk. I did 2 oz of cows milk and 6oz of regular formula. My doctor is on medical leave until January 2013 so I didn't consult with her and boy that was a big mistake. My DD got terrible gas, diarrhea and a diaper rash so severe we had to take her to the walk in clinic to get medicated cream. I eliminated the cows milk immediately and went back to 100% lactose free formula to calm her system down. I took her to the walk in clinic to get her one year shots and I asked the doctor there for advice but she told me just to try cows milk again. I don't know if I totally agree with this. Anyway, I am just wondering if there are any other parents on here with a child with a lactose intolerance. There is no such thing as lactose free whole milk, the highest percentage is 2% so what alternatives can I use for a one year old? Right now I am sticking to the formula until I can get some advice or talk to my family doctor returns.

[carmanelectric]

I had 1 kid who was dairy allergic. Any milk product, cow, goat or human would result in a multi-hour barf-fest, with curdled diarrhea the days to follow. Thankfully we realized what was going on got him on the a soy base formula. I think it's made by Enfamil. Then we weaned him from the formula onto soy milk at a slower rate than you would milk (as milk has more calories).

[glowworm2k]

I think there are some great soy milks out there that could work as transitional foods. Silk brand makes two kinds of soymilk that could work: Silk Original (red carton), as well as an an extremely delicious milk that had DHA added although I haven't seen it in a while (it was in a purple carton), both of which might have similar nutrition to regular milk in terms of being high in both proteins and fats. I am not trying to put in a plug for a corporation, but I do find that Silk brand milks have a very nice mouth feel and flavour that might be appealing to your LO.

I wouldn't recommend a lot of the other alternative milks right now, like almond or oat or other nut milks as I'm pretty sure they are nowhere near as calorie dense and you would end up back in the situation where you want something that has more calories than 2%, not less.

Also - there are generally coupons available for soy milks that can help to keep costs down as these milks tend to be a little on the pricey side!

[Natalka]

Gee, that's a long time to wait to see your doctor with this issue - isn't there another doctor in the same practice whom your child could see?

She really needs to be tested - because dealing with a milk allergy is totally different than with an intolerance.

Rice milk might be a good option, as might goat's milk. Just a personal opinion, but I wouldn't go with soy. (no offence to previous posters...)

[matty's mom]

I went down this road with my DS, but his was an allergy. Try to get in with a doctor who can refer you to an Allergist for testing. We put DS on soy milk- sensational soy- organic to be exact- for about a year and half. It was the only milk that he would drink that I could live with-organic. But we were careful- we made sure that he received his recommended 3 cups and nothing more. (There may be a link between soy milk and thyroid issues in children). Now that he is 3 1/2 and a big boy, he drinks all kinds of different milk. His favourite now is So nice- Unsweetened organic. It is his "comfort" drink. He outgrew the allergy- but as he eats/drinks a variety of dairy products- so he gets everything he needs in that area.

[snuffaluffagus]

If she's eating a wide variety of foods including cheese and yogurt, is milk, or a replacement, really necessary? Is it the calcium you're concerned about?

Other alternatives are goats' milk, fortified orange juice, beans (white/navy/pinto/chickpeas), almond butter, canned sardines/salmon with bones (don't worry, these are edible), oatmeal (you can add a small amount of blackstrap molasses for more calcium). Don't forget the vegetables such as turnip greens, broccoli, kale, and sweet potato.

In addition, vitamin D will help with calcium absorption so it's wise to include foods high in vit.D to her diet. For example, eggs, salmon, sardines, tuna, and again, fortified orange juice to name just a few.

As long as your introducing a wide variety of whole foods to your DD and continue to include them in her diet, I don't think you need to worry so much about finding an alternative to cows' milk .

[pbmama]

I have the same situation, my DS is 3 now but he is also Lactose intolerent. We have him on Silk Soy Milk the red carton, it does not provide the same fat content at whole milk so you have to suplement the fat in other parts of the diet. You can also try the liquid Lactase and add it to the cow's milk to make it latose free.