Newly Diagnosed, feeling overwhelmed

JMC11511

L is 2 years old and was confirmed to have a dairy allergy and a peanut allergy. He also had allergic reactions to some other nuts, excluding, pecans, cashews and walnuts. We knew (or feared) the dairy allergy because he had a reaction to cows milk at age one. Since then we have done soy, which gave him a diaper rash, and have landed on rice milk. We currently just don't give him things like cheese or yogurt or stuff that is dairy. Yesterday we found found some veggie cheese and some soy yogurt. He likes the cheese ok, and we have not tried the yogurt yet. Anyway, I'm just looking for some good resources on how to manage the allergy, what types of foods I can modify, what products to look for, websites or books that may be helpful, just any encouragement. I already sub rice milk in for baked goods for him, but I'm more concerned about going forward as he gets older and realizes he can't eat what other kids can. Thanks in advance.

Izzies

I have found that cocunut yogurt is much better than the soy. In my opinion the Daiya brand fake cheese is the best (also soy free), it melts well and has tge ?stretch? of real cheese. Also when cooking just sub unsweetened almond milk in recipes or canned cocunut milk (different than the cocunut in the carton in the dairy isle) if the recipe calls for evaporated milk etc
I don't have luck at Walmart finding good brands but the health food section in Kroger is amazing!
You will have to play with recipes and see what works! Good luck!!

Ncstatemom

Hi...we don't have a dairy allergy but do have a peanut allergy.  It's life changing...but not unmanageable.  We basically don't give DD anything we can read the label on or can verify no peanuts.  We do still eat out (just not places like Chinese or Five Guys) but are careful with what we order her.  Typically in most cases we don't eat desserts out.  

Wanted to mention a few things:  1.  get an epi case, pack it with everything you need, and have it in your purse at all times.  They also have the clip cases which is nice for DH...he just hooks it on his belt loop when he's with DD alone.  

2.  there's a brand called maplehurst that makes packaged cupcakes (at walmart, kroger) which are peanut free.  I"m not sure about the dairy.  If we're going somewhere where DD will need a dessert option, I pick these up on the run.  They are also mini size which is nice.

JMC11511

Thanks so much everyone! He had his first grilled cheese sandwich with dairy free cheese and loved it. And he had some soy yogurt as a snack. I'll have to look into the coconut yogurt. I'm in CA so we don't have Kroger. We were able to find a couple of dairy free products at our local grocery store though. 

sapphiremom13

Whole Foods and Wegmans have tons of options, if you have either of those near you. I agree with the PP about the So Delucious coconut yogurt. It's so good. As others said, it's challenging, but not unmanageable. Going out to eat is hard, as anything fried is out, due to cross contamination.
We just stay home a lot and make most everything ourselves.
Some Dunkin Hines cake mixes and frostings are dairy free, so bring your own cupcakes to parties.
Oh- lots of gluten free foods are dairy free too. There are some great frozen meatballs. The tofrutti brand makes a decent frozen pizza too.

tlcalloway

also check out godairyfree.com  

daiya is a fantastic brand - we make my son's "pizza" with it and he loves it

we're allergic to dairy, wheat, eggs, peas, and peanuts - originally diagnosed with dairy, egg, wheat, and soy at 10mos - but grew out of soy around age 2...hoping for good news in Dec as his wheat and egg numbers are getting pretty low

TrishW2014

I would also recommend Coconut yogurt. It seems to have a better flavor and texture than soy. Also, a good alternative to butter is Earth Balance(different than Smart balance). It's vegan and is actually very tasty. As far as baked treats go, Cherrybrook Kitchen has an awesome line of cakes, cookies and sweets that are nut, dairy and egg free. Also, look for hidden milk ingredients. Labels don't always read milk. Other words used for milk are: casein, whey, lactic acid starter culture(found in salami, pepperoni,etc.). A good alternative to ice cream and sherbet is Sorbet. It is made from fruit and usually comes in a variety of flavors. Here is a link to help you with hidden milk ingredients. https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=37
Good luck to you! It'll get easier as you get used to reading the labels. My daughter is almost 7 and she has adapted very well to eating a dairy/egg/tree but free diet. I always pack foods for her wherever we go because I never know if there will be something available for her to eat.

Sarajanelleladd

In California, Kroger = Ralph's. They're owned by the same company.