My son has been on isomil since 2 mo of age. Our doctor suggested trying whole milk at about 9 mo. The problem is that he throws up after drinking it. I have noticed he also throws up after eating things that have milk in them like macaroni and cheese etc. I recently asked the doctor about switching from formula since he is l year old now and he said to keep him on formula as long as possible.
He is beginning to not like the formula so now what? What about sweet acidophilus milk? It is only 1% milk fat and is vitamins A & D fortified. Is this a good alternative? We have recently tried this and have noticed he doesn't throw up but does have some diarrhea. Would this still be an allergic reaction?
Dear Sondra,
Sweet Acidophilus milk is just regular cows milk that has been cultured with Lactobacillus acidophilus. Like yogurt or buttermilk, it is a cultured milk. Milk allergies are caused by an immune system response to the protein in milk. Therefore, any food that still contains intact milk proteins, such as yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, buttermilk and acidophilus, will still cause an allergic reaction.
If your son's reaction to whole milk is due to an allergy, than the switch to acidophilus is not a good alternative. Nor is it a good alternative if your son is lactose intolerant since lactose is still present in acidophilus milk. Both vomiting and diarrhea are symptoms of an allergy.
Since your son displayed both symptoms with one or the other type of milk, than I suggest you discontinue all dairy products for at least a week. If your son's symptoms disappear you can do a "challenge" test to try and determine if it is in fact the milk he is sensitive to. Have him drink a little milk or eat some cheese and then wait for a day or two to see what happens. If the symptoms reappear, take your son to the doctor for further, more definitive tests for a milk allergy.
Thank you for writing.
