Problems with Whole Milk

I started my daughter with 2%. She was a little constipated with it at first. I was severely allergic to it as a baby and child so I take it very slowly. They say they should have whole milk but she is thriving just fine at almost 15 months old.

My son has been constipated off and on since he was about 3 months old. When I switched him from formula to milk he struggled a bit with constipation but it resloved and he was going fine 2-3 times a day. I have put him on vitamins and now he is getting a bit constipated again because of the iron I think. You might want to contact her Dr. In regards to the seperation anxiety.......what we have been doing is laying my son in bed and just rubbing his tummy and playing a little music from his musical bears and it seems to work.....sometimes it takes longer than other times but it has been working.

cow's milk is very hard on the human digestive system. Goat & sheep's milk is a much closer match. You can find goat's milk in most grocery stores these days, usually in the baking aisle by the other shelf-stable milks.

Watch out for soy, as wonderful as it is for many people, soy is a big allergy problem food.

A digestive enzyme may help or probiotics (such as acidophilus, like in yogurt) there are chewables made for children.

Cow's milk is not all that digestible for humans. Also, milk today from cow's contains high levels of hormones and antibiotics (which cause all kinds of diseases), to name just two of the horrible things it does to us. Don't get me wrong, I think milk is ok in moderation, but NOT this pasturized toxic garbage that is called milk (which is not fit for human or beast).

Goat's milk is closer to human breast milk and thus easier to digest.

Regarding baby food - I highly recommend making your own from local, organic produce. It's easy, it's healthier, and it does not contain ingredients you would never knowingly feed your children. You could use Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/site/

Formula is not the answer either as it contains fluoride and soy (which is an Excitotoxin and NONE of us should be eating or drinking anything with soy in it (it's not a health food like the industry has conditioned us to believe, they've lied to create a market for a product that's cheap for them to produce and it's a waste product). Do you know, there is not a single animal that will eat a soy bean? It's true, they know it's poisonous. If they eat it they die.

The only time a soy product is safe for consumption is when it's has been thoroughly "fermented" (the longer the better, as in years) and even then, it should be used only as a condiment. Our companies do not have the time required to properly ferment soy, it cuts into their profits. Soy by-products are added to most processed foods today as cheap "fillers". I personally avoid any processed food with a soy.

I can't recall at the moment where the study is that was done in Japan on soy years ago. I will tell you this much, the soy the Japanese ate/eat is fermented properly and they ONLY use it as a condiment! I find it very interesting that companies today will twist studies so they can have a cheap product/ingredient to market - even if it is extremely unhealthy.

Do you know that soy has only ever been used in the Orient and Africa as a food during hard times as a survival food? This product has no business being in any of our foods. It makes me angry that the industry has duped so many people.

Soy also has other issues. Infant formula's and baby foods also contain MSG, another Excitotoxin. An Excitotoxin gets into the brain and causes the neurotransmitters to pulse at an extremely fast rate... which makes the neurotransmitter die (once they're dead, they're gone). Other Excitotoxins include all sugar substitutes.

Here are some links to articles that may help you and other mom's make wiser choices. It upsets me greatly that in this country big companies are allowed to produce products that have led to this countries health problems.

Soy Infant Formula - better than breast milk?
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/infant.html

Feeding Babies
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/feeding.html

Is Raw Milk Safe for Babies? ("Real" meaning unpasturized and from cow's that eat real grass everyday)
http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-babies.html

Pasturize or Certify: two solutions to the milk problem
http://www.realmilk.com/untoldstory_1.html

Where can I find Raw Milk?
http://www.realmilk.com/where-general.html

Differences between Raw and pasturized milk certification
http://www.realmilk.com/whichchoose.html

Excitotoxins: the taste that kills
http://www.westonaprice.org/bookreviews/excitotoxins.html

Calming the cry of Colic
http://www.westonaprice.org/children/calming-colic.html

Soy Lecithin: from sludge to profit
http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/lecithin.html

The Obesity Epidemic: should we believe what we read and hear?
http://www.westonaprice.org/msg/msgobesity.html

Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry
http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html

Comments on the Report of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (PDF)
http://www.westonaprice.org/federalupdate/testimony/comme...

Articles in my blog relating to this subject...

Diet Soda, Aspartame and One Woman's Quest to Discover the Truth About Artificial Sweeteners
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/diet-soda-...

The Little Surprises in our Foods - Excitotoxins that are killing us and our kids daily
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/the-little...

Diet and Eating: choose your foods like your life depends on them
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/diet-and-e...

Do you know what's in the foods you're eating?
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2006/10/08/do-you-kno...

Fluoride - in dental, drinking water, processed foods and the environment, is fluoride really safe?
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/fluoride-i...

Hidden Sources of MSG: in regular and organic foods!
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2006/10/09/hidden-sou...

I hope this helps,
E.

At this age, I'm sure you feed your child non-baby foods, eh, sounds like baby girl isn't getting enough greens and veggies to help in preventing constipation.
When my now 23 yesr old daughter was 1-2 years old, everytime I gave her chewing gum, she swallowed it, causing constipation. Her peditrician told me to give her enamas And needless to say, she got no more gum, LOL! I like to have never figured out what was the cause, just alot of crying at night from be stopped up. I would be sure to give plenty of veggies, especially greens, and not too much cheese as it may constipate her as well. You may can find your answers at ask.com
hugs!
P.S. Instead of all solid foods, I often bought campbell's vegtable soup, and gave lots of green beans, carrots,& bananas

All 3 of my children were unable to tolerate cow's milk at 12 months. Instead of going back to formula, the pediatrician suggested the Follow-up Formula. There is no magic age when babies can tolerate cows milk. My oldest was 18 months, the next was 2, and the last was about 16 months.
We also added yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese to their diets as this is easier to tolerate. We also fed our children raisins every day. This will add fiber that is not present in cow's milk and will help keep her stools soft.

When you rock her to sleep at night, place a pillow on your lap and her on top. It is easier to transition her off the pillow than out of your arms. Also my husband would often take the baby from me and put her down.

Good luck!
S.

You received some good advice as for the cow's milk. I also suggest backing off of it and using goat's milk if possible. Or some yogurt or kefir for probiotics.

My son is the same age as your daughter, and I still nurse him to sleep each night. The last few nights he has had a hard time settling to fall asleep, in my arms even. But rather than let him "cry it out", I finally realized that his teeth are hurting him right now. Always remember that babies get teeth until they are 2 years old. And some do not handle the pain well. My son seems to tolerate it fine all day, but when the evening hits, his teeth seem to hurt him more. He drools more and has his hands in his mouth. I gave him a homeopathic teething remedy, gave him a bath, and let him watch a Baby Einstien video. After that he was calmed and nursed right to sleep. So always be sure to do a little investigative work to see what your child needs when their behavior changes. And remember that eventually they will learn to go to sleep on their own and sleep through the night, this stage of their lives does not last forever. But while they are young, they need us.

a lot of kids have problems switching to milk. i think that their little tummies just arnt ready for it yet. my sister in law put her son on the toddler formula instead of milk, and he seems to be doing better.

First of all my granson does this to with the carrying on at nite. No one gets this but my daughter. He knows she'll do anything to get him to sleep, she has to hold his hand. The milk thing, how about adding water to the bottle and thin the milk out? Or use soymilk? Id ask her doc for sure.

Maybe its the amount of milk you are giving her. I am transitioning right now also. I think when we get to the point of only milk, i'm going to reduce the amount he gets at least for a little while. The other feeding i am going to try to replace with water and/or juice water. In between times of giving the milk, push the water.
As far as the sleep goes we were having the same problem too. I would rock him to sleep, lay him down, and then he would wake up instantly. Then he would get up in the middle of EVERY nite. I was exhausted. I was asking my mom and sis-in-law and they both said you are just going to have to let him cry. So thats what we did one week ago. And let me just add this: Last nite I fed him downstairs, (which previously was done in his room in the rocker) I went upstairs and changed his diaper, gave him hugs and kisses, put him in his crib, and he curled up and went to sleep... without a peep. And he slept all nite long. So wonderful and so worth the crying the first 2 nites in the middle of the nite.

For the sleep issue, has anything else changed recently with your family that might be playing into this? A good book I have used with my 3 is "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley.

I would do 1/2 formula and 1/2 milk and increase her veggies and other fiber rich foods. Also no more than 16 oz of milk a day.

As for the sleeping at night, let hubby put her down everynight if she gives less fuss with him! She knows how to work you! I would also watch how Daddy lays her down and use the same technique.

Whole milk does this sometimes. You could add a little Karo syrup to it to keep it from constipating her. You may try soy milk or goat milk. Usually it is not the child but the type of milk. so many things are added to whole milk in the grocery store. It is pasturized and everything has to be added back to it, that was taken during pasturization.

Also, maybe reading to her before bedtime? I think she is playing you! Mine did, and I found that making and preparing them for bedtime ahead of time was working for us. Like the Lavendar bath soap.... Let her have her bottle while holding her. You might try rocking her, other times of the day, and discontinue that at bedtime. If she is not doing this with anyone else, then she is pushing buttons. And believe me, she won't stop pushing buttons, with just this one problem. You have 17 more years at least of this. :) It is very, very hard. I know. But try to make bedtime routine a relaxing one. Have a time set. I used to lotion my one with lavendar lotion, after bath, and read a book. It took a few times, butshe got in the routine.

My daughter was the same way when I put her on whole milk after weaning from breast milk. I used a little Karo syrup in her bottle at first, but it stopped working after a few weeks. If you take her to the dr, ask for a prescription for lactulose, it's a synthetic "corn syrup", so it's not as harmful on the system, and it counteracts the stuff that causes constipation in cow's milk.

If you are giving her a bottle or a cup of milk before bed, the screaming may be because it's causing stomach pain... sometimes when kids are sleepy, they're more likely to complain :). If the milk is causing pain and thus screaming, i'd probably switch to a lactose free milk, or try goat or soy milk like the others suggested. My first daughter was VERY allergic to cow's milk and soy (not suggesting your daughter is), and we put her on goat milk. According to everything I've seen, it's healthier. It has more calcium and digests easier. The downside is a little more calories than cow milk, but if she's a picky eater, more calories will be good!! :)

If not anything to do with milk, the sleep thing may be a phase... my 16 month old went thru seperation anxiety from about 12-14 months... she's finally starting to get over it...

Hope this helps!!

Hi R.,

Yes, I agree with Portia, cows milk is very hard on our digestive tracts. Here is a link for some very interesting articles on cows milk. http://nomilk.com/

http://members.tripod.com/~josquin/milk.htm

When I read your post, I immediately thought of our dog and vet recommendations any time we had to switch her food. We were advised to switch her foods gradually so her tummy had time to adjust to the new food. We would mix the new food with the old food and eventually faze out the old food when we felt she was ready for it. I'm not sure you would want to do this with formula but it's possible to continue with her formula as you do and then gradually add milk into her diet.

Also, I like to share that all three of my kids were extended breastfed. I never started them on cows milk per recommendation of their pediatricians. I am lactose intolerant and don't like milk. Feeding them human milk vs cow milk was a personal choice for me. We've since found they all have mild dairy allergies where they can have different forms of dairy in moderation but certain products are really hard on their systems and we avoid those. I just want to point out that it's okay to follow your instinct here and take your child off of the dairy if you feel it's upsetting her delicate system. I remember reading in Dr. Mendelsohn's book that most of the time when it comes to raising children, the pediatrician's know just as much as we do. You are already in tune with your daughter and continue to listen to your mothering instinct, it will guide you.

Any change in diet will result in a change in stools. A great book is How To Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor; by Robert Mendelsohn, MD. He advised a wait and watch approach for constipation. Stools change as our diets change and it's unless there is blood in the stool or excruciating belly pain a close examination of diet (up fluid intake, give fruits and veggies, etc) and simple changes will usually resolve the problem.

As for her crying at night, I would examine if there are any changes. Pay attention to see if you are feeling stressed about the sleep issue and her being able to stay down sleeping by others but not by you. Are you feeling pre-occupied and thinking of other things when you are putting her down? Are you worried about anything when you're putting her to sleep? I know my babies could pick up on any stress or negative energy I was exuding. As a mom who doesn't believe in CIO either, I would suggest extra TLC and trying to unwind before the bedtime routine begins. I know if I'm upset or feel like crying I prefer to sit with a close friend or loved one that will comfort me when needed. Remember this too will pass. I agree that Elizabeth Pantley's book, The No Cry Sleep Solution, may be helpful.

Good luck, R..

Peace,
J.

Have you tried cutting the whole milk with water? or giving her water every other bottle? Having breastfed all mine for more than 2 yrs each, I never had any trouble with constipation, since by one yr they would still be getting breastmilk in between the regular meals, which always included a glass of milk. I always nursed mine to sleep, so maybe she just needs that closeness and snuggling, even without the breastmilk, for a little longer. Giving her that security she needs now will make her more self-assured and independant in the long run.

As for the milk issue, I'd talk to the ped. about it to rule under major concerns.
THe going to sleep issue boils down to if she only does it to you then she's playing you. I'm with the person who suggested getting her dad to put her to bed at night if she doesn't give him the same trouble. My oldest (now 4) learned at about 8 months old to go to sleep on his own. We would turn on his music (one of those sounds of the womb with instrumental lullabys), I'd rock him (slowly reducing the length of time), and then lay him down. If he cried I used a variation of Ferberizing (going in after 5 min. and reassuring him without picking him up, then after 10 min if he cried again). He never cried more than 10 min. and after less than a week I could put on his music and lay him down and leave. When he was sick or teething I would sit next to his crib maybe rubbing his back or holding his hand until he fell asleep.

Having said that I'm currently dealing with my 9 month old who can scream for 3 hrs and never calm down and go to sleep. I'm currently working with him with the music and slowly shortening the rocking time. So far every step forward has 2 steps back it seems though. I keep trying though and know eventually we'll get there. My youngest is much more mom-clingy than the first one was. He wouldn't even let his dad hold him more than 5 min. until he was 6 months and he still won't let my in-laws hold him at all. I feel your pain, trust me.

Mine keeps crying until I pick him up, but have you tried sitting with her, maybe with a book for you to read? Does she listen to music at bed or nap time? My 4 yr old still listens to the same cd he did as a baby. If he wakes up and it's still dark outside he turns his music back on and goes back to sleep (he has a player on a shelf next to his bed so he can do it without even getting out of bed) so at least I don't have to get up for his night-time wakings when they occasionally happen.

The constipation after switching is common.

The sleeping problem is b/c you're holding her until she's fully asleep. She's more than old enough to be put to bed awake or drowsy, although I agree with not allowing them to cry/scream it out until exhausted.

You've got plenty of suggestions on the milk...I tend to disagree with adding meds when it seems to be obviously due to the diet change (at this point). Just try adding it back in gradually and see how it goes. Trust your instincts. Try pureed prunes, etc. Easy on bananas.
I am a big fan of "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" but it does sometimes involve some crying (at a year), so it may not work well for you, but what you might try is rocking her normally, and putting her in the bed when she's groggy, but not asleep. If she cries, rub her back, belly, pat, sing, pick her back up if she's getting worked up, whatever you want enough to calm her and then put her right back down. It may take forever the first few times, but be consistent. I did this with my youngest as an infant, and she amazed me that she would go to sleep on her own so quickly sometimes. Her big sister, not so much :) They're all different. But she seems to be working you if she doesn't do it for anyone else. "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" also has some good advice.
Good luck.