Milk allergy in toddlers and young children

A circular-up of our favorite products and my top 10 cooking substitutions and strategies for handling a milk allergy in toddlers and immature children.

My daughter M was allergic to milk, which we constitute out when she turned one. At age 4, she had outgrown it. (We celebrated with TCBY on the way home from the physician's office!) But for three years, nosotros had to observe substitutions and larn to avoid anything with cow's milk in it. And cow'southward milk is in a LOT of food – anything with regular milk of course, only too anything with yogurt, cow's cheese, butter. Not an easy one to avert. I was so thankful she didn't have any other food allergies, because I know a lot of kids accept more than one.

I talk at length well-nigh lessons from a food allergy infant hither, but today I'm focusing on what we did to handle her milk allergy specifically, for those of you facing the same thing. Below is a run-downwards of the products I loved, those I didn't and my top ten tips on substitutions and strategies for a milk-free kid.

Disclaimer: I am non a medical professional. Please consult your child's doctor or a registered dietitian with any medical questions or concerns.

MILK

For a moo-cow'due south milk substitute, our pediatrician recommended soy milk. Plenty of other milk substitutes exist – almond milk, rice milk, etc – and they all accept pros and cons. 1000 wasn't allergic to soy and that'south what her doctor recommended, and then that'due south what I went with. And to this day, she LOVES it. She's no longer allergic but prefers "her" milk over cow'south milk, so we still utilize information technology. And she tin't get enough. I experience skillful that it's got calcium and vitamin D and all kinds of wellness benefits. I practice brand sure to buy organic and have always used the patently soy milk, non one of the flavored varieties but also not the unsweetened version.

Bottom line here, talk to your doctor and see what they recommend. Soy milk has been a great choice for united states.

Some of our favorite product substitutes for a milk allergy

BUTTER

I institute I didn't actually need or use information technology that much butter when cooking and baking for her. She was so young and I don't cook with a ton of butter anyway. About baked recipes tin can use oil or absurdity in place of butter, so that was an piece of cake commutation when I needed it. I did buy a tub of SmartBalance, which is vegan,  and it worked fine equally a substitute in place of butter in every recipe I e'er tried. Though honestly, I didn't utilise that much of it.

YOGURT

Yogurt though. It felt like a must-have to me. Yogurt is such a healthy food choice and of import for a growing baby. And it's easy — spoon and serve, no cooking or prep needed — and so there's that. I'k fortunate to have access to a Trader Joe's and they accept a caprine animal's milk yogurt, pictured hither. M adored it. Still does. I've switched her over to plain Greek yogurt now that she's not allergic, since that'southward what the rest of united states eat, only I'll purchase a tub of the goat milk yogurt whenever nosotros go to Trader Joe's considering she does prefer it.

It's a plain, unsweetened yogurt, similar to Greek yogurt – it's tart and tangy, merely not quite every bit thick. She gobbled it up from the showtime. I ever make fruit mixes to stir into their yogurt, merely she ate it manifestly even earlier I did that regularly. Other brands make soy or kokosnoot milk yogurts and you may be able to find those in your regular grocery store, or request that they order it. I know my local store is actually good virtually getting in products if they possibly can. Merely check the labels because some of those come with added sugars and flavorings.

CHEESE

Another must have. I don't know how yous could get away with not having cheese for baby and toddler and kid food. It's a staple!

I recommend going with goat cheese. It'due south pure and natural but like cow's milk cheese. You can get smooth, creamy caprine animal cheese that'south very balmy (pictured here, also from Trader Joe's) and there's the logs of goat cheese, patently or flavored with herbs or other additions, that are bachelor in every grocery store. Those soft cheeses work really well as spreads – sandwiches, wraps, fifty-fifty quesadillas. And you can dollop them on pizza.

I also was able to find — once again, at Trader Joe'southward — some sliced goat cheese and a block of goat'due south milk cheddar cheese. Thou loved them both and they worked well with crackers or sandwiches or shredding over pasta or pizza. It's still her preferred cheese. I thought she'd be psyched to finally get to take some string cheese like her friends, only nope, she'd rather accept her goat cheese, cheers very much. My takeaway? Never underestimate the power of priming those taste buds early.

Finally, nutritional yeast is a good substitute for Parmesan cheese, which tin can come up in handy. It's an inactive dry out yeast that tastes surprisingly similar and also has some positive nutritional attributes. I even ate it myself, cause it really is good. Specially on popcorn for the not-trivial ones 😉

Just SAY NO

I don't recommend soy cheeses. I did try some along the mode, only was turned off. Two reasons:

1. You lot have to be very careful because there are some brands of soy cheese that contain milk. This completely baffles me. I would imagine most people opting for a soy cheese either have a milk allergy or are vegan and both of those groups are therefore excluded from buying a soy cheese product that has milk. Who are they selling that stuff to?!

And 2. Check the ingredient list. Not just to make certain it doesn't contain milk, but to run across what's in this mystery cheese. Yikes. All kinds of weird processed chemicals and food substances of unknown origin. Once I saw that, I didn't buy the stuff again and didn't miss it. Caprine animal cheese all the way.

Water ice CREAM

Not pictured. Trader Joe'due south had a vegan water ice cream and our local store had a coconut milk water ice cream. I bought each once for birthday occasions only wasn't that impressed. She was young and not that into it, so I just stayed away from it all together. In that location are options though, if you accept older children and need something for ice cream parties. As always, exist sure to read your labels and go with a product that'southward equally "real food" as possible.

**Height 10 TIPS AND Take-AWAYS**

Cooking substitutions and other strategies for raising a milk allergy baby, toddler and kid:

1. Anything vegan is safety. Vegan means there are no creature products of whatever kind used, so no cow's milk of whatever description. This was helpful in looking up recipes online.
2. Every bit I mentioned, yous tin swap applesauce or oil (canola or coconut oil) for butter in pretty much whatsoever baked recipe and be OK. Easy.
3. For cooking, you lot can also bandy in canola or coconut oil for butter in well-nigh cases. If you lot need or want butter for flavoring or for sure recipes where a swap wouldn't work, yous tin employ Earth Balance or another vegan butter substitute.
4. I always substituted the goat milk yogurt for either regular yogurt or Greek yogurt, whichever was called for, in broiled recipes and cooking. Never had an issue.
5. Spreadable goat cheese is great for crackers, breads, wraps, sandwiches, etc. If you can observe sliced goat'due south cheese, that's keen for packing for lunches. I also will tear it into minor pieces to stir into scrambled eggs or melt over vegetables or for English muffin pizza or tuna melts. And if you tin can get ahold of a block of goat'south milk cheddar cheese, y'all tin can shred information technology and utilise information technology as needed for melting over things.
6. Nutritional yeast tin substitute for Parmesan cheese in any recipe. Endeavor looking for information technology in the majority aisles at a natural foods grocery store or at a Whole Foods or World Fare. You can also society it online.
7. Be very careful at restaurants. I never ordered 1000 food at a eatery while she was allergic. Not in one case. I e'er packed her food and brought it with the states to exist safe. Because restaurants are notorious for putting butter, cream and cheese in places yous wouldn't expect. If you lot are ordering, delight be sure to talk with your waiter and explain that your child has a milk allergy (not lactose intolerance) — and point out that means no butter, cheese, yogurt, cream, etc. because many people don't understand this. Make certain they communicate with the chefs and see if it's possible to guild something safely. Don't forget to mention cross-contamination. This isn't being picky or a pain in the butt, information technology's keeping your child safe.
8. Similarly, be sure you lot talk with your child'south school and teachers and brand sure they aren't offered foods that might contain milk. M's preschool has always been swell about this. Almost schools now are very allergy-aware but you lot'll take to work with them on parties and special occasions. See more about that in my food allergy post here.
9. As well talk with other parents, family members, caregivers and babysitters almost your child's allergy. Someone might innocently pass a piece of cheese to the petty one eyeing the appetizers or absent-mindedly manus them a cracker that contains milk because they didn't call back information technology would be an issue. Exist sure that anyone watching your child knows the details of a milk allergy and knows which foods and drinks are OK for your child to have. I e'er simply set aside the food for M if I was going to be away and fabricated sure the bodyguard understood she shouldn't offering her annihilation else. At parties, if M wasn't going to be right with me, I spread the word that she had a nutrient allergy, sometimes not specifying and so people just wouldn't give her annihilation. Ameliorate safe – and strict – than sorry, in my opinion.
10. Experiment in the kitchen. Non sure about a substitution or adjusting a recipe? Just try it. The worst that happens is it doesn't work – oh well. Simply it probably will.

I hope this was helpful! I know how scary and stressful it tin can be to approach feeding an allergic baby, toddler and fiddling child. Cheque your local stores for safe foods, read labels, cheque out recipes online and you'll slowly start to aggrandize your options. Please let me know if you take questions; I'm happy to help if I tin can!

P.S. I have lots of toddler- and kid-friendly recipes on the blog, almost all of which can be easily adapted using the tips to a higher place.

** Do you lot have a child allergic to cow's milk? What products have you lot found and loved (or hated)? What are your superlative tips and suggestions? Concerns and questions? I'd dear for y'all to share in the comments below.

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Source: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/milk-allergy-in-toddlers-and-young-children/

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