lovely - will definitely get some. Thanks! Wouldn't have occurred to me that the gingernuts and bourbons might be dairy free. DD will be pleased!! never heard of arrowroot biscuits but will look out for those too.

..it's gingernuts, not snaps. McVities Gingernuts.

...yellow and red, even

Titferat - I think (but do check the packaging as its been a couple of years now):
Crawfords Thin Arrowroot (tellow and red packet)
McVities Gingersnaps
Bourbons - pretty much any brand

hi wb - sorry for hijack but could you tell me which brands of ginger snaps, arrowroot biscuits and chocolate bourbons to look for? so far I have only found Tesco free from shortbread (yuck) and Nairns oatcakes, which come in various sweet varieties as well as savoury. thanks!

Hello, ds1 was diagnosed with a milk allergy at 10mo with symptoms v. similar to your daughter's so I know how you feel. As to where to start with dairy free then:
-How old is your dd? If she is under 1 and you are not still breast-feeding then you will need a prescription for a dairy-free formula such as neonate or pepti. If she is older (but not under-weight) then you can buy Oat, Rice or Soya milks to use in cooking/in cereal etc. These have very low calories though so can't be a main food in the same way cows milk can. We were also advised by a dietitian to add vitamin d drops as vitamin d levels can apparently be a problem for children on a milk free diet.

-There are a few dairy-free margarines around, we used Pure sunflower spread.

-We also used Alpro soya yogurts. Many people will advise you to avoid soya milk/yogurt etc with an allergic child because it is another of the big potential allergens but I didn't know that then and ds1 was always fine with it.

-Bird's custard powder is milk-free and can be made up with oat milk etc

-Kinnerton make a dairy-free dark chocolate that is quite sweet and was always popular here. Also chocolate easter eggs and lollies. Sainsburys and Waitrose stock them (and others I'm sure but these were the places we had luck with).

-Milk free biscuits are quite rare but some types of ginger snap, arrowroot biscuits and chocolate bourbons are fine.

Incidentally ds1 outgrew his dairy allergy by age 3 and many children do by age 5 so remember this may well be a temporary thing.

so saw consultant today and had rast test for milk allergy. have to go back in 3 months for result of rast test and further discussions. need to go dairy free on our own. Any thoughts on where to start!

Lactose intolerance and milk allergy are different things. Lactose intolerance is caused by not having lactase (digestive enzymes), so you can't digest the lactose (sugars, basically) in the milk. But allergy is about the proteins, and your body's immune system setting out to fight them. Everything you've mentioned points to allergy.

A lot of doctors think if they took allergies seriously it would be akin to using leeches. Some are very badly informed. You often have to go it alone, keep full records of foods and reactions, and read up plenty about the subject yourself.

hope you don t have to wait too long for the appointment and results.

my DP gets hives but from food colourings and preservatives. He went for an allergy pin prick test at hospital and NOTHING reacted! But we know from keeping a food diary what additives and processed foods (such as some cookies) cause the issue - so not too sure how accurate / thorough the pin prick tests are.

took in another sample to the docs today so waiting for those results.

dd has been referred to hospital for further checks and discussions! will keep you informed!