Throwing up Milk

My daughter had the same problem. She was healthy and above average in in size. Her ped. said since she was healthy and able to consume other dairy products, it was ok to give her 2%. She is now 17yrs. old, 5'11, still growing, and very healthy.

When I tried my daughter on milk, she did the same also. I just took her off it for a little while and kept trying it. She just wasn't ready, her stomach just couldn't take it. She did eventually drink it with no problem. It just might take some time.

Have you thought about switching her to soy, rice or almond milk? My daughter had to be put on Soy formula after I stopped breastfeeding and when she turned one I just kept her on Soy milk. She eats cheese and other dairy products. I tried giving her milk at one point and she to would throw it back up. Good luck!

M.,

Both of my girls and I are the same way. They can't handle whole milk, but have no problem with other dairy products (except cottage cheese). I can't eat ice cream either. The girls don't seem to have a problem there.

What I ended up doing is getting organic milk. Memory Lane milk (available in Price Cutters) seems to work for the girls. They like it and we've not had any problems with the milk making us sick. It comes in glass bottles ($1.50 deposit, refunded when you return the bottle) and you can get whole, 2%, low-fat, and skim. It tastes good and there are no hormones or antiboitics in the milk.

Wal-mart sells a brand that is cheaper in a blue box. But, I think the Memory Lane stuff is better. It comes from a farm in Fordland, MO, just east on Hwy 60.

Good luck.

It is very important that your daughter get calcium, vitamin D, protein, and fat. Yes, FAT, at least until 2 years, they need fat for their nutrition to aid in proper growth and brain development. This is the reason the doctor wants her on the WHOLE milk.

I was lactose intolerant as a child, but didn't realize it. I too would throw up every time I was made to drink the whole milk, which was almost all they had then. My grandson was having some trouble w/milk and my dauhghter eliminated it from his diet BUT she SUBSTITUTED other beverages, like soy milk or rice milk and made sure they had the adequate calcium, protein, and fat in them.

My other daughter was allergic to milk which is more serious, she could not have any milk products, so we used a very expensive formula until she was 2 from a sippy cup. At your daughter's age most pediatricians are not willing to run a test for milk allergy and even less likely to test for lactose intolerance, as it is hard to detect at this young age, 3 years is average. There are blood tests they can run, if she ALWAYS throws up when drinking ANY milk.

You might talk this over with a call to your pediatrician's nurse and mention what is happening. My guess is they will have you keep a food diary of what she is eating, because it may NOT be the milk, it can be the combination of milk w/another food. Do this by process of elimination. Only introduce one suspected food a day for 4 days, once she tolerates it, you can add another, each time you've eliminated one, you will come closer to the problem. I know this sounds like a drawn out process, but it is the health of your child and her health is more important!

About me:
I have extensive medical experience as a nursing major and I’m going back for my Physician's Assistant degree. I've already had many of the courses for the PA program. I have quite a bit of "hands-on" experience raising a daughter with multiple medical issues and later taking care of my Mom her last year of life due to incurable cancer. I was her nurse 24/7. I cannot tell you what to do, as I don't have my license, but I can make suggestions.

My 16 month old has the same problem with milk. And he isn't lactose intolerant or any of that. Our Dr said to keep up with the other dairy that he does tolerate and we give him OJ with Calcium. She said as long as he keeps developing on track weight and height don't dip we are okay.

Don't worry overmuch about whole milk, if your daughter is growing at the recommended rate for her age and seems healthy by other standards. Considering what you have said about your daughter's other sources of nutrition, I would be happy feeding her 2% milk. Milk isn't her only source of calcium or fat. Have you looked at any web sites for pediatric advice?

I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if she is still nursing. Have you tried organic? Sometimes the added hormones and chemicals in regular milk can upset the stomach. Also, there is Lactaid milk. It is regular milk, but without lactose. It tastes the exact same. Maybe with Lactaid milk your daughter could handle whole milk. Just a thought.

Your daughter may be lactose intolerant. It runs in my family. Cheese and yogurt are "processed" and don't cause me much problem, but plain milk is a no no.

When I was weaning my daughter, she would throw up milk, I swithced to soy formula and she was fine. She, unlike me, grew out of it and at 21 years old she drinks gallons. Rice milk may be an alternative if soy is hard on her stomach.

It sounds like she's eating great!

Hi M.!! I feel your pain. My daughter is almost two now, but last year we had discovered the same issue. She could eat cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, etc....what she could not do was handle milk what so ever. Not even regular formula. She quit nursing on me at 11 months old. I didn't force her to do something she didn't want to. So we needed to improvise some more nutrition. I tried soy formula/and regular soy milk for her. Come to find out that was worse than regular milk. I just couldn't understand what was going on. I took her to her ped and he told me to try Lacto Free milk. By goly it worked!! She had been drinking it for a year now and had handled it just fine. According to the ped they add so much chemicals to regular milk that it is becoming more common for a child to be Lactose intolerant. Try that out and see how that works. Good luck!!

M.,
I would think she's getting enough with you still nursing and her eating other dairy. My kids are both chunky, my son was on whole milk for only about a month, then the dr. said 2% was fine (probably due to his weight). My 17mo old daughter doesn't like milk (I tried all of them and I'm not nursing anymore), but she likes yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc. Is your doctor aware that the whole milk makes her sick, but 2% doesn't? I would question the push for whole milk. Or give you alternatives? Maybe get another opinion from another doctor. Your daughter sounds like she's healthy. I've also learned to follow my own gut too. I don't know if this helps, I think just knowing other mothers hear you can help. Good luck!

She may have an intolorance to milk. I can eat things with dairy as much as I want (except ice cream) without any problems but can only drink a little milk without getting sick. I have a little neice who, like your daughter can drink a small cup of milk without a problem but will throw up if you give her more or with yogurt.

Try Soy milk and see if you have better luck with that or even Rice milk (the vitamin enriched version).

My oldest son is now 12, but he had a similar problem when he was younger. He was able to eat all forms of dairy and drink 2% milk but would have an upset tummy with whole milk.
He would throw up from it as well.
Obviously the 2% milk is diluted, as are a lot of the dairy products that he would eat and those didn't seem to ever really bother him. I think whole milk is in the truest form and if your child has any type of lactose issues it will be the strongest with whole milk. We have realized even now that milkshakes also bother my son's stomach, and they are made with the whole milk. I don't want to go against your pediatrician but my first 2 kids were both large babies and back then my doctor said they could drink 2%. They grew just fine and are smart, healthy kiddos. My youngest is now 22 months and really just doesn't like to drink much milk.
I have found that she loves the yogurt drinks and it gives her more dairy. Maybe you could get some alternatives that would meet her dairy needs without making the poor thing sick. I know that whole milk is best but if she throws it up, she isn't getting any nutrients. You aren't crazy!
Maybe doc could give you some options??? Good luck!

M.,

I have a son who is now 4. Wen he was younger and we were starting him on milk the doctor said to use whole milk every time we gave him whole he would throw up about 10 mins after we put him to bed we ended up having to put him on soy milk after a couple of months on straight soy we started mixing it with 2% three fourths of a cup of soy to a fourth cup of 2% and after about a week we would up that to half and half and so on. Ever since we did that he drinks 2% and has had no problems and he drinks milk ALL the time. Hope this helps. good luck. Jen

my sister's ds had this same problem. her husband can't have anything higher than 2% either. so she fed ds 2%, and it works. her ped says it's fine.

maybe you could do 2% milk, but also give dd full fat cheeses and yogurt to make up for it. nursing should also make up for it. (kudos to you for still nursing!!)

i'm sorry that's the only personal experience i have with it.
i hope this helps some. good luck M.!

Hi!
My husband and I opted to do soy milk with our daughter and she loves it. You might give Silk unsweetend soy milk a try. I have also heard that some kids who don't like or can't tolerate regular cow's milk can tolerate organic cow's milk. Horizon Organic Milk is great and they even have chocolate. You can buy Silk and Horizon in the health market at HyVee. Hope this helps!

Hi M.,

I haven't had any problems with my kids throwing up milk, but I wanted to share my point of view. Although I'm sure your doctor means well, I think your daughter has spoken loud and clear on this matter. I wouldn't force anything on her that makes her throw up! It sounds like you're doing a great job getting her nutrients (and still nursing -- good for you two!) so without knowing any more facts, I'd think your ped is pushing too hard. We as a society don't give kids enough credit for knowing their own limits. My opinions is your daughter is getting plenty of milk. Keep providing her with healthy meals and drinks and let her do the rest. She has the built in ability to let you know when she's had enough. Trust her and trust your instincts!

Good Luck
S.

hun, some times docs dont know what they are talking about. i have 5 boys ranges in ages of 6 - 21 and none of them could drink whole milk for the same reason they had to go to 2% or lower.. you know your child not your doc . if she can only drink 2% then only give her that . the reason why she is holding down the dairy products she is eating such as cheese and stuff is because they are made from 2% milk if you really read the labels ... whole milk in fact is not all that good for you it is fat .. i would go with what she can handle and give her a extra cup of the 2 %
Barbara

Coming from a mom of a milk allergic baby...I think milk is evil :). sounds like you are doing just fine and 2% is great. And if she can't tolerate it then make sure she is getting her calcium in other ways.

Well, I am no expert, but I would either have your ped look into the problem and give you answers why it's happening, or get a 2nd opinion and switch peds. Good Luck!

Okay I know you've had tons of responses, but I wanted to say that milk is not necessary in any form in the diet. Well, mama milk is for infants. Other than nursing, my 3 yo never has any milk or milk products. The fat is important, and that's the main difference between 2% and whole milk. Other sources of fat might be avocados, whole eggs (please choose humanely raised eggs, not factory farmed!), nut butters (almond is very high in calcium), fortified soy milk. My daughter loves bread dipped in olive oil. There are lots of way to get those nutrients.

My daughter did the same thing. When I switched her from formula to whole milk, she started having horrible diaper rash and spit up a lot. I switched to soy milk and all her symptoms resolved overnight (literally). We used Silk soy milk (not the vanilla kind, just the regular kind) that is fortified with extra vitamin D, etc. and she did very well. That was when she was 1. When she turned 2, we switched to 2% and she was completely fine. She has always done fine with all other dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc.), so our pediatrician thinks she just had a sensitivity to the proteins found in whole milk. Good luck!

Sounds like she's a GREAT eater, and that she's getting plenty of protein elsewhere! Wow, I wish my 1.5 & 3 yr old would eat that well! :) I'd say ESPECIALLY since she's still nursing, you shouldn't have anything to worry about! Go mama!

Ooo! Ooo! I know the answer! Pick me pick me! LOL! I just went through this with my son. I didn't think it made sense about the whole vs 2% milk thing until a friend of mine pointed out the all of my cheese and yogurt are made with 2%. I just saw the pediatrician the other day and he said just make sure he gets more fat from other sources. Cheese is a good source! And if your daughter is still nursing I wouldn't worry too much about it because she's getting a lot of what she needs from you.

Given the info about your child's diet, I wouldn't be too concerned about whole milk. If she is appropriate for her height and weight and seems to be well nourished, it's okay to have 2% milk. That's all my daughter drank and she's now a healthy 5 yr old. If you want to still try to sneak in milk, maybe offer her a small amnt, just a couple of ounces throughout the day. Maybe you could mix the whole milk with the 2% milk. Maybe sneak in the milk w/her food like mac & cheese. The most important thing is that she IS eating and drinking dairy products.

Hello M.. I just went online and did a google search for "should toddlers drink whole milk" You may want to do it yourself and look through the many articles. There is a lot of information out there.

There are many helpful links... here are three:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/fh/wic/wicfoods/milkfa...

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/milk/i/05_milk_2.htm

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/04_change...

This following information I got from the 3rd link above.
Best Milk for Toddlers
For toddlers without food allergies and who aren't overly picky eaters, they can begin drinking whole cow's milk once they are twelve months old. Keep in mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you not give your toddler low fat milk until they are two years old.

A toddler formula is a good alternative if your toddler isn't able to drink whole milk, since they are available in soy formulations, such as Isomil 2 and Enfamil Next Step Soy. Since they are iron fortified, they may also be a good choice if your toddler is a very picky eater.

Although not recommended for infants as a substitute for an iron fortified infant formula, you could also give your toddler pasteurized goat's milk if you wanted to. Talk to your Pediatrician first if your toddler has a milk or soy allergy though.

Here is some more:

Why should my toddler drink whole milk?

Toddlers (up to 2 years old) grow very fast and their brains are continuing to develop. Extra fat and calories are need to support this growth.

Whole milk is an easy way to be assured that your toddler is getting enough to grow well.

note A toddler should only drink 2 cups of whole milk daily.

I hope this helps.

R.