Milk Intolerance?

It's probably just his body getting used to the milk. My son was the same way when we went from formula to pediasure at a year. Just get some more fiber in his diet to help with the constipation. It does get better.

After being pressured by the doctor and WIC, I started giving my son cows milk at 12 months, even though I was still breastfeeding (and I still am, at 19 months). I stopped in a week, because it made him constipated as well. I decided that I could easily get him enough diary without giving him cows milk to drink. He is now 19 months old and gets NO cows milk. I give him cheese and yogurt, as well as calcium fortified OJ, everyday. He easily gets his 2-3 recommended servings of dairy this way.
I went to WIC just last week and spoke to a very open-minded lactation consultant/nutritionist and she reassured me that as long as he is getting 2-3 servings of dairy per day from sources other than drinking milk, hes fine. She explained that milk is simply a quick and easy way to get calcium and vitamin D, and not necessarily superior to other sources of those nutrients.
My point is that if you are more concerned about the constipation, and are able to get him his dairy in other ways, ditch the milk.

I would think twice about the Soy milk. My nutritionist told me that Soy is loaded with estrogen / hormones. Goat milk is another source and its healthier than cow's milk.

The best thing for you do to is talk to YOUR pediatrician and nutritionist.

Have you had any allergy testing?

It doesn't sound like a milk intolerance - just too much of a good thing. Milk does the thing to my daughter; my son however has a milk intolerance and will vomit and have an upset stomach if he comes in contact with any dairy. Just monitor the milk consumption and make sure he is getting enough fruits and veggies.

Hi,
Both of my kids had issues after going from breastfeeding to cows milk...but they had completely opposite issues. My oldest son became constipated and my youngest had chronic diarrhea. The one with diarrhea did end up having a sensitivity to casein (milk protein). He had to switch to soy milk and the problem went away. The one that became constipated had to decrease his milk intake. I discussed the quantities with the pediatrician and found that my son was drinking more milk than he needed to. He was getting plenty calcium with a lower amount of milk. We had to water the milk down some until we got our son more interested in drinking straight water. He was able to go on drinking whole milk but just had to have water part of the time each day. He is now 7 years old and drinks more water than any other kid I have met. As he got older, he understood that he had to drink water each day in addition to his milk. Good luck!

There is no magic to cow's milk - it's sole true purpose is to turn a 100 pound calf into a 900 pound steer in 6 months! We've been pushed by the dairy industry for many years to use it, but there is no point. The fats in it are hard to digest - hence the constipation. Some people get the opposite reaction - diarrhea.

You can find other sources of protein, vitamin D and calcium. There are a lot of fortified products although I would be careful of chemical additives and preservatives. You could also supplement with Now for Kids from Reliv - it restores the balance in the digestive system (which is lacking due to our depleted foods grown in nutrient-starved soil) and makes it a lot easier to digest things. The tremendous rise in nutrition-related problems is due to our food sources. When we were kids, did we really know of anyone with milk, soy, nut allergies? No! But now these things are epidemic. It's not really a true allergy in most cases - it's that we are missing some key enzymes or minerals or trace elements that enable us to digest and absorb them. Now for Kids also has DHA for healthy brain function and omega 3 fatty acids (found naturally in breast milk) - DHA is the new trend but Now for Kids has had this for many years and is always on the cutting edge of nutrition. Let me know if you want more info.

See if you can get your child to eat other fruits besides pears in the short run. Try melon or things with more fiber. Bananas, rice, applesauce & toast (BRAT) contribute to the problem, so avoid those. Be sure you are cutting up the grapes into little chunks - some kids shove the whole ones in too fast and can choke. See if you can get him into the higher fiber alternatives (sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes, brown rice vs. white, etc.). All these things help.

Good luck!

I'd say try the light soy milk (I personally like the 8th continent light vanilla, and so did my littly guy) and see if anything changes. The soy will provide all the nutrients he needs and might help you to figure out whether your baby had a milk intolerance. ALso, I would say cut out cheese, yogart, etc of the regualr dairy variety and see if that helps with teh constipation. There are lots of soy substitutes (cheese, yogart, etc) in the regualr grocers dairy section so try a few while your conducting your "experiment."

Also, you might want to try a glycerine suppository instead of the thermometer...it's really really easy to insert and usually does the trick immediately--like a minute or 2. It's totally natural and does not cause a dependence like a laxative. It's just glycerine and makes you "feel" like you have to move your bowels. I'm thinking that's what's happening with the temperature taking...it makes your baby "feel" like he needs to push, so he does. The suppositories are super easy and NO cleanup. You can find toddler or infant suppositories in any local drugstore near the adult suppositories but these come in a small while vial and are smaller than an adult size. If you can't find them, ask the pharmacist, everyone carries them. If the baby doens't move his bowels with the suppository then it just melts.

Hope that this is helpful!

R.
Mama to Wyatt 33 months and Imara 4 months

Hi E.,

Usually with milk intolerance, you get just the opposite - diareaha.

It always seeems like the most natural step after breastmilk/formula is milk. But as I've said many times before and I can't say it enough - TODDLERS AND CHILDREN DO NOT NEED MILK. Milk can be very hard to digest, and the nutrients can easily be found in other foods.

I would suggest stopping the milk immediately and seeing if the situation improves. Subsitute water, fortified juice (watered down, or soy milk for his beverage.

P.S. My daughter suffered from chronic constipation. The doctor recommended stimulating the rectum (which is what the rectal thermometer is doing) or using gylercian suppositories. Check with your doctor first as I don't think they're recommended for children under 2.

Good luck.