Finger foods for dairy allergies and oat milk?

[BethHx]

Would it be ok for my 6 month old too have some oat milk in a sippy with her meals? She hates water, juice and squash!

Also what are some good finger foods for her too have that are dairy/lactose free?

 

[K.N]

I think Oat Milk would be ok - as long as it wasn't the complete meal type thing? I'm not sure that oat milk on it's own would provide enough for a bubs that age, but as an extra I'm sure it would be fine Water really is best though - but some babies just don't drink it hahaa! Have you tried warming the water? Sometimes they just don't like it if it's cold.

Also depending what she's had,

you could try super soft boiled carrots/apples etc, bananas, rice crackers, plain rice wafer biscuits/thins, peas (depending what she's like at chewing), boiled potato/kumara pieces/slices. Hmmm - my mind has gone blank! I'm dairy free myself; and it's actually harder to get dairy free than most people think lol!

 

[MindUtopia]

Personally, I would just persist with the water. As long as they are getting milk feeds on demand still, they'll get all the hydration they need from that. They don't *need* to drink with meals, but it's good to offer it in case they do want it. My daughter didn't drink any water at all until 9 months. We just stuck with water though and she drinks it just fine now. I would assume that oat milk should be treated like cow's milk for a baby with a dairy allergy and it's recommended not to offer cow's milk as a drink before 1, as it can replace breast milk or formula (which is more nutrient dense). It's probably not doing any harm in small amounts, but personally I'd persist with the water. She'll drink it one day when she's ready.

There are tons of dairy free finger foods - any sort of fruit is great. She probably won't have her pincer grip yet, so apple or pear slices, big chunks of banana (I used to cut a whole banana into thirds, so eat piece was a bit longer than my daughter's fist), whole strawberries, avocado slices, toast fingers with mashed banana, nut butter, hummus (just make sure bread is dairy free or make your own), rice cakes, plain oat cakes (not the cheese ones obviously), cucumber sticks, soya or coconut yogurt or dairy free cheese. Also, plain pasta or with homemade/dairy free sauce (some of the store bought ones have added cheese), scrambled egg, porridge fingers or balls made with whatever dairy free milk you use, roast chicken pieces (usually strips are best at first). Once her pincer grip is more developed, blueberries, grapes, peas and sweetcorn are great.