I know this is a little lengthy request, but important. My normally happy go-lucky, independant, energetic daughter had turned one two weeks ago. I waited until her one year check up with the pediatrician before I switched her to regular whole milk. On 6/10, she went in for her check up. Completely healthy and thriving. She had gotten her vaccinations. As soon as I got her home, I gave her baby tylenol because she usually feels sick and cranky after her shots. She took a two hour nap (a long nap for her). When she got up from her nap, she was back to normal self. I decided to hold off until 6/11 to start regular milk. On the 11th, I started her on regular milk. She didn't gulp her morning bottle down like she would normally, but it was different taste. She drank the milk and water throughout the day. By early evening, she started having loose stools. She started becoming cranky and clingy (not at all like her). I just chalked it up to the shots she had the day before. For the next seven days, she wouldn't eat much, but she would drink her milk. She wouldn't sleep much. She was so clingy and cranky that when I would leave her sight for a minute to go to the bathroom, she would scream and cry, follow me to the bathroom and climb onto my lap. She had 5 - 6 diarrhea diapers a day. By the 18th, she had a bad rash on her butt that was very red and looked raw. My daughter has never had diaper rash in her life. When I got home from work in the morning (the 19th) and changed her diaper, I noticed the rash was even worse and had spread up the front of her. I called the pediatrician's office as soon as they opened. Within ten minutes of my call, I had to changed another diarrhea diaper. Within ten minutes, her rash had spread even more. After another twenty minutes, I had to change yet another diaper. After an hour without hearing from the pediatrician (normally would have just waited for them to call me back when they had a free moment between patients), I called back to tell them I would be there within a 1/2 hour. By the time we got to the doctor's office, her skin had become blotchy and had blotchy spots all over her body. She also had what looked like a welt on the back of one leg. I informed the doctor (not her usual doctor) that the diarrhea, the crankiness, the not sleeping are the same symptoms that she had when I switched her from breastmilk to formula. She had to be put on special hypoallegenic formula. After examining her, the doctor suggested that it maybe a virus and to stop the milk until it clears up and then give her milk again. So, I stopped the milk immediately and bought the formula that I know she can tolerate. As the day continued, she still had more diarrhea diapers. She went on playdate, where I informed the other mom of the issues. She agreed that it did not sound like a virus. Before the end of the play date, I noticed that my daughter had a couple of small pinpoint red dots on her shoulders. After the playdate she was ready for a nap. By the time we got home, the red dots were on her neck and behind her ear. On the 20th, when she got up in the morning, she seemed like her normal happy self. She woke up smiling and was ready to chase the dog (her best friend) right away. She gulped down her formula bottle and she ate strawberries, blueberries, and a pancake for breakfast. She had been her normal self all day. She hadn't had a diarrhea diaper all day. I brought her pool into the kitchen (it was raining outside). She splashed around. She took a almost three hour nap. She got up and played and ran. About 6:00, after dinner, she had a diarrhea blow out. When I gave her a bath, I noticed the red, pinpoint dots were all over her stomach, back, shoulders, and neck. I was thinking that maybe this is a milk allergy. The only thing that I have changed recently is from formula to milk. As anyone dealt with anything similar to this.
I want to thank everyone for helpful advice. After stopping the milk, my daughter was back to her normal happy go lucky, independant, and energetic self. The crankiness and the clinginess went away as well. Her rash cleared up within two days. The diarrhea was also gone. After a few days, I reintroduced milk to her. Within a few hours, the diarrhea had returned. The rash on her butt had come back, as well as the crankiness and the clinginess. I immediately stopped the milk again. I am waiting for the pediatrician's office to open in an hour to take her in again. Thank you again for everyone's help. I will keep you updated.
Okay, I took her back to the pediatrician. She saw her regular doctor and he agreed that the reaction was due to the milk. We are trying the lactaid milk to see if she can tolerate that. He will follow up with her in a few days. I will keep you posted. Thanks again!
I tried giving my daughter the Lactaid milk. She broke out even more and everything worsened. We are now using soy milk. Everything has cleared up and she is back to her normal self. Thank you everyone.
The only question I have is did you ease into the milk by mixing it with the formula and easing out of the formula until there was no formula left?
I would try this too..
S.
Sounds like a milk allergy. Had she had blueberries and strawberries before, too? Strawberries can cause hives in some people. I'd followup with ped. again. When children are so young, there can be so many other things related. But, I agree with you, sounds like milk allergy and it takes a while to get out of the system.
I am not a doctor, but my son is allergic to milk and your story sounds very familiar. I highly recommend you take her to see a pediatric allergist.
Could be an allergic reaction. But my guess is your daughter is having a psychological reaction to mother's excessive verbosity and compulsive attention to irrelevant details.
it's unfortunate that you have two possible culprits, the shots and the milk, but that sounds like a milk reaction (my oldest had a dairy allergy when I was breastfeeding, which meant I couldn't have any dairy, either... no fun!). my suggestion is that you cut out all dairy, go back to her regular formula, and if everything is back to normal in a day or two, it's likely to be the dairy issue. fortunately, dairy allergies often resolve on their own with a little diligence and a little patience (my son's did). in that case, be really diligent about dairy for six weeks: no milk, no yogurt, no cheese, etc. give her system a chance to clean itself out and calm down the reaction. then, after 6 weeks, try something mild, like plain whole milk yogurt (you can add fruit; I like to add applesauce with a little cinnamon and nutmeg). just give a little. if she tolerates it well after several (at least 3) days, then give some more. after a week, if there has been no reaction to the yogurt, then I would sloooooowly introduce milk again, watching carefully for any sign of the rash returning. on the first day, I would replace one oz of formula with one oz of milk, just for one feeding. on the second day I would replace one oz in a second feeding, and on the third day I would replace one oz in the third feeding (you're probably only doing 3 feeds/day by now, yes?). if all is going well, meaning absolutely no diarrhea and no signs of rash (if you see any diarrhea or rash during any of this, stop all dairy and sit tight again for at least 3 weeks, giving her system a chance to rest again), then continue to replace more formula with milk, not adding more than 3 oz of milk/per 2 or 3 days over the course of 3 feeds (ie. each day you pick a feed to replace an oz; so this will take, assuming 3 feeds of 8oz each, 24 days to replace all of the formula with milk). at the end of this transition, if she's tolerating everything well, you can safely assume that you've kicked the dairy issue and begin behaving as any other person gets to. but if at any time her system is struggling, drop the dairy altogether immediately and keep it out of her diet for at least 3 weeks, so that you don't over-stimulate her immune system.
as an aside, I would expect the pediatrician to recognize a vaccine reaction, which is another reason why I think you're looking at a dairy issue.
I know this sounds tedious, but the reality is, if it is a dairy allergy/intolerance issue and you're to have any chance of your daughter overcoming it, you have to go very slowly and give her system a chance to grow and adjust. if you push it, you will over-activate her immune system, and you will end up with a full-blown dairy allergy, and then you're talking no dairy for the rest of her life. so, while it may seem lengthy, it's a short time when compared to the alternative. I will tell you that life now, with dairy, is so much nicer, and I've practically forgotten the seven months of no dairy and then transition period.... :)
and, unfortunately, you should know that if you've tried going slow a few times and her system keeps kicking in (ie. she keeps having diarrhea and/or a rash), then you may need to give it a rest for much much longer, months, and the reality may be that her immune system has already decided that dairy protein is an allergen, in which case you need to discuss with your pediatrician alternatives to dairy for calcium, fat, protein, etc.
good luck!
Hi. What shot did your daughter have on 6/10? It sounds like she could be having a reaction to the shot. If it was the MMR, the red dots could be a Measles type reaction. My daughter had a reaction to both her 12m and 15m shots and by the end had had both Measels and chicken poxs.
Another option is a hives reaction to either the shot or the milk.
Note about transitioning to milk. It should be done slowly, 1 oz to 7oz formula for a day or two; 2oz to 6oz for a day or two.. etc. Also, try using 2% milk instead of whole milk. My daughter had issues with whole milk, but is fine with 2%
M.
I didn't even read the whole thing. It is very obvious that your daughter is allergic to cow's milk. I know because both my kids are. Your pediatrician is an IDIOT! You need to urgently see a GOOD pediatric allergist (you will most likely have to go to Rockville or Bethesda Maryland to find a good one or even DC or you could try Baltimore as well). You also need to switch pediatricians. It should have been crystal clear to your pediatrician that this is an allergic reaction to the cow's milk. You need to have her tested for cow's milk, goat's milk (which is the best alternative because it is much easier to digest than cow's milk, soy milk, rice, almonds, and coconut). Soy milk is usually the first alternative but goat's milk is much better for you (you can get it at Whole Foods and other health food stores). But in many cases people who are allergic to cow's milk are also allergic to soy and sometimes to goat's milk. My older son is not allergic to goat's milk but my younger son is. Rice milk is also an option hence why I suggested she get tested for rice.Almond milk as well and coconut milk as well. Ideally she can have goat's milk and you are done. There are also goat milk yogurts and butter and cheeses (cheddar type, mozarella type, and soft cheeses too). I make everything for my son with goat's milk and cheeses instead of cow's milk and he only eats goat's milk yogurt.
You really need to stop giving her anything with cow's milk in it and get her tested ASAP. Please keep me posted and much luck to you. And please switch pediatrician's.
The loose stools and diaper rash are probably milk allergy. The red dots showing up a week after the vaccines may be chicken pox. Yes you can get it from the vaccine. Or it could be allergic hives from the milk. Take her in and get her checked.
It sounds like cow's milk protein intolerance (as opposed to lactose intolerance). My daughter reacts the same way whenever I have any milk products (I'm breastfeeding). While it only takes a few days to get the milk protein out of my system, it can take up to two weeks or more for her system to heal (diarrhea, rashes, gas, painful crying, clinginess). I agree with the others who've posted. Eliminate all milk products (including the milk proteins whey and casein) and give her constipating foods (rice, bananas, light on the other fruits, etc.). Unfortunately, most pediatricians are well versed in this kind of gastrointestinal issue. We see a pediatric gastroenterologist for our situation. Good luck.
it could be the milk but my concern is that it's the vaccines. double check the symptoms for whatever vaccines she got at her check up.
i sure hope it's just a virus and that she's fine now.
khairete
S.
It sounds to me like it might have been a virus... the rash and diarrhea sound like they might be related to fifths disease which is really really going around right now (my son just had it). The rash will come and go for up to 3 weeks... but when the child has the rash it means the contagious period is over. I would call your pediatrician and get an appointment to see if that is something your little one might have had... it's not dangerous to you and your little one, but if you were around anyone pregnant, it is potentially dangerous to the fetus.
My son had a similar response to milk, even when I breastfed as a newborn. While breastfeeding I went totally milk free and he was better. Then after a year they told us to try again, since it may be a digestive problem, he got regular yogurt, and his tongue swelled. So, my advice, no milk, they need the fat so switching to low fat which is easier to digest is not an option! My son stayed on formula until almost 2 and then we slowly switched to enriched rice milk (he has a soy allergy). After 3 it got better so he can eat some dairy products, but not many. We give baby bliss gripe water to ease the stomach if he gets some at a friends house or something like that. I would definitely talk to your doctor, but it sounds like milk is not going to be an option. The behavioral stuff is the milk too, we tried milk again at 3.5, the behavioral stuff was the first sign and it was bad, take the milk away, gone within 2 days. We kept him on formula to make sure he had all the nutrients he got and slowly switch to rice milk, so you can try some of that now, but I wouldn't totally switch to something like that until she's older. Good luck
I'm so sorry to hear this. I wish I had something to share. My son turns a year old in two-weeks, at which time, he will begin his transition to milk, slowly. Please let us all know the outcome as I'm sure there are many mothers, like me, who would appreciate knowing.
All the best to you and your daughter.
It probably is the milk, particularly if she had a hard time with regular formula. Did/does her diaper rash look more like a burn? If so, that is indication of an allergy. Perhaps she is lactose intolerant, but that would not cause a rash - not that I am aware of. I recommend not starting any new foods at the time of vaccinations so that you and the dr. can more accurately determine what caused the reaction. Hope she is feeling better. You may have to let her run around without a diaper to help clear her bottom - my son cannot tolerate milk we had the diarrhea and diaper rash the spread like wild fire.
I would be concerned about a reaction to either the milk or the vaccines. I would take her off all milk (casein, whey) products to start and see how she does and keep her on the old formula (do not introduce anything new). I would also call the pediatrician to see if these are a common reaction to the vaccines she received. If she hasn't had a fever it's unlikely it's a virus so be persistent. It can take a while, even 2 weeks for milk to clear from the body so do not give her milk. Formula for a while longer is not going to hurt her. Also try her on the BRAT diet and maybe some probiotics to help heal her intestines. When and if you do reintroduce milk do it slowly. Also, if you decide she's allergic to milk or what have you, please do some research on soy and speak to your pediatrician. I've heard research is saying that soy contains a lot of estrogen and is wreaking havoc with our normal hormone levels. Good luck as I know this is not easy. Keep us posted on how she does. Hang in there.
Hi there. Are the dots raised or flat on her skin. Are they red or purpleish in color? Do that whiten upon pressing them? These are important things to know. Also, is she running a fever?
From what you have said it does sound like an allergy. The doctor could be right.....a lot of kids get a rash after a virus and some get a rash after having their vaccinations. However, I don't believe the rash should go on for more than 48-72 hours.
I know that it can take anywhere from 7 days to 2 weeks to get the milk protein out of your body before you will see a change in the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. diarrhea).
If she is still suffering with the rash you need to bring her back to the pediatrician and should see the doctor that knows your daughter best. I would not settle for a doctor that says this is just a viral rash. You can also have your daughter undergo allergy testing which would help define what foods she can and cannot have.
I hope this helps.
D.
Take her into the ped and let her look at the rash (take a picture in case they don't appear when you have the appt). Could be she is allergic to a couple of things at the same time. I would stop the milk. Strawberries can also cause allergies.
JS,
I can tell you from experience w/ a child that has food allergies, that that type of reaction is typically an allergic one. I'm surprised you pediatrician didn't suggesst that it could be. Ask your ped to order allergy bloodwork for your daughter to test for a milk allergy. And if you go in for that blood draw, you may as well have her tested for the top 8 allergens b/c most children who have one food allergy tend to have others.
L.
mom of two, daughter 3 1/2 no food allergies
son 16 mo, allergic to eggs and peanuts.
Hi JS,
Sounds like she definitely has a milk allergy or at the very least a milk sensitivity. Stop the milk, and all milk products for a week and see if the symptoms go away.
LOTS of kids have problems with milk. Keep nursing and forget about dairy for the time being.
Good luck, S.
My cousin had similar reactions he switch to milk quickly and got rashes. She could be lactose intolerant next time try Silk milk the one that has omega 3 in it that is the only milk he can drink. The rash went away but itself on Josiah but he didn't have red pinpoint dots.
It sounds like a definite milk allergy. It could have be exacerbated by a vaccine reaction as well. Your daughter can live a healthy life without dairy. Many of us do. That includes my whole family. Someone mentioned watching out for soy and the issues that it causes. IMHO there has been an overreaction to soy mostly due to misinformation from a couple of groups. She can drink, almond, rice, hemp, and hazelnut milk. Definitely watch out for casein. It's in some soy cheeses and other items. As well as stay away from whey. There are wonderful tasty dairy alternatives. Such as casein free rice and soy cheeses, and dairy free ice creams and yoghurts. I'd suggest a wholistic pediatrican who knows about food allergies. If you want to get her allergy tested, do NOT use skin tests, they are very unrealiable. Use either blood tests or hair testing.
If you have any questions or want to discuss this and get a reference to a wholistic practitioner feel free to contact me.
L. M
J S:
Hello and good morning!
I hope your daughter is through with this bout of rashes.
Here's my first instinct, knee-jerk response given the information you provided:
1. If she has a fever and the red dots, call your pediatrician or go to your local Urgent Care center. Why? Because the red dots and a fever are the signs of scarlett fever. DO NOT PANIC - Scarlett Fever sounds scary - but it is a high fever with a rash - that's it.
2. Your daughter has a dairy allergy.
a. Stop all dairy until the symptons are gone and re-introduce one dairy product at a time over the course of one week (7 days).
3. Your daughter is teething - at one year some of the tougher teeth come in.
a. Teething can have symptoms such as diarehha and rashes as her body generates siliva (during teething it will be very acidic) from the mouth and moves inside to create diarehha on the outside - it creates rashes.
4. Your daughter had a reaction to her vacinnations. You need to document this for her pediatrician including her long naps, diarehha and food intake.
Continue documenting your daughter's food intake (to include juice, milk, etc.) and her reactions to the foods - even those that she has not had a problem with in the past.
Ask your pediatrician to run a blood allergy test to see what items she is sensitive to and/or allergic to. If the pediatrician can't do it - go to an allergist. You will save yourself a lot of stress and heartache this way.
Take good care and let us know what happened!
Cheryl
Did the doctor mention that it could be an allergic reaction to the shots? Some children can't tolerate them. I would take her back to the doctor. If you have stopped the milk and she is no better then I would want to explore other reasons. All the diarrhea isn't doing her any good and she won't be getting the proper nutrition with it.
Kris
