Do We Really Need Milk?

Hi S.,

I would trust the opinion of a trained medical doctor or nutritionist over the opinion of a lot of moms, when it comes diet. It sounds to me like you need to talk further to your doctor about this. Did you tell him your concerns? How did he address them? If you don't have a "working" relationship with your doctor, then maybe you should search for a new one. Just my two cents.

By the way, I am an avid milk drinker. I make decisions for my daughter based on what is best for her and try not to influence her by my likes and dislikes. My husband does not like tomatoes, but he strongly encourages our daughter to eat them because they are good for her. In my mind, variety and moderation are the key to a healthy diet.

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Hi S.. I don't think that cow's milk is necessary, esp. if you're still breastfeeding. I nursed my son for 3 years and he had a little milk and yogurt during that time but once we stopped nursing and he started drinking more cows milk, he ended up having problems with ear infections, which he had never had before. We've since taken him off of dairy all together and guess what? no more ear infections. My younger son, on the other hand, has no problems with dairy. Cow's milk is just an easy way for parents to get a lot of nutrients into their kids, esp. when you have a picky toddler. But there are other ways to get the protein, calcium & vitamin D that your daughter needs. My son drinks soy or almond milk & he likes soy yogurt. He also eats broccoli and other leafy greens which are good sources of calcium.
Of course this is my opinion, but I think you'll find that there are a lot of parents who don't give their kids dairy products and their children are healthy.
Good luck!
A.

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If you're still breastfeeding, she will be fine. As long as you eat foods that are high in calcium, she gets it from you. Yogurt is much better than cow's milk for them anyways. In fact, there was a recent article about what kinds of yogurt to look for and what they get out of it on Dr. Sears' website (www.askdrsears.com). If it doesn't feel right to you, listen to your intuition. Especially if you guys have a hard time with cow's milk anyways. It can lead to dairy allergies, and has been linked to childhood early onset diabetes. My daughter is 17 months, still breastfeeds quite often, and I rarely let her have cow's milk. Lots of yogurt (organic plain with organic fruit in it), and other foods that are high in calcium. There is nothing in cow's milk that your daughter can't get elsewhere in her diet. Look for veggies that are high in calcium, and make sure that both you and your daughter eat plenty of it, and she'll be fine. Good for you for still breastfeeding. In my opinion, it doesn't really start getting fun until after they're 1 anyways. Lots of games and smiles. They're able to communicate with you so much more how much they enjoy it. :)

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Your daughter needs calcium and fats as well as Vit D but she can get those in other ways. My granddaughter, because she was allergic to milk, drank rice milk which is fortified with calcium, Vitamins A, D, and B12. She probably drank 2-3 8oz, glasses a day. Some of that was on cereal. She still loves hot chocolate. They make a chocolate flavored rice milk but she preferred adding chocolate syrup at home.

Fortunately she could eat cheese which also has calcium and fats.

I think there are several foods that provide calcium as well as those vitamins. Dark green leafy vegetables have calcium and vits and mins. However, I learned in a nutrition class that they also contain oxalic acid which makes it difficult for the body to utilize the calcium.

Also from nutrition class is the information that if you combine even a small amount of animal protein with legumes (beans of all sorts) the dish or meal provides complete proteins. Legumes do have protein but not all that the body requires. Whole grains also provide a small amount of protein. Because there are several different proteins we need to eat a variety of foods with protein.

So, your daughter doesn't need milk. But she needs a diet high in calcium to make the bones she's building strong. Calcium is also needed by other parts of the body. She doesn't need meat. She needs fats for a healthy brain and nervous system. And of course she needs proteins because that is the basic building block for our body. It's more difficult to get all of the required nutrients without meat but with planning it can be done.

I'm sure there are books describing a vegetarian based diet that could help you. The Internet most likely has lots of information.

I have a cousin who grew up in a vegetarian home and she matured just fine. They did drink milk and had eggs (has protein and fat soluable vits)

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Hi S.,

Just want to add to the other responses you've gotten: My little guy (now 20 months old) eats a diet that is vegetarian plus fish--mostly whole grains and produce, like your little one. He has a milk-protein intolerance (different than lactose intolerance--lactose intolerance is more a condition of later years; milk-protein intolerance, of the first few years). So he doesn't have any dairy. He breastfed until he lost interest around 18 months, and he eats a lot of soygurt. My husband, who is a pediatrician and very interested in nutrition, looked at all the milk substitutes that are readily available and decided that hemp milk was the best substitute at this age--healthy fats and a good dose of protein and fats to stand in for cow's milk. It is expensive, though.

I agree with the other posts--she doesn't need cow's milk, per se, especially if she's nursing. The big things are just to make sure that she's getting the nutrients she needs--vitamin D, healthy fats (omega 3's)--and that she's growing and developing well. Best wishes with your farming adventure--hard but rewarding work!

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We don't really need milk, I don't think. There's lots of people who are lactose intolerant. But we do need calcium, so make sure she gets it in other ways: cheese, yougurt, cottage cheese. Also, there's some fattiness to the whole milk they recommend for young kids; and the vitamin D thing to consider (it helps your body absorb the calcium). So you've got to take that into account too. If you don't want to give your daughter milk ask your doctor what he recommends instead.

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absolutely not!! why would we need to milk of another animal to be healthy? doesn't make sense to me. anyway, giving kids milk has been linked to the development of type I diabetes. yicks! I also have a one year old and we are not giving him milk. he still gets a little breast milk but he also drinks water, watered down juice, rice milk and hemp milk (his favorite by far). It is actually a myth that milk is a good source of calcium, propagated by the dairy industry. In fact dark green leafy veggies are a much more absorbable source of calcium. Our son eats spinach almost daily. check out milksucks.org for more info on all the studies showing how harmful milk really is.

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Have you heard of www.nomilk.com a lot of good information.

Dark leafy greens like spinach have more calcium than dairy. Cleavers (common weed) even has more calcium than dairy.

Did you know?...it only takes 15 minutes of sunshine to produce enough vitamin D to last the whole day. But keep in mind sunscreen blocks production.

I say No way! We are Soy FIENDS in this house and doing great! As I write this I am enjoying a giant soy latte as my daughter sucks down her mandatory morning mug of soy moo. She loves soy milk and drinks quite a lot of it. She starts signing away every time she sees the big red box. I am dairy intolerant and love the taste of soy. I BF my daughter for 16 mo and weaned very gradually. She seems to prefer soy over cow milk and I was much more comfortable giving that to her as well. She is now 1 1/2 and we just had our 18 month check up. I asked that very question: Is soy ok? Is there such a thing as too much?? Our Dr. said go for it, up to 20 oz a day. The only issue for him is that the normally recommended whole cow milk has a higher fat content than any soy. He recommended supplementing with any good fats (avocado, fish, olives, good oils, etc.) whenever possible. I buy WestSoy Plus organic soy in plain flavor. It is low in sugar and stacks up nicely on all stats with cow milk - both have the 30% of calcium per serving and same amt of protein & vit D. and Tasty to US! :)

Have you tried the lactose free milk you can buy at stores? It is still cows milk but without the lactose that usually upsets peoples stomachs? We have done that on occasion for our daughter who is 28 months.

Hmm- I don't see why you would need to give your child milk, esp. if they are still breastfeeding and eating other foods? We never gave our two sons "milk" but when I weaned them off breastfeeding they were eating other foods that contained calcium: cheese, greens, yogurt, beans, etc. We did give them the enriched soymilk in bottles and sippy cups too. But never cow's milk. They are both perfectly healthy. Do what feels best.

As long as you're still breastfeeding, she really does not need other milk. It sounds like what you are doing is great! (I'm doing the same with my son, who is now 14 months old.) If she's gaining weight normally, reaching her developmental milestones, and generally healthy, then she's probably getting everything she needs! Whenever you stop nursing, one alternative to cow's milk that you may want to check into is goat's milk. I've never used it myself, but I have friends who give it to their children and feel that it is much healthier for them. Since you're farming, you could even think about getting your own milk goat. Just be sure to research which type to get first, though. I think Nubians are the ones that are supposed to produce the best milk, but I'm not absolutely sure about that.

That Vit. D milk is so important because at age 1-2 their brains are developing, and the calcium and milk fat are what helps that brain grow and develop. You could probably do a lactose free or maybe even goats milk....just talk to your doctor or a nutritionist to see, or I am sure you could look it up on webmd.com and get some good info. But don't forgo milk altogether right now! You little one needs those nutrients.

nope at this point if she is still getting the majority of her food from you (breastfeeding) then she is getting everything she needs.

I have a friend who is vegetarian and will give her son soy milk once he is at that stage. My thoughts is that if you have issues with dairy your children will have issues with dairy, which is the case for my children.

Both my hubby and I have issues with dairy and it looks like the kids have it as well. Follow your gut. You can always give her calcium supplements when she gets older.

S.

I do not give my children a lot of milk either they do not like it. But I do give them dairy like cheese,yogurt and green leafy veggies that are high in calcium. I would talk to your dr to see what he thinks