When You Need to be Dairy Free – Finding Alternatives

Bryce is on the cusp of 2 and we have basically been fighting with and struggling with dairy since he was 3 months old and nursing. I went drastically dairy”less” (I cut all dairy products but did eat foods that contained milk on the ingredient list. When he was done nursing (16 months) We did have him tested for an allergy and it came back negative. We tried lactaid. Lactaid helped his diapers, but it did not help his sleep. We decided to go dairy free.

While I cut dairy products when I was nursing, I was better at avoiding food that had dairy than, say, a toddler. Bryce doesn’t understand why he cant have something yet so avoiding wasn’t working for us either. We went the route of finding dairy free alternatives.

In that process, I am finding there are a lot of moms and other kids that need to go dairy free, so I have created a dairy free alternatives to help them out. Many of the items are kid foods or treats as that is where we were finding the need to replace for Bryce (and my sweet tooth). This is not a covers all, but a great start!

Packing

When going to a party or family gathering, I have made it a habit to pack a tiny little cooler with Bryce’s Cheese, pre-cooked penne, and a dessert with me just in case the meal being served has dairy in it.

This is the cooler I use and I am in love with it. It fits perfectly in a 31 (or knock off) bag or is great on it’s own. It holds his food inside and a lactaid or some other quick meds on the outside pocket. I clip a hand sanitizer on and a sensory toy for Nolan and it is a go anywhere but gets all the dairy free food with us essential. I love these icepacks as I can put them on all 4 sides to keep it cool but lose a lot of space inside as well.

Shopping

One trick I found (when doing online orders) is to simply type in “dairy free ____” If that store has something it brings it up.

I have also found more online than in store, even when I know I have ordered online from that store before. When I need to stock up on dairy free, that is when I try to put in an online pick up order.

Depending on your severity, you may need to read a lot of labels. Online should have a view of the labels, but sometimes dairy hides in the most suspicious places….. and in some places it may surprise you what doesn’t have dairy.

When in doubt-go vegan

One thing I have found is if I am looking for something to replace something he couldn’t have, I went vegan. We are not vegan, but knowing I would be cutting all animal byproducts, I knew we would be cutting all dairy products out. Aldi has shown to have a great vegan selection.

Some items may surprise you that are vegan. Did you know oreos were vegan?!?

Easy ways to avoid

Fresh fruits and vegetables will not contain dairy. We try to put as many of these as possible in the diet. One less thing to think about.

Meat is a great source of protein and, as mentioned, we are not vegan. We will give him a straight up piece of meat (cut for safety) cooked in olive oil-again reassuring it is dairy free. Please read ingredients of foods such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and meats not straight up butcher cuts as they can contain dairy.

Milk

We drink Almond and fine with it. Oat, soy, and coconut milk are some other alternatives. I do almost all of my shopping at Aldi, so if I can find a dairy alternative there it is my go to. I have found many milk alternatives at our local Aldi.

Coffee Creamer

Most of the coffee creamers I have seen are lactose free. It does depend how sensitive you or your nursing little one is, but I did not have a problem with these creamers. THESE ARE LACTOSE FREE NOT DAIRY FREE SO PLEASE KNOW YOUR SPECIFIC RESTRICTIONS.

Cheese

We are Wisconsin. Bryce learned early on (when we were still testing out) that cheese is one of his favorites.

We use this shredded cheese for quesadillas, grilled cheese, and to eat straight up. They taste like American cheese and Bryce loves it. They do melt, though grilled cheese is a little tricky because they don’t melt quick and I often shoot some cheese out in the flip.

VioLife just like Cheddar Shreds
So far I found at:

Costco
Pick N Save (Kroger)

We use this as a dip and as well as for his macaroni and cheese. It says queso but it is not spicy. I think it tastes a little bit like hummus. I eat it on hotdogs and french fries. Bryce and I really enjoy it.

Good Foods Queso
So far I found at:

Costco
Pick N Save (Kroger)
Target

Cheese Crackers

We have not gotten these yet as they were not in stock at our Walmart yet but I am excited to as hiding the other kids goldfish and cheeze-its from Bryce has been tricky.

Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares
So far I found at:

Pick N Save (Kroger)
Amazon
Whole Foods
HEB
Walmart

Butter

We do not need butter alternatives as Bryce doesn’t “miss” butter and we use olive oil for cooking, but if you are looking for some, there are some vegan butter options. I found the best search term is “vegan butter” to find a good one. I found these doing a Walmart search

Yogurt

Bryce wanted to be like Stella so I went in search of a yogurt that has a fruit flavor to it.

I discovered dairy free strawberry gogurt!

Dairy Free (coconut base) Strawberry Go-gurt
So far I found at:

Walmart

There are parties and such where there are desserts and I wanted Bryce to have his own yummy but safe dessert so I found some fun flavored yogurts to be a dessert alternative to him.

Silk Dairy Free Yogurt Alternatives
So far I found at:

Walmart
Target
Walgreens
Pick n Save (Kroger)
Festival Foods

Desserts

We found whip cream to put on top of things. I only found coconut, but I discovered there is an almond milk as well.

Reddi-Wip Coconut
Reddi-sip Almond
So far I found at:

Walmart
Target

I also found a coconut whip cream at Aldi

Ice cream can be a delicious treat we do in our house and extended family birthday parties. I found Ben & Jerry’s has a lot of flavors, but if I search “Dairy free ice cream” when I am doing a Walmart order, more show up.

Ben & Jerry’s Dairy free ice cream
So far I found at:

Walmart
Target
Meijer

Dairy free/almond milk base pudding has been a great grab and go dessert to bring with us.

Chocolate Almond Milk Pudding
So far I found at:

Walmart
Festival Foods
Pick n Save (Kroger)

Birthday

You can visit a local bakery and ask for a dairy free option, many do have these available. We always make the kids’ cakes so I was looking for a home option. Upon doing some research, I discovered that a Majority of Duncan Hines cake mixes are dairy free, even Vegan. I also discovered many of their frostings are also dairy free. Many are even top 12 allergen free!

If you are COMPLETELY dairy free, this will by no means make up your whole diet, but it is a good start. Sticking to butcher cut meats, fruits, and veggies will also help greatly. Dairy hides in a lot of places, so make sure to read labels. You may have to play around with things you like. Again, I am not a dietician and have no medical background, but when going dairy free, these are some switches I have found.

Shop the items

Linking grocery is hard, but the ones I could find to link, I have.