If you follow me or read my blog, you might already know that Kittie, my 20-month old, has an intolerance of cow’s milk. We discovered this when she was four months – she had been breastfed for her first month of life, and thereafter was on regular formula. During this time, for around three months, she looked to have a lot of tummy pain, had trouble pooing and was generally very clingy to me. The GPs we saw repeatedly told us it was constipation and a bit of colic, but I knew there was more to it. I kept a daily feeding/pooping/pain diary for Kittie and after three months of getting no help despite contacting our GPs weekly (and feeling very stressed and upset at Kittie’s obvious pain) I phoned up one Friday afternoon to say I couldn’t cope with another weekend of my baby screaming in pain.
I hadn’t spoken to this doctor before, and he calmly asked me a few questions and listened to what I told him. He immediately said he thought that, despite not showing all of the classic symptoms, she might have a cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA). He prescribed a different formula and within a few days she was significantly better, and within a six weeks she was a happy, content and playful baby.
This GP kept in touch with us, asking for an update every few months, and has said she can try introducing dairy from the age of two. I can’t thank him enough for his care.
So, Kittie has been dairy-free all though weaning. It hasn’t held her back – she loves food! But when we eat treats as a family such as home baking, I feel bad for her not being able to have any. So, over the last six months I’ve been trying new recipes that are either vegan or dairy free, so Kittie can enjoy some with us. This banana bread was my most recent attempt, and I was pretty pleased with it – even the Lurpak-lovers in our family said it was good!
Scroll down for the recipe. Let me know if you try it?
Ingredients:
2-3 over ripe bananas
150g golden caster sugar
225g self raising flour (sifted)#
1 egg
110ml sunflower oil
Method:
Pre-heat overn to 170C (I always turn it up for the last ten minutes)
Mash bananas and combine with the sugar.
Add the other ingredients and mix well (or put everything in a food processor)
Pour into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment or a loaf case
Bake for approx 45 minutes until firm to touch (or a cake tester/knife comes out clean)
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling tray.
Serve alone or decorate with fresh fruit. Dried banana slices work well if you aren’t serving immediately.
Original recipe via BBC Good Food.
