Hi there,

My 18-month-old daughter has had recurrent ear infections since she was 9
months old which caused hearing loss. she has now had her tonsils and
adneoids removed and grommets put in, because the "mechanic" aspect of the
problem was so bad. Unfortunately the ear infections came back, with
discharge - twice in 1 1/2 month after the operation!

Naomi has always tested negative for milk allergy, but recently showed
positive for soy. The pediatrician decided it was a good idea to take her
off milk as well as it seems there is a high proportion of children who
react to both. Anyway, false negatives do exist ... I also found out her
system does not seem to agree with tomatoes or fish but I have no formal
confirmation of all this (yet). We are now doing skin tests.

Although information I get from the list is very valuable, I always feel a
bit frustrated because the vast majority of the practical info is relevant
to people living in the US (and possibly Canada?).

Does anybody out there have any information on dairy-free products, milk
substitutes (soy formula is no good because of her allergy and rice drinks
contain only sugars and hardly any proteins, vitamins or minerals), which I
can find in Europe and more precisely - am I pushing my luck? - in Belgium,
where I live? I am also looking for interesting recipes with these, etc.

I am getting desperate to find something that my 18-month-old daughter can
eat, which I don't have to prepare from scratch. I am a single mother with
a full-time job and 2 children, and slaving in the kitchen is just NOT an
option.  But don't get me wrong, of course Naomi's well-being and health is
what matters first.

Thanks a lot for any contribution.

Martine Hubaut