Organic Raw Milk for Tots?

I worked at a dairy when I was in college and I can't imagine putting any unpasturized dairy in my own body and certainly not in my child's. The risk for E. coli is just too high. I don't want to sound alarmist I just know what I've seen.

An extra little add on:
I read what Love said and yes if the cows are kept in a pasture the risk of E. coli is much lower. But just because a dairy is listed as organic doesn't mean their cows have ever even seen grass. It means they're fed organicly grown feed and aren't given hormones. So if your going to buy raw milk get it from the source not the store.

Ok one last thing then I'm dropping it. 200-300 people get sick every year from unpasturised dairy products in this country. Check out what the FDA has to say http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_milk.html

Do you think the positive affects of raw milk out weigh the negative(not being pasturized)which could lead to illness or death if the milk is tainted in any way? If I did, I would want to know the farm that the milk came from and all of the information that I needed to make a safe choice. I would also talk to my pediatrican regarding this.

Hi M.,
I grew up with raw milk from a neighbor's farm and it was delicious! You do want to make sure that the cows are fed a green grass diet. Without the minerals and nutrients from a diet of fresh green grass that millions of years of evolution have coded for, the milk is just not made with the normal bevy of bactericidal ingredients designed by Nature to stifle unwanted microbial growth. You also want to make sure the cows are free roaming in pastures, not kept in pens, as they are in contact with high quantities of manure if kept in pens. I have thought about giving raw milk to my daughter but I don't know anyone locally that keeps a cow or two and don't really trust commercially produced raw milk. The chance for e coli is too scary for me. My mother-in-law was hospitalized a few years ago due to e coli and she almost died! If you can be sure you are getting milk from free roaming cows that are fed a green grass diet, I say go for it.
L.

I give my kids raw milk from Organic Pastures. We know the owner of the dairy and they run a really great farm. (Talk about happy California cows!)

Anyhow, I discovered raw milk when my youngest was around 18 months, and started giving it to her then. She prefers it over the pasteurized kind. You can give it in a bottle or sippy cup, however your child will take it. I have heard that you shouldn't microwave raw milk, much like you wouldn't microwave breast milk. I believe you could heat it in a bottle warmer though, if your child prefers warm milk.

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I'm adding on to my response after reading a few others. Yes, I agree that you would not want to give a child unpasteurized milk from a traditional dairy, because traditional dairies are disgusting places where they force the cows to stand in their own feces their entire lives. (We live in Fresno County, and boy are there a ton of dairies! You can smell them for miles!) However, the raw milk that we buy comes from the most pristine dairy you've ever seen. Check it out: http://www.organicpastures.com/op_slideshow/ There's never been a single case of e.coli to come out of this dairy, ever, and they've been in business since the 1950's. They sell their product at our local farmer's market, but also Whole Foods. Since they deliver the product to each Whole Foods in their own trucks, the product is kept in pristine condition the whole way. Perfectly safe!

I just introduced my son to raw milk at 15 mos. old. I'm not an expert about it, but heard that it should be o.k. for over 1-year-old, as it would be for anyone. I sometimes give him unpasteurized apple juice, too, and I think it is along those lines. As long as it is local and organic, there should be safe handling practices. Good luck!

i've been thinking about this too, now that my daughter is one. my concern about raw milk goes back to '96 when a 16 month old died from drinking unpaturized odwalla juice contaminated with e coli. i think that this is a very rare occurrence, but i would make sure that i knew the farm where the milk came from.

We used organic raw milk when we introduced milk to both our children, we chose not to introduce dairy until the kids were around two. We had absolutely no problems whatsoever. If you go the dairy route, organic raw milk is great-it's the healthiest form of cow milk out there!

as long as you are getting your raw milk from a reliable source it should be fine.

and to reiterate what Allison said
"So if your going to buy raw milk get it from the source not the store"

I am a mother of two and grandmother of five. I understand the benefits of raw milk for adults, and maybe even children, but a thirteen-month-old is still a baby. In my mind, giving raw milk to a babies is akin to giving them unpasturized juice (commericial) or raw honey (which has bacteria a baby cannot tolerate). I'm happy your baby has no problems, so far, but I wouldn't be willing to risk it. There are very good reasons these things are "cooked".

B.

I know you have already gotten a lot of feedback but I wanted to add my two cents. My husband, son (19 months) and I all drink raw milk from Organic Pastures and I love it. It has done so much for my health and I know my son is going to be so healthy for drinking it. I would recommed giving it to your child as soon as possible. I did read an article a while back about the added benefit of drinking the milk before their first birthday. I agree with the others who mentioned how important it is to know where you are getting your raw milk. I to would not drink raw milk from a traditional dairy. That would be a crazy risk.

Hello,
I am a former chef and a vegetarian. I know raw milk is good from a pro-biotic stand point, but you have to worry about food borne illnesses with young children. Raw milk has not been flash heated, or pasturized, and bad bacteria could still exist.

Also, there is a school of thought that cows milk is best for baby cows, not baby humans. We use organic soy milk from Silk. They make an excellent soy milk with all the good things one gets from dairy products. Also, yogurt is often easier for little one's to tolerate.

Whatever you decided, like all new foods, add it to your child's diet slowly.

Good luck!

I am of the opinion that raw milk is far better for children than the white water that's sold in the grocery store. It has all of the enzymes still in tact, and hasn't been processed to death. You wouldn't pasteurize and homogonize breast milk, why would you do it to cow's milk? We only just moved to an area where I can get raw milk (without paying over $40 for shipping), so I've only just started giving it to my son. He's 23 months old. If I could have given it to him sooner, I would have. Milk is naturally sterile (from any creature), and if it goes into a sterile container, it doesn't have much of a chance to pick up anything harmful, does it? Pasteurization was started in the days before sanitation was widespread. At the time, it was a great solution to an enormous problem (diseases being caused by lack of sanitation). Now, when that isn't a problem, we're still destroying our milk. Why? I say, if it's healthy for me as a mother, it's healthy for my child. Give it to your daughter without any reserves.

Bravo for you! I did not do raw milk with my kids until they were older because I did not understand the harmful effects of pasteurization. If you are interested there is a website with tons of useful information on health. www.mercola.com
This site has thousands of articles on such subjects. It can be hard to be a mom who prefers a more holistic approach to health and foods. I have 5 kids and have been fighting the mainstream of pill popping and fast food for 9 years. It can be rough but I feel that my job is to educate my kids on their health and bodies. In addition, show them that they know how they feel better than anyone else. Working with Doctors, and modern health practices is a wonderful partnership when you are informed and doing your part to understand the body and what it needs.
About raw milk- we are lucky to have Raw Pastures dairy right here in Easton, I have been there. It is a Dairy devoted to clean, fresh milk product that is healthy in its original form. The best way to keep kids healthy is to limit them from sugar and food additives/preservatives, that said, it is a big job in our fast paced society. Good luck, and blessings.

Hi M. -

Absolutely raw milk is the best - I have 4 kids, and we can't always get raw milk, but I buy it when I can - I've given it to my kids since they were weaned - you are correct about the benefits over 'cooked' (pastuerized) milk - it is the same difference between fresh and overheated or cooked breast milk - there is no comparison in nutrient content - I haven't come across a single logical argument against raw milk that makes sense in today's world. It is not the world of 120 years ago, where nothing was kept clean and no one washed.
I am so glad I live in a state where I can buy it from the store - !

Of course, if your child has a milk allergy (raw milk is much better tolerated than cooked, even in people with an intolerance), you might want to not give her milk at all.

Good luck!

Hi M.,

There are 2 good resources I know of when it comes to raw milk and other topics.
1. westonaprice.org
2. mercola.com

Both have a wealth of information on many topics (immunizations, diet, women's health, etc.) Hope this helps!

C.

With my first, I went from breast to milk. She is sl lactose intolerant. With the next, went from breast to goat milk (Got it fresh from a farm), then trasitioned to cow milk.Check with the formula you are using. It may have lactose (cow) already. It so, cow milk will not be any problem.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/raw-milk-website-la...
http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/

I'm a veterinarian and I've been on more dairy farms than the average consumer, and I can tell you that there are MANY opportunities for bacteria to contaminate a milk product on a dairy farm. I'm also a microbiologist, and I can tell you that milk is a perfect multiplying medium for bacteria. I am on a food safety mailing list and I get email newsletters all the time regarding outbreaks of food-borne disease all over the country associated with raw milk and raw milk products. I'd be happy to share if you're interested. I can see NO good enough reason to drink raw milk to outweigh the risks- it's like playing russian roulette with your children's health.

People who grew up on dairy farms may have "self-vaccinated" over the years and are thus more resistant to the bacteria commonly in raw milk. That is not the case for you or your children. Please reconsider exposing them to this risky product.

Hi M.,

From the reading I’ve done, I feel that the benefits of raw milk far outweigh the risks, and I’m glad to hear that other mothers out there use raw milk!

As for your question, I think the younger you start them on raw milk, the better. I started my kids on Claravale's raw milk a little before age 1, as I was weaning them. They have never had any issues with it, and I feel that their good health is in part due to the raw milk!

I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve read it seems like giving them the raw milk as early as possible will help get their digestive tract primed for these different healthy bacteria. The only cases I’ve heard of where raw milk *might* have been an issue was in older, possibly already unhealthy children who were drinking raw milk for the first time.

Happy Raw Milk Drinking!
L.