Goat's Milk Is Disgusting! Should I Give up on Her Ever Drinking Any Milk?

Updated on July 29, 2011
L.L. asks from Austin, MN
38 answers

So, we finally tried goat's milk as a last resort for our daughter, who can't do cow dairy and WON'T drink soy, rice, coconut, almond, etc. She's 15 months old, and I'd like her to START drinking something (besides water) at some point, so I can think about eventually weaning her. You know, whenever she decides...

But I think it tastes disgusting. Rancid. I bought Meyenbergs, in a quart, which expires in six days...so I don't THINK it's bad...but it tastes bad. Rancid. AWFUL. I gave some to my brave niece, who will try anything, and she agreed. She thought it tasted sour and off.

So, is it just a bad batch? Is this what commercial goat milk tastes like?

(EDIT - I have tried every brand and every flavor of everything. She won't drink any of it. And I don't give up easily...I offer it daily. Nope.) :)

Should I give up on milk for this child, start giving her vitamin supplements, and just have a child who never drinks milk? (Besides nursing, of course...) but that seems so weird to me, because my six year old has ALWAYS been a milk drinker (of course, she's not allergic) and drinks at least 16 oz. a day. Does anyone just not give their children milk or milk substitutes?

What can I do next?

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Neither of my breastfed children ever took to milk. My oldest will drink it on occasion and my youngest will occasionally drink rice milk (allergic to dairy) but they both prefer water. I don't believe milk is a necessity.

2 moms found this helpful
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B..

answers from Dallas on

I don't know, I think goat's milk is incredibly disgusting. It probably wasn't bad. That's what it tasted like to me.

I can't have milk. (Which is why I tried goat's milk.) We don't even buy it. I have never had cows milk, or any other milk in my life. I'm very healthy. So are thousands of others who don't drink milk. My son doesn't drink milk. He only drinks water, and the very infrequent watered down juice. He does not take a bunch of vitamin supplements! He eats a great, well balanced diet. He has never been sick (He's 26 months) and has great vitamin levels. Look, we don't need milk. There is actually not very much nutrition in milk. The vitamin D in milk, is mostly synthetic. We don't really absorb synthetic vitamins. If you are really concerned, get him a whole foods supplement. Children (in my opinion) should be getting their vitamins from foods and not liquids, anyway.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.

answers from Minneapolis on

From one who milked goats at one time, yes the flavor is bad. You could add a little chocolate to it...

1 mom found this helpful

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M.M.

answers from Tampa on

1) Goat's milk IS a very strong flavor. You mentioned *you* don't like it but you don't say whether you had your daughter try it or not...

2) People do not NEED dairy for calcium and vit D - that can very easily be acquired by other veggies. My family is not milk drinking - we use milk for cereal, recipes and the occasional chocolate milk. We do like organic yogurt, ice cream/frozen yogurt and cheeses.

3) If you are still nursing - nurse as long as you can... your breastmilk is better for her than any other species's milk or the alternatives.

4 moms found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

I have a daughter who has never had milk of any kind. She just doesn't like it. There are so many ways for your daughter to get calcium aside from milk. Broccoli, spinach, cheese, salmon, oatmeal, nuts, tofu, etc.

I thought mine would be a milk drinker, too. But we don't do suppliments and she's the healthiest kid I know: )

3 moms found this helpful

L.G.

answers from Eugene on

You got a bad batch. I used to keep two goats to have milk, yogurt et al for my children who had cow milk allergies. It's so much easier to buy it. I've bought Meyerberg Goat Milk without finding any difference in taste. Maybe your carton was left out of the cooler for too long.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have 3 kids, 2 of whom will drink cow's milk, and 1 who will not. When she weaned herself around 10-11 months, I couldn't get her to drink any sort of milk (formula, soy milk, whole milk), so finally gave up. She is now 7, healthy, and thriving. She loves yogurt, cheese, and ice cream, so I don't worry about her calcium intake. My advice is to let your child drink water and don't worry that she doesn't drink milk. She'll be fine!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Portland on

There has been a lot of research that milk is NOT good for you anyway. We drink soy milk, of course, that is contraversial too. But it's not like we are drinking gallons of it. Calcium fortified OJ is another alternative if you are worried about calcium. But our daughter drinks water for hydration and eats fruits and veggies. She's 4 yrs old and apprarently healthy despite not drinking milk. She does eat cheese and yogurt occasionally, but not that often either.

2 moms found this helpful

K.L.

answers from Medford on

My sister was raised on goat milk 60 years ago. Our family drank it now and then when there was extra left over. She grew up to raise a few goats for food and continued to have their milk because it was cheaper since she had the mama goat while waiting for the babies to get big enough. I drank it at her house many times. My kids drank it when there too. Not one time did it ever taste different than cows milk, which we were all very used to. I admit it wasnt my favorite when it was fresh, and still warm, but once chilled, it was very good.

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C.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

Wow. I'm surprised at the number of people who think goat's milk tastes bad. My oldest son drank it for years. He also couldn't tolerate cow's milk, was allergic to soy and wouldn't drink any of the other alternatives. I tried the goat's milk and found it a little richer and nutty, but definitely not rancid. I was going to suggest you got a bad batch. I did find that it spoiled much more quickly than typical cow's milk from the grocery store and that was frustrating because it is so expensive. Since it moves off the shelves more slowly too you need to be very careful about checking the expiration date, which it sounds like you did. Please be VERY careful about the suggestion you got to try raw milk. That can be dangerous. A dairy in MN was linked to a food poisoning outbreak from raw milk. It can be fatal to young children. I know my comments will cause controversy from raw milk fans, but just be careful and do your research before you try that suggestion. All of that said, a lot of people don't drink milk at all and get their calcium from other sources. I find it an easy way to get calcium and both of my kids now handle it well. My chiropractor won't drink milk and won't let anyone in his family drink milk. I personally love dairy products and wouldn't give them up unless I had to because of a health condition. Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

I can not stand drinking milk, has been that way my whole life and I was a formula baby ... I think it's just fine when weaning happens you are all good. Milk is not required. I only like milk in cereal and that is when I REALLY want that taste.

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Not everyone likes the taste of goats milk but then I was never crazy about the taste of cows milk (it tastes like weak chalk water to me).
My husband and son LOVE cows milk.
They like goats milk if I cook with it (I use canned goats milk when making hamburger helper).
We had a store here that carried goats milk yogurt for awhile and we all loved that.

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J.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

Talk to your pediatrician. He or she can help you decide what (if any) supplements are needed if she's not drinking milk (or "milk.")

1 mom found this helpful

A.H.

answers from Portland on

I have heard there is a difference if the female is kept with males or not. If she is then it will taste more "wild" and if not it will be creamier. If in doubt, throw it out lol. Kids are each different, some like milk some don't. She's breastfeeding though so she's getting the nutrients. You can try to keep giving her whole milk, but she is breastfeeding so she's getting some good nutrients :) Will she not drink Silk? I know it may be one of the flavors you listed but I have always believe Silk flavors tasted different than the others. I love the Vanilla and Chocolate.

EDIT: That stinks. Maybe if there is a break and you just breastfeed she will eventually grow out of it. I would try and get the gummy vitamins. I believe you cut them in half for under 2 years, the charcter gummies. In a year or two, she may be more open for chocolate milk or regular milk.

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T.F.

answers from Minneapolis on

Have you tried raw milk? If you look at the research (go to Mercola.com and type in raw milk) you will find that anyone who is lactose intolerant to regular (homogenized, pastuerized) milk usually doesn't have a problem with raw milk. Reason being.....when you pasteurize milk it kills all of the good enzymes and also the calcium in the milk. I have a friend that has colitis and cannot drink pasteurized milk but can drink raw milk with no problem. We have switched and all of my boys love it as it is sweet and creamier and by far healthier.
Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Maybe it WAS a bad batch...my 13 yr old son LOVES goat's milk and drinks tons of it, then again, he loves cow's milk, too but allergies prevent him from drinking it. My now 10yr old also doesn't drink milk (well, that's not entirely true, she DOES drink it if it's chocolate milk, which rarely happens). But she gets plenty of nutrition from other sources of calcium and protein, so I'm not worried. She was never a big milk drinker, but she's the absolute epitome of health, so I feel milk isn't necessary for kids at all if they get nutrition from other sources. I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of milk in her diet - substitute it with yogurt, cheese, lean meats and calcium-rich veggies. She'll be fine.

1 mom found this helpful

J.B.

answers from Houston on

My 18 month old can't do lactose, so I give him lactose free milk and he does just fine. Almost every store has their own brand of it, I always get the store brand, usually at Walmart. I have a friend who's daughter has just never liked milk and he doctor told her as long as she was eating cheese and yogurt, she was just fine. I think I would talk this over with my dr if I was you and make a plan from there. There are good ways to meet nutrition without milk if needed, but for us lactose free milk has been the answer. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.V.

answers from Milwaukee on

My daughter didn't like cow milk when I tried to give it to her at about a year. I asked the doctor about it and he said as long as she's getting the important nutrients elsewhere (easy ones are other dairy sources like yogurt and cheese) not to worry. She eventually came around, but I never pushed it. Water is best anyway!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

My daughter wouldn't drink regular milk, she drank soy for awhile and then that was it. They get their diary needs from other sources. She's 10 and still doesn't drink it and is perfectly healthy. It's really not a big deal.

1 mom found this helpful

A.J.

answers from Seattle on

Try getting her to drink pediasure 2 times a week. If you are worried about her getting the nutritional benefits of milk vitamins with extra calcium might be a great idea. I was never a fan of milk when I was little and now that I am an adult I rarely drink it. Although I do enjoy almond milk. Have you tried to cut the alternative milks with 1/4 water. It may be that she isn't used to the texture or thickness and therefore is rejecting it. Just an idea. Best of luck to you.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Iowa City on

We tried a lot of those options, but never goat's milk, and she ended up liking Lactaid the best. Our pediatrician said it was important we try to find something with the calcium and vitamins but I don't know that it's critical to actually drink milk. Talk to your pediatrician to see if you can supplement with something.

If she doesn't like drinking it straight, what about using the one she can tolerate the best- on cereal, cooking with it, trying a little chocolate syrup with it. Keep trying the varieties, her tastes may change and one day she'll love something. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Portland on

Goats' milk is disgusting and tastes bad. I don't think it should really be that bad though so I might have been a bad batch. Trader Joes is a less smelly brand and I can tolerate it better. I raised goats for years when I was a kid, and when my daghter was allergic to cow's milk we did goat milk, cheese, etc, but when I became pregnant with the second one I couldn't even pretend to tolerate it at all. We are lucky that she out grew her allergy, but she will only drink milk in a bottle. If we give it to her in a cup, sippy cup, straw, etc she chokes really badly on it. I personally have never liked milk and have never really drunk it much. I think its fine to have a child that doesn't as long as she can get the nutrients and calcium. My MIL drinks sheeps milk so you could try that if you can find it.She lives in the country next to a sheep farmer.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.M.

answers from Detroit on

Good Morning Mrslavallie---Your baby need not drink anything other than water after weaning. Cows milk is a very allergenic substance, as you have found out, although those allergies are usually obscure and hardly ever attributed to dairy. Goats milk is only slightly better as it's proteins are somewhat similiar in structure to human milk. If you really want her to drink some sort of 'milk', just keep trying. It can take 10 or more tries to get some kids to accept a new food. Keep in mind that your attitude about what you are trying with her will make a difference in your success. Kids are so intuitive, they pick up on your dislikes, hesitation, concerns, etc.

Some resources I've gotten from a Naturopath who has her phD in nutrition: www.pcrm.org (put dairy in the search box).

As for her nutrition, it is best to get it from food, not from drink. She will get lots more absorbably calcium from broccoli, bok choy, kale and sesame seeds (look for tahini, which is used in making hummus). I have lots of resources on other foods that contain good amounts of calcium. Otherwise if she gets a balanced diet with a broad variety of fruits and veggies, she should be fine. Unfortunately, isolated, man-made vitamins do NOT reduce our risk of disease. Only whole foods can do that. If you want to supplement, and I think that is a good idea because we don't grow our own food, a whole food based supplement, one made from fruits and veggies, is your best best. Look for one that is backed by independent research. Wouldn't you want to know if it actually gets into the bloodstream? I know of an excellent product. Feel free to contact me for more information, on anything! I work with this Naturopath that I've mentioned and I have a great chart with serving size/amount suggestions for kids of different ages as well as a great shopping list offering suggestions for foods from every color group (the different colors are the different nutrients...EAT A RAINBOW :-)). I'd love to help, if you'd like to talk. Good luck, don't worry...be well. D.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.S.

answers from New York on

My hubby hardly drank milk since the day he was born. Not that he was allergic to it, but because he didn't like any milk or milk products. I don't know if this is true or not, but he's got major problems with his teeth. Hasn't broken any bones yet, but I'm wondering what the future holds for him, or should I say us when he gets old?
I've been lactose intolerant since 9 years old. I was a "milky" kid myself. Soemthing went wrong and couldn't have it anymore. It hurt me. Since then I do eat all sorts of goat cheeses, and there are quite a few good ones out there. I would persue goat cheeses, it's an acquired taste so you might have to keep at it. Then again, there are so many foods out there that are rich in calcium. Google it and I'm sure you'll find plenty. I hope things go well for your little one.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Goat's milk IS disgusting. Goat cheese is yummy.

No suggestions, I just wanted to validate your perception of goat milk.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.L.

answers from Cleveland on

She doesn't have to drink milk. My husband and son don't care for it (and my son nursed for 16 months, but then again, that's human milk). There is pediasure, yogurt, and cheese for calcium. Milk has a lot of sugar, which the other forms have less of.

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M.S.

answers from Omaha on

I tried goat's milk - ONCE. It's like that stuff comes out sour. Definitely start supplementing for now.

Try putting in a little bit of strawberry quick mix. Just enough to flavor it a little bit.

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Norfolk on

If she has a milk intollerance and not a milk allergy she may be able to drink pediasure which not only has the vanilla, but other flavors that she might like as well. There is also a soy version of pediasure that you can purchase on diapers.com that we used while doing elimination diets for my daughter.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Shreveport on

First it could easily be a bad batch. Second store bought stuff tastes different to me than farm bought. If you can look around and either check your local farmer's market or craigslist to find someone who has goats and will sell or barter fresh goats milk to you.
I should add I'm a huge fan of goat's milk as are both my boys. They both don't like store bought but will go through gallons of the stuff if I can get it fresh.

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M.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son never drank milk after I weaned him at 17 months. I put soy milk in his cereal, but he won't drink it, ever. As long as she's getting the vitamins from elsewhere, she doesn't need milk. Also, it's a bad batch if it's actually rancid!

1 mom found this helpful
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B.R.

answers from Des Moines on

It took my youngest over a month - maybe 2 or 3- to like milk. I continued to nurse, continued to offer milk, and offered some water. He ate cheese and other food for nutrition, but I did worry about dehydration. He was about the same age as your little one. He would not drink much during the day and then want to nurse all night to make up for it. It was a tough time, but now he's a champ milk drinker.
Good luck!

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A.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I agree with your first poster. A friend of mine who raised goats told me that the taste was bad if you kept the ladies with the rams. Maybe different brands have different policies on that?

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

She will be fine without milk. Many juices have calcium in them these days, and there are plenty of calcium rich foods. A supplement is a good idea as well. If you are still lactating you can also pump and give her that for a few more months if you are concerned.

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K.O.

answers from Atlanta on

Have you tried skim milk? My daughter wouldn't drink any kind of milk, and I weaned her up from skim milk. I started with 1/4 skim to 3/4 water. slowly worked my way up every few days until she was drinking all skim. Then added in 1% the same way...1/4 1% to 3/4 skim. I continued to do that until she was drinking whole milk. It took about 6 weeks. Now she loves milk.

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D.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

None of my kids would drink milk until they were 4/5yo... long after they weaned (each of mine weaned around their 3rd bday). And even at that, its not daily. Funny thing is... my husband is the one that goes through the milk, if he's not home for a week we "might" go through a quart for mac&cheese and other dishes. With him home its closer to a gallon a week.

My kids do love cheese, ice cream and other stuff with milk in it, so they do get milk, its just not straight out of the container.

BTW... we like trader joe's version of chocolate soy milk over Silk and other brands. And I would try to find a fresher source of goat milk, sounds like you got a spoiled batch.

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A.T.

answers from Davenport on

My son drinks goats milk and i have drank it we got the meyenburg in the quart and it takes just like regular milk So i am thinking you really may have gotten a a bad batch even if the date says that it is still good it may not be. many factors can cause it to be bad already the main is if it wasnt cold enough in the store like if doors were open to long a broken door at some point or if its just not cooling enough in the fridge section. Trust me goats milk is not nasty it tastes just like regular milk. Try another batch maybe a different store even. Walmart sells it. Good luck

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M.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Meyenburg Goats milk is wonderfully amazing! For one, it tastes A LOT like regular milk, but better. It MUST have gone bad... really. Goat's milk does NOT taste bad- but just like cow milk, but creamier and just... better.

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

My DD HATED cow's milk. She wasn't allergic or anything, but refused it. To get to eat anything for breakfast at 12 months, I resorted to adding sugar free chocolate syrup to her milk. She's almost 4 now and still won't drink regular milk, but I don't blame her. Milk is gross.
If you don't want to resort to what I did, (lol), just make sure that she's getting plenty of yogurt, cheese, anything with calcium and vitamin D.

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