Allergy

If she was fine on the formula, you could try switching her to the toddler formulas instead of milk for a little while. Enfamil makes a Next Step formula for toddlers and I know there are others out there.

Hi C.,

I am a mom of a milk allergic daughter (now 8 years old). My guess is that there is a protein in milk that is not present in the milk based formula. Because of my daughter's allergy, we kept her on Nutramigen (she also had an allergy to soy) until she was 21 months. The Food Allergy Network is also a good resource (www.foodallergy.org)

My daughter has been on soy milk ever since we weaned. When she is occasionally loose I switch her to rice milk until it clears up. Since you've had such a complete reaction to the soy, I daresay your little one is allergic to soy protein, too. Try the rice milk. If you have a Wal-mart Supercenter, they will have your best prices. Not the fancy little boxes in the aisles but over in the dairy coolers in 1/2 gallon containers.

When Courtney gets constipated I have found putting some yogurt smoothie in her "milk" adds enough acidophilus (friendly bacteria) to get her regular again. The yogurt doesn't bother her even if cow's milk does. I think it has something to do with being cultured. If you try this with your little one I would watch very closely for allergic reaction.

Allergy to milk (not just lactose intolerance) is a true allergy to the milk PROTEINS. These are also found in a lot of NON-dairy products like processed foods and cold cuts (yes, the meats!). I have a small article with more info I will send you directly.

Jeez, this is one of those situations where I'd want to say: ask the doctor again. If I could be a backseat driver, I'd say: She only did the milk thing for a month and had rashes. So, isn't there a supliment to do with the soy milk? Sounds like she isn't getting the same nourishment or 'full' feeling with the soy milk. I think it tastes like crap ... hahahha, sorry. Anyhoo, maybe some karo syrup or rice cereal in the soy milk. Think outside the box. Cheers, P.

Allergies can develop and go away through early childhood. You may have to keep switching around for a while as she becomes tolerant and intolerant of items. I have also had good luck with the probiotics that another mother mentioned. I also use a potato based milk only available from vancesfoods.com. It is not known to ever have caused an allergic reaction. My son even prefers its taste over regular milk.
Finally, I have the utmost respect for all doctors, but in my experience most pediatricians do not have a realistic understanding of childhood allergies/sensitivities. I would recommend finding a specialist that treats not only allergies, but also stomach sensitivities in children.
Anyway, I know it can be really frustrating to deal with, but hang in there and you will find something that works.

i would try the rice milk...my daughter likes vanilla rice milk in her oatmeal and when you drink it it tastes good too.

My oldest daughter also had a reaction-ie diaper rash, loose stools etc.- when we put her on milk. Soy also didn't agree with her. Finally, we switched her to 2% milk- and believe it or not, the symptoms went away. I don't know if it was the fat content (2% has alot also), but even now she cannot eat whole milk products! Now, my cousin went through the same thing with her son more recently, and her pediatrician recommended the liquid Pro-biotic that they sell in health food stores (Vitamin World, Feel Rite). That worked for him, and she was able to keep him on whole milk. Apparently, the Pro-biotic also works for diaper rashes/loose stools due to antibiotics. Ask your pediatrician if he/she recommends trying this!