When a family or family member has to cut out the dairy to help with eczema or allergies, the whole process can be nothing short of frustrating. Not only is dairy in just about everything these days, it’s also the main ingredient in some of the foods kids love most. Going dairy free means that ice cream, yoghurt, and lots of baked goods are no longer an option – adding insult to injury for a kid who’s just trying to feel better each day. We’re firm believers in the healing power of good food and the occasional healthy treat, so today we’re going to give you some wonderful alternatives to dairy treats that will put a smile on anyone’s face!

Ice Cream

This is the big one! One of the most common foods people miss when they go dairy-free is ice cream. Whether a few comforting spoonfuls after a bad day or a cool treat on a hot summer’s day, ice cream is an essential! While most ice creams are based almost entirely on milk, cream, and eggs – there are options!

Coconut ice cream is made from coconut fats and coconut milk – and it is amazing! It’s got the same creamy texture you want in an ice cream and now it’s becoming really easy to find in a variety of flavours. If you haven’t tried coconut ice cream, even if you can eat dairy, do yourself a favor. It has the most silky texture and deep flavour – and it’s a lot less calories than its dairy counterpart.

Yoghurt

Kids love yoghurt, and it’s a great way to kick off their digestion and metabolism as part of breakfast or as a treat between meals. While regular yoghurt is made from cultured milk, you can find dairy free versions that are really amazing.

The most popular is coconut milk. For the same reason it work well in ice cream, it also works really well as a yoghurt base. Coconut yoghurt is thick, creamy, naturally sweet, and is the perfect yoghurt to blend in all kinds of good things like fruit and nut-free granola.

If soy isn't a trigger for your child, then soy yoghurt is another easy to find and great alternative worth trying too.

You can also find rice milk yoghurt which has a great reputation but isn’t quite as easy to find as coconut yoghurt at this point

Baked Goodies

Cookies, cupcakes, cakes, scones, and pies all call for dairy and are all some of the favourite treats any kid will choose. You can keep making your favourite goodies without the dairy once you learn a few simple replacement tips. Try using coconut, rice, or hemp milks in place of cow’s milk in a recipe. There are many healthy plant-based butter alternatives you can now find at health food shops. Look online for replacement guides, or pick up a few vegan cookbooks to learn what the pros use in place of dairy items in their favorite treat recipes!
If you're not a baker, there's plenty of dairy-free baked good options around like these yummy cookies from The Yummy Mummy Food Company who make a whole range of Wellness, Ginger & Clever Cookies that kids love which are dairy, wheat, preservative AND refined sugar free - they're a great safe addition to lunchboxes for kids of all ages!