Anyone dairy free?

[Gemma]

I'm thinking about going dairy free for 2 reasons, I'm still breastfeeding Charlie and his eczema is really bad and he's always gassy and seems in pain, when I research it always seems to point towards dairy and cutting it out to see if it helps. He's at the hospital for his skin tomorrow so I'm going to ask the nurse about the possibility of it being dairy (I'm a huge milk drinker and chocolate eater) and if I should try cutting it out for a few weeks to see if it helps

Is anyone dairy free? Is it easy to make the changes? I'm so used to eating what I want and not thinking about it but it it helps him I'll do it.

 

[pewtertm]

We haven't gone totally dairy-free, but Rachel is now almost exclusively so. She has had really bad eczema since she was 1, and it made a huge difference when we got rid of dairy. Within less than a week her flares were gone (and her arms, legs, hands, and feet were covered). She is drinking almond milk instead, and she likes it just fine (it took about 2 weeks for her to adjust). We haven't bought the plain, but we do buy the chocolate and the vanilla versions.

 

[mariewilcox]

I would say I'm 95% dairy free. In the summer I do have an ice cream cone every month or so and a couple times a month I might have yogurt. I've never suffered from eczema but I do notice a big difference in my skin - much clearer on my face and my digestion seems to do much better with little dairy. I drink almond or coconut milk (the kind in a carton, not a can!), unflavored, unsweetened and now I prefer it over cows milk. Even Cheyanne hasn't drunk cows milk since she was about 5 - I've never subscribed to the theory that we have to have milk and I think it's pretty unnatural that we're the only species that drinks another species milk after we're weaned.:huh:

 

[heathergw]

I've been dairy free for over 4 years now... it's not that hard... but I would say that if he has a problem with dairy than he probably also has a problem with soy... so I would go with almond, coconut or rice milks for substitutes... I haven't found a fake cheese that I like so I totally gave that up... other than sometimes I'll have it if we're out and then I totally regret it later... I use coconut oil as a butter substitute... and really it's pretty easy and I feel a ton better when I'm good... and feel like crap if I have any, so it makes it even easier to be dairy free LOL

:hugs: hope he feels better... and yes, it made breastfeeding better and my boys much happier... my boobs weren't as engorged and my boys where happy and thrived and no reflux pain and that's how I found out that I too had issues with dairy when I was feeling a million times better and no more sinus issues and congestion and why I'm still dairy free and plan on being dairy free for the rest of my life

 

[Jenn Barrette]

We recently found out that my oldest has some issues with dairy. The main changes we have made are she drinks almond/coconut milk now and organic soy yogurt. We can't find a cheese that tastes anything like real cheese, so she occasionally has organic cheddar cheese on things without any real issues. We found a soy ice cream...but occasionally she has real ice cream. It is harder when we go out, but it hasn't been to bad so far.

 

[DawnMarch]

My mom is dairy free, for her own health. She uses all the usual substitute milk, but since almond milk came along that's the one she relies on most. I think it's kind of like switching to any kind of new milk - if you drink it for a while you get used to it, but it might be tough for a child to just make the switch immediately.

 

[joelsgirl]

I went dairy free when Ari was about 2 months old. She was having theese terrible crying fits multiple times a day, and when we moved (to a new country) I stopped taking dairy just because I couldn't find fresh milk) It took about 10 days, but she stopped crying completely and only cried when I drank milk/ate yogurt/ate cheese. It wasn't hard to do for me, and it was totally worth it. Just remember that it may take up to 2 weeks before you see any progress.