>   On the related thread, Zack drank Nutramigen for almost a year with no
> adverse affects. My allergist advised we try it because its meant for milk
> allergic children because the proteins have been broken down/rendered
> harmless for some. And I stress for some!

My son Matthew's gastroenterologist told us that 75% of milk-allergic children
can thrive on Nutramigen/Alimentum.  btw, Nutramigen contains corn (solids
and/or syrup, I don't recall exactly) and Alimentum does not so we chose to
use that.

Also Matthew (who appears to have outgrown all of his allergies!!! though
we're not trying peanuts anytime soon) recently fell right off the weight
charts.  I finally asked our pediatrician to refer us to a nutritionist
who emphasized that protein was more important than raw calories or even
fat in a young child's growth and weight gain.

Some of the things that seem to be working for us:  soynut butter
(spread thin on crackers to avoid choking hazard), soy yogurt, soy
cheese (if you can find one that's truly dairy free), avocado, banana,
french fries, and avoiding juice (fills them up without providing any
protein and/or fat, or any other nutrients, really, it's just sugar,
even the all-natural stuff).  This helped us get him from 19 lbs at 16
mos to 20lbs 6oz at 17 mos.

We also got a recommendation to give him a multivitamin, which might
increase his appetite, but we have not been successful in getting it
into him.

Our challenge seems to be keeping his diet varied enough to keep his
interest so that he will eat enough.

--Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/7/93 and Matthew 6/16/96)