Diaper rash from you-know-where

My pedi had told me it was okay to start giving them milk a little at a time. I started adding some to their bottles and I put it in their cereal too. A day or so after starting, one of my babies started getting a bad diaper rash with bad diarrhea. A few days later, her sister started having the same. I never put two and two together until I started checking around TS and saw that it's almost surely the milk! I have never seen diaper rashes like this and it only started after giving them the milk. Boy, do I feel like a bad mommy now. Especially since I just kept giving it to them here and there without even considering it to be a problem.

ANyway, does this mean that they have a milk allergy? (Can I just say that I'm not too bummed if they can't drink straight milk because I just hate it.) They really couldn't care less about their formula anymore, so after the 12 months, how do they get their calcium? And any ideas about healing their little bums. They're getting better, but my heart bleeds when I notice they've got a poopy diaper b/c that means some serious crying is about to begin.

Poor babies....

 

Hi there. I don't know much about milk allergies but I do know there are TONNES of alternative sources of calcium. Off the top of my head: yogurt, broccoli, cottage cheese, soy milk - here's a web page I found dedicated to the subject: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic4018.htm

Have they had a bad reaction to milk products, like yogurt?

 

poor baby bum bums!!! not sure about the alergy thing! not there yet - but a great thing for the rash - cut the foot off an old nylon put regular oatmeal in it and tie - swish in bath water until water is milky looking and bathe. oatmeal does wonders. I live by desitin too. one sign of a rash and it's on them - it usually will clear up within a day. good luck!

 

What about Enfamil Next step? It's like a cross between milk and formula.
I'm sorry they're hurting.
Dont' feel bad; how could you have known? :hug99:

 

I always use vasaline just cake it on every diaper and then the rash is gone within a day or two!

 

QUOTE(CHJH @ Oct 12 2007, 03:25 PM) [snapback]447810[/snapback]
Hi there. I don't know much about milk allergies but I do know there are TONNES of alternative sources of calcium. Off the top of my head: yogurt, broccoli, cottage cheese, soy milk - here's a web page I found dedicated to the subject: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic4018.htm

Have they had a bad reaction to milk products, like yogurt?

I'm not sure, but I think American cheese bothers them. But I gave it to them the same time as the milk, so it could just be the plain milk. I gave them mozzerella cheese a couple ofmonths ago and they seemed fine.

Thanks so much for the link! And thanks to everyone else too....I hate to wish their first year to go by fast, but on these occasions, it's so hard not to. I just want them to be happy and not have hurting hineys....thanks again.

 

You can try soy milk or rice milk or even goats milk. Alot of moms in my local parenting group have kids with dairy allergies. Goats milk is the best of them nutrients wise but does cost a bit more.
Good luck!

 

I heard you have to watch goats milk because of nutrient issues, I think it can cause anemia. It might be different depending on the childs age. I would check with the Dr before going that route.
Diarhea can be a sign of milk allergy. You can try some soy milk but make sure you let the pediatrician know whats going on. If it is hopefully it will be something that passes later on.

 

We just got done with a round of bad diaper rash in our house (thrush) and our pediatrician's office gave us some samples of Calm-o-septine which worked like a charm. HTH!!

 

My boys have a true milk protein allergy and I don't think that's what is going on with your babies. If it was you would not have been able to feed them a milk-based formula without skin rashes and digestive issues all along. That said, they could be sensitive to whole milk especially just starting out- it's a common issue. They could be lactose intolerant or lactose sensitive as well. Usually bad diarrhea by itself can cause that horrible diaper rash you describe. They could just have a stomach bug since started displaying symptoms before the other. Many things can cause that issue. What I would do is discontinue milk products (milk,cheese, yogurt, etc) until the diarrhea clears. Stick to the BRAT (banana,rice,apples,toast??) diet to treat the diarrhea and we always use Boudreauxs Butt Paste on the rash as well as corn starch to keep them drier. Once all is normal again, introduce one milk product in small amounts for at least 3 days before introducing another one and see if they are sensitive to something specific. If it is the whole milk, there are tons of alternatives as PP's already mentioned. My boys love the vanilla flavored soy milk. The bad thing here is there can be no cheese! Could you imagine living without real cheese? Most "soy cheese" contains whey or casein, which are milk proteins and they cannot have it. The vegan cheese is just nasty and they will not touch it and I don't blame them. As for getting calcium and vit. D, soy milk is fortified, Tofu, broccoli, and lots of food contain calcium as mentioned already. They only need 300-600 mg/day to meet the requirements until they are 1 and then it's 500-800 until the age of 3. I think with normal whole milk, you get about 300mg per 8oz if I did the math right! RDA for adults is 1000 (1200 for women) and you get 30% in each 8 oz- right? It doesn't take much.

I'm rambling now! I like the idea from a PP of switching to the next step formula. That is what we have done with all 3 of our kids. Our first son hated whole milk but loved the next step formula. One other thing, if they are refusing all formula, you may need to feed just a little less solids so they will be hungry for it. 9 months is a little young to be off of formula (or BM) since they still really need that extra nutrition. The next step formula will give them what they need as long as they get enough. Good luck with the rash and diarrhea. It's so miserable!

Kelly