Cow's Milk Versus Other Alternatives

Hello K.,
As a nutritionist who has not given her three (breastfed) babies cow's milk at all, I would just caution you to watch for the protein content in "alternative" milks- if you are still considering these options.
I have one child who doesn't drink milk at all; one who finally at 10 yo prefers cow's milk and has it occasionally; and one 18month old who loves milk and is drinking combinations of goat milk, soy milk and oat milk.
All the best
Caitlin

My daughter is 16 months old and is drinking coconut Milk made by So Delicious . We chose that knowing she can't have dairy or soy and rice milk is not an option because it does not have the fat content that babies need. Coconut milk seems like a great choice because it is healthy and it has " good" fat. She seems to like it and is not nearly as constipated as she was with her formula. Milk is not as healthy as the Dairy assoc. would have you believe. Do some research on the subject and you will be shocked. The only one who Needs cows milk are baby cows !! Goats milk is better for you. Most children and adults feel better when dairy and gluten are eliminated from their diet. good luck to you : )

Cow's milk as well as Soy milk are mucassy milks that will cause problems. Soy probably not as much as cow's. But they can be a range of things from constipation to allergies.
We switched to rice and almond milk. My kids loved it until my husband tried some months later and declared how different it was. Now they both think it's not good. They aren't mucassy and none of us have experienced any consitpation from it.
The kids have sense gone back and have both been more constipated again. Thanks hubster...lol
Best of luck.

I am a health counselor who deals specifically with digestion.Pasteurized, homogenized milk sold at the store is void of essential enzymes to break down the hard-to-digest lactose and casian found in milk. These are the cause of the constipation. I personally stay away from cows milk, especially when they are so young. The one exception would be raw milk (check out more at http://www.realmilk.com/ ).
That being said, my daughter and I don't drink milk. We do have goats milk cheese and yogurt on occasion. We use almond, hemp and coconut milk. They are all delicious and hemp in particular is extremely high in calcium and other minerals. Soy can also be hard to digest, I would stay away for young children. Experiment with these kinds of milk. Constipation is a sure sign of a food sensitivity. Good luck!

He doesn't need milk - don't worry. The other "milks" are not from animals so he shouldn't have the same problem. The purpose of cow's milk is to feed baby calves, not to feed anything else. Just like the purpose of human milk is to feed baby humans! A combination of soluble and insoluble fiber AT THE SAME TIME is the key to a healthy and unconstipated bowel, which can occur no matter what we eat. A varied diet will help but it may not be enough. It's hard to find both types of fiber in any food out there, so most people I work with use a supplement in liquid form.

I have a friend who's son is allergic to cow's milk and is on almond milk. Her older son is gluten/dairy free, and she has him on rice milk. She makes sure they get calcium and vit d they might be missing from other sources. *they* like it because they know no different. *I* have tried rice milk...its not great but an ok supplement if you can't have cow's milk. It's not good in coffee, FYI :)