Has anyone had any issues with their toddler being lactose intolerant and if so, what were their symptoms? When we started to run out of formula a few days ago, I started adding some whole milk at times to supplement. But around the same time, my son, who will be 1 year old this Saturday, started having some loose stools. He has had them pretty much all weekend, some messier than others. He is also teething, but he has been for the last month. So I don't know if this is due to the milk or if he just has some mild summer stomach virus. We had been feeding him cheese and yogurt without any problems, so I didn't expect there to be any problem with the milk. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
My little one (around 18 months) started having loose stools and really bad stomach cramps in the middle of the night. We took him to the doctor and she said it was nothing, just a little virus but it would go away. Well, after 5 weeks and 3 doctor visits, she finally told us he was lactose intolerant.
I switched to Soy milk and we haven't had any problems since.
When my daughter turned one we started her on whole milk and she got really bad diaper rashes and loose stools. We switched her to 2% milk and she has not had any problems. She does not have problems with other dairy products just the milk. About a month ago my husband bought whole milk instead of 2% and the same thing happened. I'm not sure what it is about the whole milk but her body just can't take it.
Hope you figure out you problem. Have a great day.
I was not lactose intolerant as a child, but became intolerant around 13 yrs old. It got worse as I got older. My mom was intolerant as well, she coulnd't even put some milk in her coffee. My daughter was lactose intolerant as a baby, but is still a huge milk drinker at 21. When we starting giving her milk she threw up! We used soy milk, rice milk, yogurt/juice mixes, OJ with calcium, etc. There are plenty of alternatives to cow's milk. Milk is a good product, but there isn't anything sacred about it. I don't remember exactly when she overcame her intolerance, but I don't think she was more than a toddler. I remember giving her milk with Happy Meals.
Having said that, all kids are different. You son's intolerance may last longer, may last his whole life. Just take it one day at a time.
Even though I can't drink milk, I do eat yogurt and cheese. I think that either the lactose is different or the cultures in those products break it down for me.
Hi Stephanie,
Other clues, rash around lips, gas, moody.
Try to transition her to Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk and/or goat's milk (that is what my mother-in-law used for my husband as a baby). I usually recommend slowly staging babies into cow's milk anyway because babies bodies just are not built to handle other mammals milk. Here is what I have written to other mom's (but note it does sound like your son is lactose intolerant)---
I consistently recommend Ruth Yuron's "Super Baby Food Book" for all mom's baby food needs and questions.
I also suggest introducing whole milk at a very slow and staged pace. 3/4 formula, 1/4 rice milk/almond milk/soy milk then graduate up until on complete other milks. Then start introducing the whole milk the same way 3/4 other milks, then 1/4 whole milk and etc... especially because babes little bodies just have a hard time adjusting straight to whole cow's milk. I also recommend sticking with hormome free organic milk only.
Again in your son's case, he may not ever be able to handle the cow's milk, and that is okay because there are so many other options out there now.
I hope this is beneficial, God's Blessings, M. N.
It doesn't sound like lactose to me. It's probably the teething, or something else.
My daughter is actually allergic to milk, and she had symptoms like tummy cramping, vomiting, congestion, and she couldn't gain weight. As she got older, she would get very glassy-eyed and lethargic after vomiting episodes. Like a limp dish rag.
If he has been eating cheese and yogurt with no problems, it is not likely lactose intolerant.
My 18month old can eat yogurt and cheese and be fine, but if you give him milk.... watch out! LOL! I would talk to your pediatrician, but mine said to go ahead and keep giving my son formula and to keep trying with the milk here and there.
it very well could be an intolerance. I can have yogurt (not on an empty stomach), and some times cheese. But when I try to drink a sip of milk, or have a hershey's bar, I get extremely sick with diarhea and stomach cramps and a rash on my arms. Some ppl with intolerance can have some dairy's but not others and some can't have any at all.
I hope I helped.
Hi Stephanie,
My oldest son had a milk sensitivity when he was an infant. Turned out the milk, well all dairy actually, was causing ear infections. We took him off all dairy for a year and he is fine now!! He can enjoy milk without any side effects. By the way, he was 18 months old when we realized the problem and he is now soon to be 7.
You can try Rice milk with the added calcium and vitamins, and also goat milk. Both are great options for you.
Best Wishes,
J. H.
There was a summer virus going around. Try again and see, if hte same happens then there may be an issue, if not then you know it was a virus. Good Luck and God Bless.
My daughter, who is now 6-1/2 yrs. old, and I, are both lactose intolerant. People who are lactose intolerant CAN USUALLY handle cheddar cheese, yogurt, and sometimes fat-free milk. My daughter and I eat a lot of yogurt, and we eat a good bit of cheddar cheese. My daughter was diagnosed lactose-intolerant when she was a baby. I was breast feeding her for the first 2-1/2 mos. then I QUIT lactating. It was a natural occurrence, and one that my doctor could not explain. So, we had to put my daughter on formula. The first formula tried was the standard Similac with Iron. My daughter had severe constipation (to the point of impaction at times) and was always throwing up. The Dr. said she was probably lactose-intolerant, so he was going to switch her to Pro-Sobee, which is a soy formula. Well, that gave her extreme gas and made her irritable, so he said she was sensitive to soy, and he switched her to Lacto-Free formula and diagnosed her with lactose intolerance. She has drank Lactaid from the age of 1 to the age of 5. At 5, WIC was no longer supporting her with her milk, and I couldn't always afford nearly $4 for a half gallon of milk, so I tried FAT-FREE milk. She was able to stomach FAT-FREE and so am I, although we can't have too much of it.
You can talk to your Dr. about this, but if you want to continue to give him whole milk and you can't afford to put him on Lactaid whole milk, then there are 2 solutions out there. One is there is a supplement that you can buy over the counter at Walmart or a pharmacy. It's called Lactobacillus. This is the bacteria that digests lactose, which is a milk sugar that we can not digest on our own sometimes. It's a tablet, and it can be crushed. (I am a nurse, and we used to give this to a tube fed patient who could not be switched on his feedings, but he was lactose intolerant and couldn't stomach the feedings on his own, so the Dr. ordered the supplement and it helped him greatly!) Also, there is an over the counter treatment that you can buy called Digestive Advantage Children's Lactose Intolerance
and also there is Lactaid Fast Act.
i think that sounds like an intolerance. my whole family is so it wasn't a surprise when emme showed up the same. she was on soy formula from about 4mo + and soy milk (we tried cows milk) until she refused to drink it anymore. she still can't drink cows milk but is fine with yogurt and cheese in small amounts.
