Advice About 1 Year Old and Whole Milk

As long as it is going away quickly when wiped off, I see no real harm in continuing to give her milk. She needs the whole milk for the milk fat for brain development.

Hi! You have received some great information and advice about cow's milk. It's true, there are different enzymes and bacteria in milk, cheese, etc. If she will still drink formula, let her use that. It's loaded with good stuff. The next best thing is the goats milk. It is so ridiculously good for you! Much better than cow's milk. Hope it works out!

I would suggest getting another opinion - she may be allergic to the milk or she just may have super sensitive skin. My son's pedi doesn't hesitate to do tests on him and I am thankful for that. Baby's do need to move to whole milk when they turn one so that they can get the proper calcium, vitamin D and fats they need to grow and develop. She may need soy milk instead of cow's milk - your pedi should be able to determine this for you.
I hope this helps.

A little about me:
I am a 38 year old mom, married to my wonderful husband. My beautiful son is 15 months old and growing strong.

Oh my goodness! It is so peculiar that I read your request because the exact same thing happened to me tonight with my 1 year old son. He's only been breastfed thus far and hasn't drank too much whole milk, However, he too eats lots of yogurt and cheese with no problem. We started giving him whole milk about a week ago and he seems okay as long as it doesn't touch his skin. Tonight he spit his whole milk all down his chin and within minutes he started itching and had red welts. Sorry to make my entire response about my son, but I just wanted to let you know that your granddaughter is not alone! I am going to call my pediatrician tomorrow to see what she has to say about the reaction. (I'll let you know)

Also, just so you know my son had this skin reaction to yogurt when we introduced it at 6 months and we just made sure to wipe his mouth and hands really well after eating. He has since outgrown the skin reaction to yogurt so I'm hoping he'll outgrow the milk skin reaction.

Most milk allergies are related to either lactose or casein. Lactose intolerance in babies is not all that common as lactose is also found in breast milk. Casein allergies, on the other hand, are quite common as it is a protein pretty specific to dairy products.

During the processing of yogurt and cheese, the milk is repeatedly exposed to heat and enzymatic action. These two things actually work to break down the protein casein and some people are able to tolerate these foods but can't drink milk.

I would suggest trying goat's milk. You can find it in the dairy section (Meyenberg) and it naturally is produced without hormones. It has nearly as much fat as whole milk, the same vitamins and minerals.

My daughter is able to drink milk now, but I had to stop for a while when breastfeeding because she wa clearly having an adverse reaction. Now she gets a rotation of soy, goat, and cow milk.

Hi D.! I used to work in child nutriion for several years, and milk allergies are common in kiddos. However, it's strange that it only happens with white whole milk and not yogurt or cheese. It seems like she likes and eats plenty of yogurt and cheese, so as long as she is getting a serving of yogurt and a serving of cheese a day (and a whole thing of Brown cow would count as 2) then she really wouldn't need to drink milk at all. If she still wants and likes milk, you could always try soy or rice milk as a substitute, as these are much less likly to cause allergies.

If she were my child, I wouldn't subject her little body to a bunch of allergy tests unless the reaction were much stronger and more dangerous. As long as the face redness is the only symptoms, just try the substitutes and see how she does. She may just have some kind of skin allergy/reaction to some substance or by product in cow's milk, which most kids out grow as they get older.

Hope this helps a little:}

My oldest son's skin is funny like that. He can eat cinnamon but if it touches his skin it turns red. The same goes for several things he eats including milk. He has no adverse reactions other than it touching his skin. If the dog licks him, it turns red in that spot. The redness only lasts for a few minutes then fades. He has been that way since he was a baby and his is almost nine. CB

Sounds like she is just lactose sensitive, rather than intolerant. Since she eats a lot of yogurt and cheese, I wouldn't worry about pushing the milk, she is already getting plenty of calcium and Vitamin D, which is the whole point of the milk.

My son never did develop a taste for cow milk (breast fed babies usually don't), and like your granddaughter, loves yogurt and cheese. Since I use soymilk, that's what he uses too. There's no lactose, has the same amount of calcium and Vitamin D, and has the added benefit of 7g of protein. He loves to drink the chocolate! Try that if you feel she just has to drink milk.

Could it be the sugar? My son always would get the same reaction with cinnamon.

My sons had a reaction like that to syrup & cinnamon when they were toddlers. Dr said it was a topical allergy and to just clean the area well. They could have it as long as there was no other reactions especially of a more serious nature. They are 17 now and have no reaction to these. They just outgrew them.
But best to check with the Dr to be sure.

I don't know if your granddaughter has a milk sensitivity or not, but there is a difference in the way the body processes dairy products and milk. Cooked milk (which you see in dairy products) is different for them. For example, it is perfectly ok to give a 9 month old cheese and yogurt but you are not supposed to give cows milk until 1. The body just processes differently. As a young child, I could NOT drink cow milk, but could always eat cheese and dairy products (I was on soy formula as a baby as well, since I couldn't drink regular formula). I outgrew it by the time I was school age.

Milk sensitivity in children is usually the milk proteins, which is why a lactose-free substitute isn't a good choice. If she was truly lactose intolerant (which doesn't happen much in babies) then she probably couldn't drink her formula nor eat her dairy products.
How about one of those formulas that are for the later ages? I received a sample that I think was for 9-36 months (I don't use formula for my children, so I am unsure how that stuff works). Could that be an alternative?

She's probably not allergic if she's been drinking formula all this time. Most formula is cow milk-based.

Have y'all thought about other milk, like goat milk? Goat milk is actually much closer to breastmilk (and therefore, tolerated by our bodies better) than cows milk is.

Oh yeah, I know lots of folks who can handle cheese and yogurt but not milk. I guess the lactose in those things is broken down more, not sure. But if she is having a reaction, how about Lactaid? Maybe put some of that on her cereal and see how her little face reacts, if no reaction you probably have a winner. If she eats cheese and full fat yogurt, she is probably ok, but since she is on the small side some whole milk that is lactose free might be a good solution until you can get an allergy test done. Good luck!
p.s. Walmart has a Great Value brand of Lactose free milk so it is not so expensive!

D.,

We experienced the same thing w/ our boys. Both were switched to whole milk when they turned 1 yr old and did not have any negative reactions. We only encountered redness in the face when certain brand of yogurt touches their faces. We noted the brand and switched. No problem w/ the whole milk. We think it is the preservatives in the food (yogurt). Oh, we also had the same reaction only worse when a substitute teacher gave our 18 mos. boy cheetos for snacks. All was well after we gave him benedryl and spoken to the director regarding what constitute as proper diet for our child. Hope this helps.

The proteins in milk and processed dairy are different. Enzymes and bacteria are used in the making of cheese and yogurt that affect the proteins and other components of the milk. She may not actually be allergic to milk, but rather something IN milk that is changed or taken out in the process of making yogurt and cheese. If she is on a milk based formula, the same idea applies.

There are lots of options out there regarding milk replacement. Soy milk (has its own allergy and health issues), almond milk (which is very good and MUCH healthier for you than cows milk- I just recently switched to it myself) and rice milk (very yummy, but sweet). There are also goats milk and sheep milk in some international markets.

Calcium is also in EVERYTHING processed, especially for kids, and if she is eating cheese and yogurt is most likely getting enough anyway. Milk is not a necessary component of the human diet.

I hope I was helpful... good luck!

I just wanted to throw my two cents in. My daughter can't do cows milk but can do cheese. Hard cheese doesn't have the same stuff as milk that makes her react. We switched to goat milk and she has don't wonderfully. You can get whole goat milk at HEB, and Walmart. For low fat you have to go to Whole Foods (but you don't need that yet)

I just googled your granddaughter's problem and plenty of info came up. Check out the info on www.allergysa.org/milk. A doctor was once surprised that I had no problems with yogurt, although I did with dairy in general. He assumed it was because my body really needs the active cultures, or acidophulus, that's found in yogurt.