# baby insomnia and cow's milk allergy



## crystleyz42 (Jul 5, 2007)

Hello all,

I will cross-post this informational post under allergies too... I've finally solved my dd's sleep troubles - I just wish it hadn't taken a year to do it!

My dd was always a somewhat 'fussy' baby. We got through the infant months with slings and long walks and lots of meltdowns (hers and ours). At around 6 months she began to be a challenge to put down for a nap- even when she was visibly tired- and bedtime became a 2-3 hour nightly affair. She never slept through the night, but since we were bfing, I didn't really expect her to. We have a strong support network, so we just toughed it out through the sleep deprivation.

When she hit a year, I had hit my limit. Her max sleep time was about 4 hours at a stretch and she rarely napped no matter how hard I tried - she just got crabbier and crabbier. When she did nap it wasn't on her own- only in my lap, and she woke at night frequently. Nursing her was becoming hard too since she would perform 'downward dogs' in my lap while nursing.

I had already tried all the tricks from the sleep books and I was considering 'cry-it-out.' But, before we went down that path, my dh and I agreed we should exhaust all our other options. Sears recomends eliminating all dairy from mom's and baby's diet for high-need babies; this seemed unlikely to work for us since dd had NONE of the classic symptoms of diary allergy like gas, diahrea, skin rashes, diaper rashes, etc... But, in the name of exhausting all our options first, I eliminated dairy from both our diets.

And, guess what? IT WORKED! It took about 2 or 3 weeks, but dd now takes 2 1-1/2 hour naps a day! I only have to nurse her for about 20 minutes to get her to nap. Nighttime routine takes a little longer b/c we go for a walk and nurse for a good long time, but this is because we WANT to - not because we HAVE to.

We had her tested and it turns out she is a little allergic to dairy. Ped says it's not enough to cause any symptoms --- but I know better! Oh, and I have science on my side too:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...tract/76/6/880
:nana:

Just wish I would have known a year ago that dairy allergy can manifest this way! I would have had a much more sane first year with my dd! Oh well, live and learn!


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## Meg_s (Apr 13, 2006)

Yep. We went through sleep deprivation hell for about 14 mos before discovering that dairy was the culprit. He's still not a "good" sleeper but the difference is amazing. The screaming and keeping himself awake when he needed sleep was insane.


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