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EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: khank on March 16, 2010, 12:54:57 pm

Title: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: khank on March 16, 2010, 12:54:57 pm
Hi, my DS is 10months and been on cow's milk since 8 months. Since then he had a constant cold, runny nose and wheezy chest (what the doctors call 'rattling'). I take him to the doctors and they say his chest is clear (i.e. no infection) and he just has a cold that needs to run it's course (course of 2 months now  :( !!!!!!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago we changed him from cow's milk to goats milk and almost overnight his chest stopped wheezing and we thought we had found success!!!

However ... after a few days he started showing signs of teething (2 new teeth have come out) and he is wheezing and full of cold and phelgm all over again! he is still on goats milk and i really don't know what to do anymore! No-one can seem to help me in terms of confirming if it is an allergy or not and the doctors don't seem to know how to help us either.

Can anyone offer any advice please? My DS seems happy enough but uncomfortable first thing in morning (with lots of snot in nose and phlegm in throat) and sometimes a bit fussy when eating.

Thank you xxx
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: mrsrobbo on March 16, 2010, 13:04:40 pm
First of all big hugs to you

Can I just ask where in the world you are? Here n the UK, as far as I'm aware we are advised not to transition to cows milk until a year old.
Babies bodies cannot always toleratre it and there arent the nutrients you get in Breast milk or formula.

Our daughter had a lactose intolerance, she couldnt have "normal" milk, but hte symtoms she had were more in pain, it affected her stomach and digestive system and couldnt sleep because of the pain.

I wouldnt suspect that the coughing and phlegm etc was down to milk, if he is teething, this can make them snotty and yucky, and this would exlplain the fussiness when eating.

If it is something to do with the milk, and you think it is an allergy, you would need to change his whole diet, not just the milk.

Could be worth a trip back to the doctor!
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: khank on March 16, 2010, 14:34:41 pm
Hi - yes am in the UK too. i know they advise not to wean babies till they are 1 to cows milk but we did the same for my little girl at 8 months (as she wouldn't eat anything and felt she need the extra vitamins) and she has been fine on it.

i have been to the doctors and they didn't seem bothered i have moved him to goats milk ... just said if he seems well on it keep doing it. i then went back last friday when he started wheezing again and she said 'some kids just wheeze and he will grow out of it'. aaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!!!

Do you think it is worth going back to formula stuff or that SMA Toddler milk or maybe try soya milk and see if that helps? i am convinced it is something to do with his milk ... other wise why would he be ok for a week then go back to wheezing again??

Thanks xxx
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: firsttimemummy on March 16, 2010, 14:46:05 pm
DS had cows milk in cereal and was breastfed.  Since he started on it he had a permenant snotty nose.  After being ill just before his birthday (2 ear perforations together, which can be caused by milk in certain people!) he didn't have cows milk at all as was having so much from me - his nose cleared up when he wasn't well and I realised that when I re-started the cows milk his nose got snotty again.  Having changed to soya milk (unsweetened, with added calcuim) his nose has been fine.  I have a cows milk intolerence but am okay if the milk is boiled, etc and with other dairy and I guess DS is the same.  He eats really well so am not too concerned but seeing dietician next month just to be sure.  I take calium supplements as my levels were quite low, so not sure if DS needs them.

Sardines are a good source of calcuim apparently, so he gets them once a week (I know too much fish is bad because of the chemicals, forgotten which ones!!).
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: khank on March 16, 2010, 15:27:37 pm
Thanks - i think i will try Soya milk next or maybe that Toddler milk and see what happens. Should the change in him be overnight or a few weeks? as when we moved him to Goats milk the change did seem overnight!! Since then i have read on the net that if a child is allergic to Cow's milk then he/she will probably be allergic to goats milk too !!!!
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: mrsrobbo on March 16, 2010, 15:38:02 pm
when we moved dd onto soya milk, well the lactose free formula we noticed the change straight away, we never tried goats milk as the dietician had said not to. We had to change everything though, we had bread, pasta, cheese, yogurts that were all ok for her to eat. She literally coulnt tolerate any of it. As she has got older she has got better with a lot of stuff which is what they said should happen, but she still cant have a lot of dairy

let us know how you get on!
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: khank on March 16, 2010, 15:46:27 pm
right then - i'll try soya milk and cut out all dairy from his diet and see how that goes.

what kind of things do i need to look for on labels when eliminating dairy from his diet i.e. in bread, pasta, etc that you have mentioned?

How do i go about seeing a dietician as my doctor has never recommended we see one nor mentioned it!

Thanks again ... feeling much more positive again!!
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: firsttimemummy on March 16, 2010, 18:36:51 pm
My health visitor told me to ask DS's doctor for a referral (the nurse in the surgery can do it too); I saw the nurse as was getting his ears checked after the perforation and she seemed to agree with my logic about it being cows milk that caused his problems and send a referral there and then - just got to wait a couple of months until the first free appointment!

Cows milk is in almost everything, usually the labels (in the UK) are good and have the allergy warnings.  I would maybe try just cutting out cows milk to begin with then see how it goes, rather than cut out all dairy, incase it is just cows milk?  DS can still eat yoghurts, cheese, etc.  Also, my friend said she was advised to keep some of the allergy food in her DDs diet so the body can get used to it and maybe learn to tolerate it (and she can now eat berries which she couldn't before), which is another reason I am just avoiding cold cows milk ... Good luck
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: mrsrobbo on March 18, 2010, 13:03:50 pm
we were told the opposite lol but then dd got tested and diagnosed with lactose intolerance. I wouldnt give her any if they had said to, she was so ill! my MIL gave her toast once with regular bread and spread, lets just say she never did it again!

As DD is getting older she can tolerate more, she has a normal yogurt every couple of days and we arent so strict looking at all the ingredients, but a lot of things she still gets stomach cramos and its not nice, so slowly we go!

we started re introducing things at just over 1 yr, when  apparently they are able to cope with things more, i was surprised how well it worked.
its trial and error now, like i know if we gave her quavers for example she gets cramps and screams, but she can have other snacks that she couldnt before!

The labels over here are pretty good, a lot of the supermarkets  now have an excellent free from range too. if you get a diagnosis you can get vouchers to help with the extra cost, we also got the formula for free as well.

once you get used to it, it becomes second nature! but i would def push for a referal, your gp can do it

keep us up to date!
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: firsttimemummy on March 18, 2010, 16:23:45 pm
mrsrobbo - just wanting more info about the vouchers .... do you know what conditions are eligible for these vouchers, what they are called and who is entitled to them (Eg is it only for people claiming certain benefits, etc?) and how you go about getting them? Thanks :o)
Title: Re: 10 month old - allergic to cow's milk?
Post by: mrsrobbo on March 19, 2010, 14:50:19 pm
we got them through the gp. as far as i know they were no restrictions, i couldnt clai for anything else so i dont think it has anything to do with earnings. we could only have them after a diagnosis though and the g sorted it, we could only use them at specialist places but boots was one of them, they have a catalogue and they will order whatever you want...my mum works for them, very handy!

could be different in different areas, def worth asking about though!!