What Kind of Milk Should I Give My Toddler?

I've heard there's no nutrition in rice milk, that it's little more than sugar water. How about soy milk? If she can tolerate goat's milk (yuck) then go for that.

Same thing happened when I started my daughter on whole cow's milk. She had runny stools for about 10 days. We even thought she might be lactose intolerant and were about to give up and try an alternative. After talking to the pediatrician, they just said it 's something that happens to some babies. After 10 days, all was back to normal. My advice is just hang in there. Give it a little more time...

Lactate milk is great its milk with lactate taken out. that is what usually causes allergic reactions. It is sold where regular milk is sold
J.

All babies get diarrhea for a little bit when transitioning to cow's milk, give it a couple of days. Your daughter needs the fat in whole milk. Good Luck.

I have never given my children cows milk. I made my own formula with rice milk and sometimes oatmilk. I added oil (one with omegas would be best) I also added egg protein powder to it and lactobcillus capsules. I tried to make it the same Protein/fat/carb ratio as breast milk. My children are extremely healthy and are very lean at 12y/o and 7 y/o. If you are interested in my recipe let me know.

have you tried the lactaid milk? all 3 of kids had milk tolerence and when they started reg milk the lactaid worked really well for them.

She can get everything she needs form food and not beverages as long as she isn't drinking so much she isn't eating. Our kids (including young toddlers) only get about 12 ounces of milk a day. Other than that they can drink water or juice on a rare occasion. We use organic milk because my son has problems with regular milk, you might want to try it and see if it stops your daughters problems. We make sure our children get the fat they need in thier diet. We add extra oatbran to thier oatmeal and toasted wheatgerm to baked goods and other cereal. We eat avocados most day and have smoothies with whole milk yogurt (many people who can't tollerate milk do fine with yogurt,) silken tofu, a Tablespoon of flax oil, or some finely ground flax seeds. I will also grind up sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds into powder to sprinkle in applesauce or over muffins etc.. We also don't worry about limiting butter when they are little. If the saturated fat in whole milk is fine then a thick slab of butter on their toast is too. There are some great soy spreads as well. We serve lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains and meats and then leave it up to the kids to eat what they want.

Try giving her Brown Cow yogurt with the cream on the top. High in fat. yogurt is lactose free plus it has probiotics which will help her digestion. And it's OMG good. I wish I could eat it, but I gotta watch the fat grams! :(

Can she handle other dairy like yogurt or cheese? I would check with your pediatrician, but from what I remember when mine were younger, is that most kids get enough calcium from other dairy and do not have to have milk on a daily basis. As for drinks, I would stick with water or the soy milks.

don't give her rice milk as main source of nutrtion. It is not balanced with carbs/protein etc and your child can develop a disorder. Soy or Lactose free is you best bet.ask your pediatrician, who is ther for your childs health.

Hi G.,

I thought that I would make the suggestion of lactose free milk. My son has has so many issues with dairy while I was breast feeding, as well as when he started on regular milk. We tried whole milk, soy, and rice milk. He does well on soy, but I heard that soy has high amounts of estrogen, so we stopped him on that. Then, we tried rice milk which he was actually a little allergic to. We tried regular whole milk, and that too was a disaster. So, lastly we tried him on lactose free milk, and taht seemed to do the trick. One cup is 160 calories,and it's high in fat. Maybe your little one would do well on it too. I know how expensive goats milk is and that unless you go to Trader Joes or a place like Whole Foods, it's impossible to find. Hope you are able to figure it out soon. Take care! :)

M.

Hi G.,

We can't have cows milk here either. So we drink SOY milk here. We have been drinking soy for years now. Soy comes in a variety of flavors and ice-cream too. I've even seen it in a type of cream. I haven't tried the cream myself. I think it's for coffee drinks. I've seen it next to the soy milk in the refrigerated section. Take a look and see if SOY is what you're looking for.

N. :o)

You can buy the milk that is called I believe Lactose and Safeway has it. My Mom can't drink regular dairy/ice cream etc. and has absolutely no problems with it.

R.

G.,
I glanced through the responces very quickly, so I apologize if I repeat myself. As others have mentioned, many kids tolerate sour milk products (yogurt, cheese, etc) better than plain milk, so consider trying Kefir - a thick sour milk product. It isn't cheap, but you can get it with flavors (I add a drop of juice to the plain one to loosen/sweeten it up), or even make it yourself from organic milk (also better tolerated by some). Added bonus - easier BMs :) My 11 mo loves it.

Another option on the sour milk theme is making your own cottage cheese/ricotta type substance - scold 1 cup of milk, add 1/2 cup of buttermilk right before the milk boils, stir until the mixture starts looking "funky", then take it off the stove, stir a minute or so until the solids separate from the whey, and pour over a mesh strainer or a collander lined with cheese cloth. The more you drain, the more cheese-like the solid will be. The strainer is a pain to wash afterwards, but Ellie loves this stuff plain, mixed with fruit, and soon it's going to go on crackers and breads :)

good luck!
L.

Do not give her rice milk - there is little to no nutrition in it, and the last thing you want to do is purposefully add unnatural or unnecessary fat to her diet - the nutritional value of cows milk as a lot to do with the vitamins it provides as opposed to just the fat.

Soy milk is a healthy alternative. You may have to try a few different brands until you find one she really likes, but most brands are very well fortified with more or less the same amounts of vitamins and minerals that cows milk has - talk to you pediatrician and see if he/she recommends a certain brand of soymilk that is nutritionally the best for the needs of toddlers.

Even though she may be lactose intolerant, a huge bottle of cows milk is different than a serving of cheese or yogurt to the digestive system, so I would urge you not to take dairy out of her diet completely if she tolerates it well. Continue to offer cheese and yogurt (especially the yogurt, its great for her in lots of way) and if she has no digestive problems with it, get her the soymilk and you should be just fine.

Hi G.,

I would suggest asking local goat ladies, as I assume you are in the Oroville area ? I am a goat milk drinker, a grand mother, and my children, grand children, my animals, all drink goat milk. I won't bore you with the details of why I have always thought goat milk is healthier than processed cows milk, but being raised on a farm and having allergies it was just easier to drink what our bodies tolerated. The goat people are friendly and will be able to explain why goat milk is better anyway. It is expensive in the stores, so that's why I say go and get to know a goat farm near you and explain your situation. You will be surprised to see how friendly and helpful they can be knowing you are interested in the healthy goat's milk. I get a gallon for $5.00 and for my pet's I pay $2.50 gal. It is so sweet, and before long you won't buy regular milk again....lol.
Gram D.

Hi G.,
My daughter, now 3, is lactose intolerant and we buy lactose free milk. You can usually find it at Raleys or Safeway on sale, not Lactaid but the store brands. I also found it at Sam's Club yesterday for $2.82 a half gallon. My pediatrician isn't that fond of rice milk and as my daughter gets constipated with rice it wasn't an option. Give lactose free milk a try.
Sincerely,
L.

Try soy milk and see how she likes that.

M. *~

i would do rice before soy.

My daughter was the same way with milk, even Soy bothered her belly (too gassy). We tried Lactose Free and she has no problems with it!!!

Hi G.,

You'll want to find out if your daughter is just lactose-intolerant or if she has a true milk allergy. The easiest way to find this out is to try lactose-free milk, as others have suggested. If the diahrrea goes away, then she is lactose-intolerant, if it doesn't, then she has a milk allergy.

My daughter had a milk allergy from when she was born until she was 3 years old. She also showed allergy signs when I tried introducing soy milk, and she was also diagnosed with nut allergies, so we did end up going with fortified rice milk. It has all of the calcium and vitamins as cow's milk added. The biggest thing that it is lacking in is protein and fat.

I had also been concerned about the lack of fat in my daughter's diet, and what ended up working for us was soy bean butter, which she loved, and she had no bad reactions to. If your daughter doesn't have tree nut allergies, then you can also try almond butter. I'd skip peanut butter for a child so young, since both our daughter's pediatrician and allergist strongly recommended against it, since a bad reaction can be life threatening.

My daughter had outgrown her milk allergy by the time she was 3, but she still doesn't like milk, so I don't force her. She now gets her calcium through cheese (which she adores) and calcium-fortified orange juice, and occasionally rice milk.

Good luck!
L.

Mother of 1 daughter, now 9.

I would suggest that you try "raw milk" at
the Good Earth. That would be the best food
for your daughter - or Lactaid milk - or
yogurt with the fat on top! Never homogenized -
ever................
The Good Earth (raw milk - government certified)
and Trader Joes (non-homogenized milk and yogurt)
- and then there's the regular grocery store with
Lactaid. You might check out the non-homogenized
milk and it's benefits (as opposed to almost NONE
in the boiled and additive composed milk you find
regularly!)

Good for you! being conscious.

Good luck!

Hi G.,
My 2.5 year old son has had the same issue with cow's milk since he was your daughter's age. I tried him on soy and also had trouble. My third option was rice milk that the pediatrician advised. I too was concerned he might be missing some nutrients with the rice milk. Our pediatrician said rice milk was very good and the only thing that might be missing was calcium. He gave us a pamphlet on how to add that to our son's diet. Here are some ways to add calcium:
Fat-free or low-fat yogurt, soy milk (calcium-fortified), Total cereal, oranges and orange juice (calcium-fortified), cheese, salmon, tofu, spinach, turnip greens, low-fat frozen yogurt, almonds, low-fat cottage cheese, pinto beans, and broccoli. Now, some of these things do contain milk, so try them in small amounts first to see how your daughter handles them.

Also look for anything that says "calcium fortified" when shopping. Check with your doctor about the amount of calcium is necessary for your daughter's age and weight. You might also ask the doc if there are children's calcium supplements available, if necessary.

Good luck, and remember it is probably just an intolerance and she will outgrow it before long. - Kim

My kids have been on alternative milks since my youngest was just 6months old. Well I had to eliminate my milk intake when she was 6months old. I have found Almond milk to have less sugar content than rice milk. I would not recommend Soy Milk either as it has been linked to some issues with hormones. Some kids have even developed menstrual cycles at just 5 years old. Soy was supposedly the contributing factor. So until I know for sure I keep my kids away from soy in any processed form.

I have heard that milk that is not pasteurized is much better, but have yet to try it. I am a bit of a procrastinator.

We give the kids flax oil which not only helps with digestion but also offers Omega fatty acids which are very good for them. I have just always added it to yogurt, a little on top of pizza, and also in their smoothies. I also find that my kids can tolerate some cheeses and yogurt a little easier. Good luck!

T.
Founder
www.theparentpack.org

My 22 month old son had a milk allergy since he was 3 months old.... after he turned 14 months (and we were weaning from breast feeding), our pediatrician recommended Enfamil Soy Formula. They have a toddler formula called "Next Step" which has slightly less calories/fat than the infant formula. In my opinion, I have not heard to many good stories abut rice milk, you have to be very careful about the sugar content (not that milk doesn't have a lot of sugar)! I would consult your MD for advice as well. The toddler formula has been great for my son and we have been transitioning him to whole milk slowly (the formula is good till they are 24 months).
Good luck! :)

Vitasoy Unsweetened Original soymilk might be an option. It has enough fat and is vitamin fortified. It comes in a box that doesn't need refrigeration until the container is opened. I used soymilk with both of my children and they did well on it. Best wishes.

Hi G.,
I have exclusively given my son goat milk and he has had a wonderful response. You're right in that it is a bit more expensive but I have found Trader Joe's to have the best price (2.99 per qt). To me the price is worth it because I know he is getting a good source of milk with adequate amounts of fat. I would also agree with the aforementioned response about avoiding soy milk, and have found westonaprice.org to be an excellent resource to many questions about diet, general health, and so much more! Best of luck!

I hear almond milk is a good choice. I drink that because my nursing baby is lactose intolerant and my 2yr old drinks it on occasion. of course do your own research about it and ask your doctor. I would stay away from soy if possible, I have heard it is a hormone disrupter, especially for boys since it is estrogen promoting. Do research before giving your child anything good luck.

I'm lactose intolerant, my husband is not, my 2 year old is not. Knowing that eventually it would be nice for her to share the same kind of milk already in our 'fridge (soy for me, organic 1% for my hubby). I asked her Dr. about giving her soy milk anyway once she was ready to add milk to her diet (age 1). He said either cow's milk or soy was fine, and to do the whole fat version of either until 18 months. I read the labels of both organic cow's milk and organic soy milk, and there was no question...I went with the soy. Compare the labels of those two and rice or almond milk and you'll see why I went with soy. We started with the full-fat version and are now on the 'light'. I'd avoid the "Very Vanilla" as I think it's just setting up their taste-buds to want really sweet things. We share the Silk Vanilla Light, and she loves it. We also did whole milk goat's yogurt for the fat like you mentioned her needing for some time before switching to soy yogurt (we now both eat WholeSoy & Co. brand...yummy!). I don't agree when some say it's 'normal' for them to have a transition time...good for you for listening to her little tummy. Take it from me, it's no fun having your tummy hurt from lactose.

We have always used rice milk with my little ones. I have milk issues & my husband's brothers do also. My 4 y/o seems to have a reaction (loose bowels) with regular milk. As they are getting older we introduce some icecream & regular milk, but not much, like maybe with cereal. They are a bit petite, but are growing steadily. I can't tolerate Lactaid products myself, so I don't use that for them. They do eat cheese & yogurt.

G.,
I went through the same thing with my son, we tried Soy milk since it is more regularly avaliable but we ran into an allergy with that also. So we buy Lactaid or now that more stores carry their own brand of lacotose free milk at a cheaper price we buy their brand. Yes it's more expensive then reg milk and is only sold in the Half gallon but you really don't have much of a choice, plus they do sell it in all grades. Whole milk, reduced fat and even 1%. We went to to Lactose Free milk instead of the rice milk due to the fact that they don't contain 1, enough fat and 2, Calcium whereas the Lactose free milk does.
Hope this helps.

Hello,
I am a single mom of a 14 month old girl too! :-) Does she show intolerance to other types of dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc)? If not, you can give her whole milk yogurt (my daughter eats Yo-Baby) and whole milk cheese, both are high fat foods. Also, my daughter loves avocado, another high fat food, and eats several a week. My daughter is low on the weight chart and I'm always trying to find healthy ways of adding fat to her diet, so I've started adding some butter to her food. She likes whole grain organic blueberry waffles with butter on them, another high fat, healthy meal. If she doesn't tolerate any dairy (like butter) Earth-wise has a non-dairy butter spread that is healthy and full of fat. Good luck!

Our son is very allergic to cow's milk and has been since his first exposure. I'm always worried that he's not getting enough fat, either, because soy milk is quite a bit lower in fat than cow's milk. That said, we use the Silk brand soy milk because they have a variation with extra Omega 3 DHA fatty acids. It's just another gram of fat, but it's better than all the other soy and rice milks in terms of the extra fat that a toddler needs.

Oh -- I've tried raw cow's milk as another suggested -- immediate red skin and hives from just topical exposure. Same with goat's milk. He seemed to be tolerating sheep milk yogurt and cheese (but cannot find sheep milk in drinkable form) which was very exciting. Unfortunately, after about a month of eating it he began developing rashes on his legs, arms and face. After a couple of sheep-milk free days, the rashes went away. No dairy for this kid.

I use the Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk for my LO and she is doing great on that. It's supposed to be fortified for kids.

Good Luck!

I have a 2 1/2 year old boty that is horribly allergic to milk. I give him both soy milk and rice milk. There are tons of soy products (yogurt, cheese, etc) that have some fat. I also give lots of avacado and other foods with good fat. As long as your daughter keeps gaining weight and is healthy, I think you don't need to worry too much. I was really worried in the beginning too, but my son has maintained 90% in height and weight the whole time so I think they get plenty of fat naturally.

Definitely RAW cow's milk. Many people who have intolerances to pasteurized milk do very well on raw milk. After all, it's the way we humans drank it for years, the way nature intended, right? Here is a link where you can read about it and also find out where to buy it. It is sold in many health food stores. Also, you can go to a local farmer and buy part of a cow. It sounds funny, but if you own part of the cow you have the rights to its milk.

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw_milk_health_benefits.html

Unless your child was born premature AND was of low birth weight or currently very low on the weight chart, do not worry. You can give her higher fat calcium in cheese and other milk products.

Hi G.,

Did your daughter ever take formula? Our third child tolerated Good Start formula, but then developed a bad rash when we tried to switch to whole milk. (Good Start is partially hodrolyzed, which is why some milk allergic children can tolerate it.) So even though he tolerates rice milk just fine, I still give him 2 cups of formula per day. They make a version of the formula for 12-24 months old. (Our son is almost 2yo now.)

Please talk to your doctor before trying Almond milk or peanut butter as some have suggested. Our other son is allergic to milk and nuts (and soy and many other foods.) I believe the current AAP recommendation is to not introduce nuts (peanuts or tree nuts) to a child with allergies until they are at least 3 yo. Tree nut allergy is very similar to peanut allergy in terms of how common it is and how severe the reaction can be.

Speaking from experience, it is difficult for a toddler to have a balanced diet with enough protein and fat if you have to avoid dairy and nuts. If your daughter does tolerate yogurt or cheese without a noticeable reaction, that will make life a lot easier for both of you. In addition to the diarrhea, watch out for rashes, chronic congestion, or a general increase in fussiness and/or trouble sleeping through the night. These are all symptoms we saw when our 6yo was a toddler, which turned out to be caused by food allergies.

Good luck!
-D.

what about soy milk, or Eden Soy brand has a soy-rice blend that might be a good choice. eden soy adds other components to its soy milks to make them digestible and with less sugar. and soy has added fats and nutrients and is thicker than just rice milk
might be worth a try
take care

Two of my sons had early cow's milk allergies (which they both eventually outgrew). After researching and talking to my doctor, I gave them both soy milk. Silk has one especially fortified for kids. It is supposed to be better than rice milk but rice milk has fewer allergic reactions. Soy milk does not have fat either so you'll want to give that to her in her food choices (avocado, olive oil, etc.).

My beautiful little girl whom is almost 17-months, just plain does not like Cow's milk. I spoke with her doc. about it and he said soy milk is fine as long as she's getting the calories and calcium she needs. Silk has a fortified soy milk for kids. It's very sweet, but not nearly as much sugar as rice milk. I believe it is vanilla in flavor. My daughter does no like it, so we stick to plain soy, but you can try both! She is a very healthy and seems to be strong and grown at a good pace, I weaned her at 14.5 months and she’s been on soy milk ever since. She really does not even drink soy milk very often. She has a thing for water, which I guess is a good thing. The doc just told me to make sure I give her a vitamin supplement. Hope this helps.

If she eats well, it shouldn't matter much what she drinks. Rice or soy milk are fine, I'm sure. If you're concerned about fat, add avocado or peanut butter to her diet. Take care, C.

Hi G.,

I am so amazed at how many people are recommending soy milk! Please do some research before you give anything soy to your toddler. Here a few sites, but you can just google soy children and read for yourself too.

http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/infant.html
http://tinyurl.com/qnxku

I'm sorry that I don't have any advice on alternatives as all of my kids do well on milk. I just wanted to make sure you're aware that soy is not necessarily safe for children. Good luck, and I admire your conscious commitment to your little girl's health!

Have you tried breast milk? There are a number of governmental agencies, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the US Surgeon General, and the World Health Organization, which advocate breast feeding until at least age 2 and upwards of age 7.

If you have ever breast fed before you can get your supply back, but you need to work at it a little.

Good Luck.