Our delighful nutritionist Rebecca was asked a different question about dairy intolerance... "My son has been on Neocate formula for nearly 2 years after he had silent reflux and an intolerance to milk protein. We're keen to get him off that now as he eats small amounts of dairy okay but I'm concerned that putting him on to a large quantity of milk a day would cause constipation issues again.

Are we better to offer him rice milk or soy? And is there a limit to how much is a healthy amount? Are the flavours soy/rice milks okay or too sugary?"

An excellent question and Rebecca's reply was, "Thanks for your email. Fair enough that you are concerned that the change to cows milk may exacerbate constipation as constipation can be the result of any dietary change, however if you gradually introduce cows milk in small quantities each day I don't see it as being an issue.  

Remember that adequate fluid intake and dietary fibre is critical to the prevention of constipation so also keep up water intake and where possible incorporate fibre into your sons diet. For example encourage fruit and vegetables, wholemeal (not wholegrain) or fibre enriched bread. You don't want to go overboard on the fibre as excess fibre will fill up a little stomach (as in the case of a 2 year old) which can result in reduced appetite and hence diminished energy and nutrient intake. 

If you are of course concerned about offering dairy (cows milk) there is no reason to not try soy or rice milk. At this age, it's preferable to offer natural/original flavoured drinks to avoid developing a taste for sweetened drinks. Toddlers should drink approximately 1400ml per day of which roughly 1000ml should come from fluids (formula, milk, water) with the remainder being inherent in foods."