Milk question.

AshleyDehaven

So ever since DS got over his tummy bug, we have had the hardest time with dairy. Every time i give him some he either throws up, or gets diarrhea. He has always been lactose sensitive, but his doctor felt that it wasn't enough to warrant forgoing the benefits. But now, it is making him sick, i am guessing that going almost 2 weeks without it was the kicker. I have tried almond and coconut milk and he hated both. We are seeing his doctor today, so i will be asking her about this, but wanted to see what some other mommas have tried and had success with. I am worried about him not getting enough calcium. Any dairy free babies out there? Hope everyone is having a good day.

sully1109

We are dairy free here too, but only milk. I don't know what it is but she hates cows milk, I will mix it with coconut milk and she will spit it out immediately. I would introduce it everyday until a few weeks ago when I decided to stop and try again later. So I give her coconut milk and make sure she gets plenty of other dairy throughout the day. She loves yogurt (we get the stoneyfield ones) and string cheese, I also make her a smoothie around lunch that has kale, banana, strawberries, mango, 1/4 avocado (for fat), and some chia seeds. Surprisingly she really likes it! Have you tried mixing milks, or soy?

AshleyDehaven

He is allergic to soy as well, and also isn't tolerating pediasure any more. I was thinking about mixing 2/3 regular almond or coconut milk with 1/3 chocolate.. i know it's a bad habit to start, but he needs more than water and juice ya know? Sigh. I did get him some yogurt tubes to try, so here is hoping he likes those.

DCKate

DD drinks the lactaid free organic whole milk from Stonyfield without any problems. She had a hard time with regular WCM until we switched.

bennikki

We get most of our calcium from bone broth (DS's DC is required to serve WCM with his lunch and snack).  It's much more bio-available for our bodies than the calcium in milk.  Stick a bunch of soup bones in the crock pot, throw in some vegetables (often the throw-away stuff like carrot peels and onion tops), salt and pepper to taste, cover with water, and set it on low for a day.  Once it's simmered for a day, pour it through a strainer, and let it cool before putting it in mason jars or ice cube trays.  Use it to cook his veggies, mash potatoes, or rice in.  It adds a ton of flavor and is packed with tons of nutrients on top of a great source of calcium.  

As others have said, dark leafy greens are also a great source of calcium.  Spinach is so mild in flavor, that DH doesn't even realize it's in half the stuff I throw it into (spaghetti sauces, smoothies, eggs, any casserole).

Remember, the dairy industry has a great marketing department that makes us believe that we can't get the nutrients they are adding to their products.  No child "needs" dairy milk, and water is really just fine if that's what he wants to drink just make sure his food is a balanced variety.