Teething tablets and a lactose intolerant baby?

I bought my nephew the homeopathic Hyland's Teething Tablets, Gel and the Drops and my sister swear by them. He was 5 months when he started using them now he is 9 months old. the cost is no more that 6 per box. You get more out of the Drops, these come in little 2" vials that you pour directly into the baby's mouth. You DO NOT touch the tablets or the put the gel on your finger to put in the baby's mouth because it loses its strength, therefore isn't effective for your baby by the time it reaches his gums. So the drops are less hassle and more effective. Good Luck

If you are breastfeeding, your son is not lactose intolerant. Human milk has more lactose than cow's milk - if you have to cut dairy from your diet, it's because your son has a cow's milk protein allergy. The lactose should be fine.

Hyland's makes a lactose free version, however sugar is a pain reliever and more than likely the only active ingredient in them (the other ingredients are in a solution of less than one part per 100 and only a tiny amount is added to each tiny little pill). However your baby isn't lactose intolerant, mom's diet does NOT effect the amount of lactose in her milk. Your baby is cow's milk protein intolerant. http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/lactose.html There are some common fallacies about lactose intolerance that you may hear in the community: 1. Lactose in the breastmilk will be reduced if the mother stops eating dairy products. 2. Lactose intolerance in other family members (adults) means baby is more likely to be lactose intolerant. 3. If a mother is lactose intolerant then her baby will be as well. 4. A baby with symptoms of lactose intolerance should immediately be taken off the breast and fed on soy-based infant formula, or other special lactose-free formula. 5. Lactose intolerance is the same as intolerance or allergy to cows' milk protein. Read on to see what is wrong with these ideas! Lactose intolerance in babies The original Milk Bar! Primary (or true) lactose intolerance is an extremely rare genetic condition and is incompatible with normal life without medical intervention. A truly lactose intolerant baby would fail to thrive from birth (ie not even start to gain weight), and show obvious symptoms of malabsorption and dehydration - a medical emergency case needing a special diet from soon after birth. Anything that damages the gut lining, even subtly, can cause secondary lactose intolerance. The enzyme lactase is produced in the very tips of folds of the intestine, and anything that causes damage to the gut may wipe off these tips and reduce the enzyme production, for example * gastroenteritis * food intolerance or allergy (In breastfed babies, this can come from food proteins, such as cows' milk, soy or egg, in the mother's milk originating in her diet, as well as from food the baby has eaten.) * coeliac disease (intolerance to the gluten in wheat products) * following bowel surgery Note that cows' milk protein allergy (or intolerance) is often confused with lactose intolerance, and they are thought by many people to be the same thing. This confusion probably arises because cows' milk protein and lactose are both in the same food, ie dairy products. Also contributing to this confusion is the fact that allergy or intolerance to this protein can be a cause of secondary lactose intolerance, so they may be present together. http://www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz/Food/LactoseIntolerancevsMilkProteinAllergy.htm In infants and young children: - Congenital Alactasia is an extremely rare condition whereby babies are born without any lactase (the enzyme needed to break down milk sugars), making human milk unsuitable for the baby, precluding breastfeeding. These babies must be fed a special lactose-free formula to survive (soya formula, or dairy based but lactose free). Functional Lactase Deficiency describes a thriving breastfed baby who has multiple loose watery stools. The baby may be irritable and may pass flatus frequently. Low fat feeds result in rapid gastric emptying leading to large quantities of lactose being presented for digestion. Thus the ability of lactase to digest the lactose may be overwhelmed. The amount of fat being consumed at any feed should therefore be maximised to delay gastric emptying. This can best be achieved by optimising hind milk intake by: • Encouraging the infant to finish the first breast before offering the second breast. • Spacing feeds. Aim for three hours between feeds. If the baby demands again in less than this time offer the "empty" breast again. As lactose is the main form of carbohydrate in all mammalian milks (including human milk), lactose production at the breast occurs independently of dietary changes. Reducing the amount of lactose in the diet of a breastfeeding mother does not alter lactose production at the breast. It is present at a constant level throughout a feed and throughout a day. http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/lactose-intolerance.html Secondary lactose intolerance (also called acquired lactose intolerance) can appear at any age and occurs when the intestinal brush border is damaged by an infectious, allergic or inflammatory process, thus reducing lactase activity. Causes of secondary lactose intolerance include gastroenteritis, food intolerance or allergy, celiac disease (gluten intolerance), and bowel surgery. Per Joy Anderson, IBCLC (in Lactose intolerance and the breastfed baby): "Anything that damages the gut lining, even subtly, can cause secondary lactose intolerance. The enzyme lactase is produced in the very tips of folds of the intestine, and anything that causes damage to the gut may wipe off these tips and reduce the enzyme production. "...Secondary lactose intolerance is a temporary state as long as the gut damage can heal. When the cause of the damage to the gut is removed, for example the food to which a baby is allergic is taken out of the diet, the gut will heal even if the baby is still fed breastmilk." Although cow's milk protein sensitivity and lactose intolerance are not the same thing, they can sometimes occur at the same time, since food allergy can cause secondary lactose intolerance.

I had to use soy formula with my son because he is lactose intolerant. I did however use teething tablets and he was just fine. They helped sooo much. Immediately when I put them in his mouth he calmed down and was my happy baby boy again.

3 months old is quite young to be screaming in pain from teething, it may be something else, however, i have three babies and gave them Humpreys for teething babies and it worked pretty welll.

Hmphreys teething pellets. They have some that are lactose free. I ran into the same problem when I went to go get teething tablets for my little guy. I went to go buy the Hylands brand but same as you I looked at the ingredients and saw it contanied lactose but Humphreys was right next to them thankfully. http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100357&navAction=jump&navCount=1&skuid=sku5483003&id=prod5484136