Milk

[massebas]

My child was breast fed until 14mths old.  I have tried to giver her all sorts of milk (soy, flavored).  She does not like any milk.  We did allergy testing on her, and she is allergic (not extreme) to milk amongst other foods.  Time has passed, and I have been giving her some milk and other foods she was  allergic to.  She has been doing fine eating those foods.  She still does not like milk.  She will eat yogurt and cheese, but not all the time.  I have been giving her some calcium medicine for kids that the doctor told me to give her.

What else can I do about the calcium? Calcium helps strengthen the bones and teeth.  She can't live off of cheese and yogurt.

Thanks!

[earthtonegrrl]

If she's allergic to milk, you're not doing her any favors by loading her diet with dairy. Milk allergies are different from lactose intolerance - lactose-free or low-lactose dairy foods are not appropriate for a milk allergy (to milk protein).

There is excellent, well-researched information here calcium for dairy-free diets: http://www.godairyfree.org/Table/Health-Info/Calcium/ and the whole site has a ton of information on non-dairy foods. I avoid both gluten and all dairy, so I use it often.

[Renee Radenberg]

Here are some more suggestions to increase her calcium sources: Give her yogurt, yogurt smoothies (yogurt, fruit, and ice cream blended), all types of cheeses, ice cream, puddings, put cheese on vegetables or make them with heavy cream sauce. Mix yogurt into fruit and have snack cheese sticks. Make pasta and cheese or add cheese to rice and beans. Some children will accept whole milk if you add chocolate or strawberry flavor mix to it. If that does not work and she likes soy milk, then give her soy milk (has the same amount of calcium as in regular milk). Hoped this helped you.