Welcome to the evolution of shopping for food allergies!
This post was written 10 years ago, and is still a popular stop for food allergy mamas looking for snack ideas.
I sure appreciate that! So we are going to give this post a big ole’ update.
You deserve it!
Be sure to read all the way through to learn how I earned Starbucks on this Target trip.
You deserve that, too!
Also, watch how we “eat out” at Target in this post!
Always check labels as ingredients can change.
Below is my sad little 2009 Target shopping trip. I found a total of 7 dairy-free items, woohoo.
Do Keebler Sandwich Bites even exist anymore? (lol) Check ingredients if they do!!!
And those wafer cookies? I stopped buying them, and I’m not sure why. Milk? Nuts? Read those labels, too!
Read all the labels, friends. 😉
2009 Target Snacks
Always check labels as ingredients can change.
But now let’s get to 2019. Shall we?
I headed to Target on a mission, and put myself back in new allergy mom mode…
picking up lots of dairy-free snacks I think you’ll love!
Behold!
2019 Target Snacks
Looky there! So many more options in 2019!
I tried to stick to shelf-stable snacks, staying true to this post’s original purpose in 2009.
My boys were energetic preschoolers back then, who didn’t even play video games yet, ha!
Please rewind the childhood years, but let’s keep all the new food options!
Now time to show you the 2019 snack finds!
Products That Withstood Time
Kashi Breakfast Bars, great for breakfast!
Who doesn’t need more breakfast ideas?!
Keebler Club Crackers, right up there with Ritz as far as kiddo is concerned.
Still not sick of these after 12 years.
I subbed out the old fruit snacks for newer fruit strips!
Love that they don’t have corn syrup.
Other Oldies But Goodies
Glad these are still dairy-free and hope they stay that way!
Animal crackers, with a new look. Animals roaming free.
We’ve eaten classic Oreos with anaphylactic milk allergy for 13 years.
And these mini cookies are a fave in our house.
See the $1 tubs at checkout!
Instant oatmeal, my kids are in love.
And they can make their own breakfast!
Check flavors, not all are dairy-free.
New Kids On The Block
It’s so exciting to add these to the line-up after 10 years.
Yes, please, to convenient protein!!!
We are fans of Vermont meat sticks in many flavors.
I best like the Original flavor.
Sick of raisins for dried fruit?
We absolutely love this brand of dried mango, and now there are individual packs!
When you need super allergy-friendly and some hidden vegetables…
these delicious bars do not disappoint!
They make granola bars AND rice bars.
My favorite electrolyte drink, coconut water.
Always looking for a sale on these!
The Grand Finale
I would have appreciated having dairy-free, allergy-friendly chocolate chips at Target way back when.
And now we have TWO brands there!
Cookies, trial mix, the possibilities are endless.
And that’s a wrap, for now, of our dairy-free shelf stable snacks.
Maybe we won’t wait until 2029 to update again, gasp!
Now if you have any other dairy-free, shelf-stable snacks we need to pick up at Target, please let us know in the comments.
We’d love to hear!
MY FAVORITE FOOD REBATE APP
I also want to mention that I earned over $5 back on this trip with my favorite rebate app.
And that will be redeemed on some mommy fuel at Starbucks!
Check out what I earned $5.25 on with this grocery trip:
Be sure to check out this awesome FOOD REBATE APP. You will love it!
So there you have it.
Dairy-free shelf stable snacks at Target.
The 2009 version. The 2019 version.
We’ve come a long way, baby!
Please feel free to share this on Facebook and Pinterest so our fellow allergy mamas don’t miss the exciting new updates.
And perhaps even send this post along to grandparents who may want to stock up for your next visit! 🙂
Amy says
Hey Jamie,
I've had lots of luck w/ the Target brand of peanut butter (mini) cracker sandwiches…
their sugar cookies (they're big & in a package)…
their gingerbread cookies…
also (this is one of our favs), their brand has a small pouch of mini chocolate chip cookies (we can finish these before we even get out of the store!).
Jamie Kaufmann says
thanks for the tips amy! haven’t tried those but will look next time!
Sarah says
I stumbled across your blog while searching for foods my 18-month old dairy and egg allergic daughter can eat. It’s been a wonderful resource for finding out which foods are safe and you have some great meal ideas as well. Thanks!
Jamie Kaufmann says
thanks for stopping in sarah and for saying hi! yes, egg and milk are our main avoidances so hopefully we can be helpful to you! i know it’s not easy at first. let me know if you have questions.
Armywife2005 says
Yay Jam! You are so good; and I am so happy that you are finding so many great snacks that are safe for my gorgeous nephews!
Also, I go through a LOT of fruit snacks here at our house. Kayli and Rowan would eat them all day if I’d allow it! WALMART has a generic brand of fruit snacks, come in a purple box (smiley face shape snacks). You can get a HUGE BOX of them for UNDER $4!!! Melissa’s kids are not fans of most generic fruit snacks, but this is one she can now get her little ones to eat. LOL Try them!!! I know you avoid Walmart a lot, but if you are ever in there…
Anonymous says
Hey Jaime, what type of butter and cheese do you use? I went to the health food store and got a vegan cheese, which is super gross and found a dairy-free butter but it’s gross too! The baby wouldn’t eat either of them. Where do you find them? I know you said you don’t got to those types of stores and that is so great bc they are so expensive. Also thanks for the snacks!!!
Nicole
Jamie Kaufmann says
hi nicole!
for butter, we use fleischmann’s unsalted margarine sticks or butter tubs. also use parkey squeeze butter. check labels b/c these companies also make milk versions so you want the right thing.
as for cheese, we DO use the tofutti cheese squares. our regular grocery store sells the american and mozarella. however, our meijer sells “vegan cheese” that is NOT dairy free so be sure to check everything! it is NOT very good cheese, the tofutti, in my opinion. but miles doesn’t know any different and likes his cheese and crackers and grilled cheeses. our local store that sells it is county market. hope that helps!
Anonymous says
Thanks Jaime, your suggestions are so helpful and much appreciated! I was telling my husband tonight, “Well the milk allergy mom says…” and he said a little confused “who is this milk allergy mom lady you are always talking about?” Anyway, God bless you Milk Allergy Mom!!
Nicole
Mommy says
found Accidentally Vegan off one of your blog lists. great selection…Oreo Cookies. WHO KNEW! http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-BakedGoods.asp?Category=Baked%20Goods
Just tried these with my 8 month old. so far so good *fingers crossed and benadryl handy*
Shari says
Just found this post and I too just found a few things my daughter can have that you talked about. She was excited that she could have the Cinnamon Teddy Grahams and the sugar wafers (whatever they are called), the strawberry is her favorite! Thank you for the info and I will defintiely be checking back for more wonderful information. This is a new journey for us and can use any tips we can find.
Amber says
I just got the link to your blog from another Mom who has a milk allergic kid. I literally just started looking around though and I have to say (from a Mom of a newly diagnosed 14mo old boy) THANK YOU! Great suggestions and resources! We are going to be traveling out of town soon and I was hopeful to find some additional suggetions to take on the plane with us!
Unknown says
Hey Jamie,
I just wanted to say "Thank you" for all the information you have posted. I have a newly diagnosed milk allergy child. It has been hard to figure out what to do and how to make stuff for her. I am always looking and your blog is fantastic for all the post that I have read. Keep up the good work. I found that Mrs. Freshly's has a couple items with no dairy. Have you tried that brand before? Have a great weekend.
Unknown says
Thank you so much for your blogg. I have found it very helpful for a child who is newly diagnosed to dairy. I am so glad I found this for the wealth of information.
Jamie Kaufmann says
You are very welcome! I'm so glad we can help people through this blog.
Anonymous says
I am new to this milk allergy. My son is just 14 months old, but we are looking to branch out of the baby food realm. He seems to tolerate Walmart's penguin crackers, but we absolutely CANNOT give him yogurt or milk. I think this is strange. Do you know if there is a difference in the milk allergy between products with lactic acid and products with casein. How do we know the difference?
Jessica B says
Ok so what about soy lecithin? I was told to avoid this also and to avoid calcium phosphate? I'm so lost and am really stuck about how to take my son off of formula. . .he has alimentum now but he's 14 months and bottles are going bye bye 🙁 help!!
mj helsel says
Did you have any luck with the soy issue? I'm in the same boat only my lil one is only 2months.
Anonymous says
Oreos are milk free 😊
mj helsel says
Our doc also said to avoid soy. Any other mamas have an issue with soy?
blogging says
We had to avoid soy at first, too because my son tested allergic. But it went away. If you are wanting to be GMO-free, avoiding soy is good on a matter of principle. You would want to know why your doc said to avoid. It's pretty much in everything processed.
Anonymous says
Daiya vegan cheese and earth balance for butter substitute have worked great for my son. Daiya and Amy's makes a good Vegan pizza that my son loves. Good for those pizza parties where the kids feel so left out. We also just ventured out to Wendy's where he was good with regular chicken nuggets (not spicy) and regular fries. I know it's not healthy, but he is 13 and we needed someplace where he will be able to hang out with friends. Food allergies become very socially limiting as the kids get older.
blogging says
Anonymous, those are all great ideas! We have not braved any restaurants yet. But mine is just 9. Age 13, hope he is close to healing!
Anonymous says
Club crackers are not dairy free. There is a difference between dairy free, non-dairy, lactose free and things that simply don't contain milk, butter or cheese. If you are looking for truly dairy free, this means absolutely nothing that comes from cow's milk protein. It's not the milk that's the problem, rather the protein. This means whey, casein and a laundry list of other things. Even some, maybe most or all, margarine has butter flavor in it, which actually comes from cow's milk. It's very important to know what your exact issue is, how to properly identify it by name and identify the ingredients that are not ok.
blogging says
Our son is highly allergic to all forms of dairy protein, as we have tested them all individually. And he eats these crackers regularly.