Dairy Diaries

Recognizing Your Toddler's Milk Allergy

By Laura Cone

Dr. Feder says if your toddler is allergic to milk, it's important to find other sources of calcium. "You really need to be in touch with your child's needs," she says. "I'm a very big proponent of nursing way into toddlerhood." When her boys were toddlers, they would eat solid food and water while she was at work. Then, she would nurse them when she got home in the evening.

In lieu of breastmilk, Dr. Feder recommends goat's milk and non-dairy milks fortified with calcium. "You can take organic nuts like almonds and sesame seeds, which are the highest in calcium," she says. "Take a half cup organic nuts, grind the nuts to a fine powder in a blender and add a cup of cold water and sweeten as needed. The milk can be strained so it's the consistency of a normal milk."

Dr. Feder says people with a family history of milk allergies should be especially conservative about introducing dairy into a toddler's diet. She recommends waiting more than a year and introducing a little dairy at a time, starting with yogurt or butter. When buying dairy products, choose the organic versions whenever possible, she says.

Dr. Feder takes into consideration a family's culture and beliefs before recommending a particular diet. "Some families that are vegan are not going to go near an animal product like dairy," she says. "I happen to be married to a man from Switzerland, and that's the land of cows and cheese. I was not going to fight him on that. We use dairy as a complement but not the central part of a meal."

Want to see more?

• The Other White Drink: 10 Ways to Incorporate Soymilk Into Your Family's Diet
• Coping With Food Allergies: Helpful Hints from Specialists at Texas Children's Hospital
• Food Allergies and Children: Is It Taking a Toll on Your Family?
• Talk about it!