Formula allergy

lindsladle15

Hey gals!
I stopped nursing LO around 8.5 months altogether...I had been slowly weaning her off of breastmilk and on to formula full-time.  In the weaning process, she developed horrible patches of (what I thought was excema at first) something all over her body (it got worse the more exclusively she was on formula)...the main concentrations were/are on her belly and back/shoulders.  It's raised up, textured, sometimes dry, and gets very red when irritated.  I have tried all kinds of cream/ointment/lotion and different essential oils, went exclusively to my Norwex detergent, etc.  I've finally come to the conclusion (with doctor and friends help) that she has an allergy to most likely the soy in her formula.
My questions are....Is there a soy-free formula?!  Most of what I've seen is formula for babies that have allergies to the milk, therefore switch to soy formula.  Also, (I am asking my doctor this, too), is she at a close enough age to 1 that I can simply transition her from formula to regular milk?  Opinions, experiences with allergies or skin irritations like this??
Thanks so much!

Kelserboo

Our little one is on Similac Alimentum and it has worked wonders for him. It is expensive but is the only formula that he can digest. It is a hypoallergenic formula. Maybe it might work for your little one?

KaLikeAWind

Have you tried a milk based formula or know for sure that she has a dairy sensitivity? Or did you start straight out with a soy based, just because it was soy based, and that's how you roll? Your post implies a dairy sensitivity but then you talk about using regular milk, so I'm confused.

Regarding formula, I've had to supplement with formula pretty much since day one, and eventually went to 100% formula, and we use the plain Similac advanced. It is milk based tho, so would not work for a dairy sensitive baby. I've always been happy with his formula and had no problems with it, so if milk is not an issue, you could try that.

Wishing you and your little the best

lindsladle15

Thanks gals!  Sorry, @mellymar I meant that we were told she was allergic to soy, after using plain old Enfamil, but it turns out soy is in nearly every formula, so, that stinks!  I did try adding a couple ounces of regular milk to her bottles yesterday, and holy moly, I'm pretty sure her allergy is something to do with dairy, not just soy.  Underneath her eyes were terribly red, she developed a cough, and was acting so itchy/agitated.  Argh....to the doctor we go.  It's hard and frustrating to not know how to help/fix your baby

KaLikeAWind

^^ this sucks! Hope she's better fast. Good luck with the formula

mindaa

I was told by Ped that at 9 months, it was usually OK to start offering whole milk. But only your own doc would know of any precautions specific to your LO.

Have you actually seen an allergist for testing, or just the Ped? Might help to be 100% certain of the root cause of the reaction, plus a specialist might have more specific suggestions. 

lindsladle15

Thanks, @mindaa I actually took her to the ped yesterday and lo and behold, it's not an allergy, but a very bad case of eczema!  I had not been putting heavy duty enough stuff (aquafor wasn't cutting it) on it.  He prescribed two steroid creams, among other instructions.  I'm relieved that it's not an allergy to food (he said it'd be unlikely that she would have a dairy allergy after nursing for 9 months and me eating and drinking lots of dairy during all that time).
Also, both my girls have ear infections (again), so I may be on the tubes track with @btm013  

mindaa

^^ I had 3 different doctors insist that LO's excema was not food related but after struggling with it for a while we finally went to an allergist where he tested positive for dairy sensitivity. 

lindsladle15

@mindaa good to know, thanks!  I hope your LO will grow out of that eventually. 
I'm going to give these creams a whirl (actually, after not even 24 hours I see improvement!) and then go from there.  Here's hoping this will keep it at bay!