A couple questions about milk allergy.

I suspect my son might have a milk allergy. When he was a newborn, he spit up a lot on milk-based formula and was very irritable so the doctor suggested we give soy formula a try. Well, he was in a better mood and didn't spit up as much but unfortunately he got very constipated on it so we went back to milk-based.

As time went on, I noticed he was very gassy all the time. He's ten months old and still needs to be burped often and needs lots of gas drops.

He also has eczema. It's been there for months. We stopped using scented soap and started bathing him less as well. Changed diapers, wipes, and stopped all solid foods for a week or more to see if it'd help. No improvement. Well, I bought a can of soy formula and guess what? The eczema has cleared up almost entirely in just a couple days.

Also, he has been very clumsy and cranky so I took him in to urgent care and was told he had fluid in his ears but no infection. They gave me a number of potential causes and one was that it could be a food allergy. That just makes me more suspicious about the formula being the issue.

So here are my questions:

How do I keep him from getting constipated on soy? I've heard apple juice can help. Can I dilute it with water and still get the same effect? I don't like him having a lot of juice.

Should I mention this to his pediatrician and is there a test or way to determine he has an allergy?

Could just be lactose intolerance, which is pretty common in humans. It's hard, even for a baby, for our bodies to digest cow lactose. Lactose intolerance is different than a milk allergy. When he gets older, there are drops you can get to put in regular milk. It's lactase, and "pre-digests" the lactose so to speak.


ETA: And yes, apple juice and water mix works. Or even fresh pears are great for helping constipation.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Kayla [ ]♥:</b>" Could just be lactose intolerance, which is pretty common in humans. It's hard, even for a baby, for ... [snip!] ... lactose so to speak. ETA: And yes, apple juice and water mix works. Or even fresh pears are great for helping constipation."</blockquote>


I considered lactose intolerance but heard it was rare in babies? Maybe that was misinformation. If the soy helps then can I put him on soy milk after his birthday? I know it's not really 'milk' so I'm not sure if that's okay.

Quoting emmygog[Felix's Mommy]:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Kayla [ ]♥:</b>" Could just be lactose intolerance, which ... [snip!] ... the soy helps then can I put him on soy milk after his birthday? I know it's not really 'milk' so I'm not sure if that's okay."

It's rare for a baby to be intolerant to the lactose in breastmilk, but the make of lactose in cows milk is completely different. Lactose intolerance, in my experience, manifests as eczema. Actually, if it is lactose intolerance, you can use the lactase drops in regular formula and it should help.

http://www.seekinghealth.com/lactase-drops-lactase-enzyme.html


you can get them in walmart.


Soy milk is find to give them after 1, but the lactase drops are worth a shot. you can actually get them from walmart.

I would definitely mention it to the pediatrician... it's probably just lactose intolerance but that's pretty treatable... I would talk to the pediatrician before giving any new drops or medicines myself but I am overly paranoid with DS

My ds has a "milk sensitivity" to all dairy. He breaks out around his mouth or wherever the dairy touches. It doesn't seem to bother him, he just breaks out in a rash. We have been weaning from the breast to almond milk and no problems have occurred so far. I just read alot of negative studies on soy milk for young children. Our pediatrician said almond milk was perfectly fine.

I give my DS similac alimentum