Switching from Hypoallergenic Formula (Nutramigen) to Cow's Milk?

Nut milks have very little nutritional value and don't have enough fat for the developing brain. If goat's milk doesn't work out, coconut milk would be a good choice. Kids less than 2yrs need to get a substantial amount of nutrition from liquids because they can't take in the volume of calories they need to grow from solids alone (due to their small stomach size) - that's why milk is important for them - but it doesn't need to be from a cow or a soybean! It DOES need to have protein and fat - which you get from goat's milk (although it lacks folic acid). I know coconut milk has enough fat, but protein might need to come from solid foods if you use it.

Good luck!

D.

Goat's Milk would be an excellent switch. If you can find a farmer, raw goat or cow milk is awesome and super healthy, but I strongly recommend being wary of regular milk. Regular milk is pasteurized and homogonized which is necessary to keep it from spoiling and looking disgusting due to the bacteria, pus and other contaminants in it. The pasteurization kills much of the bacteria making it safe to consume for many, but there is a reason so many people are allergic and sensitive to it - growth hormones, antibiotics, contaminants, unhealthy cows, etc. The pasteurization also destroys the digestive enzymes, probiotics and nutrition in regular milk. The homogenization basically destroys the molecules of the milk making the cream stay suspended in the milk instead of rising to the top, it also keep the dead bacteria and cells from sinking to the bottom showing a sludge that would prevent anyone from drinking milk. The other negative of homogenization is that the molecules are very tiny now and they can pass through the intestines of undeveloped babies (most children under 1 year) and cause intestinal bleeding. Another reason to choose raw milk. Any farm that sells raw milk will usually grass feed their cows, keep them in the pasture where they get fresh air and are healthy and do not require antibiotics. They are not overmilked or mistreated avoiding mastitis. The farmers drink the milk themselves which is another way to tell that it is quality milk. We switched to raw milk with our twin babies as they were not thriving and in 3 weeks they both gained over a pound and looked much healthier! Now that they have been on it for 3 months we have also seen additional benefits such as chronic ear infections have gone away, colds have been minimized and/or eliminated, they are growing at a very steady pace and are happy and healthy. We are thrilled!

Here are some resources:

http://www.realmilk.com/where.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/1...

We used goats milk for about 9 months after moving our daughter from sensative formula and it was great. Cows milk seemed to upset her stomach and the goats milk agreed with her very well. It is not very expensive (compared to formula) and you can get it at Freddies or pretty much any supermarket.

Well I wouldn't do goat's milk before a year, although if it's pasteurized, maybe it's okay, but I would find out the details of that. Has he been tested for nut allergies? I would consider doing that before putting him on almond milk. It might not be an issue, but I would at least ask your pediatrician. I can tell you that my son had a milk intolerance (not soy, though) for many months and by a year he was fine. I introduced yogurt and cheese and watched for signs of intolerance. When that was clear I introduced small amounts of cow's milk about 10-11 months. By 12 months he was totally on cow's with no problem. If you haven't already I would start by giving your son cow's milk products first like yogurt, cheese and ice cream. If he doesn't show signs of an issue, then I would probably give milk a try. If he is showing issues, then I would probably go to almond milk! Good luck, sounds tricky!

I transitioned my son from breastmilk/nutramigen to soy milk. We had a moderate allergy to cow's milk protien show up on his blood test at 10 months and two years old. He can tolerate almost all cheeses including cottage cheese. Yogart, sour cream, whipped cream, and ice cream give him troubles. I have not tried cow's milk because he could not tolerate any formula except nutramigen and I'm sure he could not tolerate milk. If you try it I would mix it with the nutramigen. Just add an ounce or two of milk to see how he does. I did this with cheaper formula like lactose free. I would mix it with breast milk hoping to find a cheaper alternative but was never successful. It only took an ounce or two to get a reaction.good luck

cow's milk in any form is NOT good for humans of any age, especially not young ones, and most especially not young ones who have shown signs of an "allergy." goat's milk is definitely better than cow's milk, but it too is designed for baby goats, not humans. there is no reason children need to have "milk" in any form, it is all propaganda of the dairy industry (and beyond that the soy industry). you can certainly make your own nut or seed milks (such as almond, sesame, coconut, hemp etc), which are wonderful and nutritious, but again are not necessary (you can give your children all the nutrients they need in food, and of course water if there is not enough water in the food). however, since the natural thing for babies is to nurse for at least two or more years, they still do have a strong sucking need, which you could satisfy by giving a bottle (which could have water or a vegetable-based milk), in addition to good solid foods. coconut milk, especially raw and fresh from the coconut, is an especially nutritious and delicious food! it sounds like you have good instincts, so trust yourself and don't give in to the (well-meaning but misinformed) WIC folks!

We made the switch at a year with no problem. I was also on WIC and using Nutramigen for acid reflux. Her pediatrician said it would be fine at one year. It worked out great. No slow switch just used up the last of my Nutramigen and made the switch. Talk to your doctor at how they want you to proceed. She is now five and has had no issues with milk.

My little one, now 18 months, was on Nutramigen too for a milk protein allergy. Hers was so bad that I had to stop nursing at 3 months and put her on the formula. Her doctor gave us a few samples of it, so we had the chance to keep on on formula until about 14 months because she couldn't tolerate the whole milk yet. Maybe if you ask his pediatrician, they might do that for you too. Are you using all of the formula per month? You might have some left over after he is 12 months and might be able to keep him on it for a few weeks longer. When we were almost out of formula, I did bottles with formula and milk both in them so she would get used to it. It took about a month but her body got used to it and she is fine with milk, yogurt, cheese, and chocolate now.

I would definitely do goat's milk! You can get goat's milk on WIC without a Dr.'s note.
Goat's milk changed our daughter's life. It's so much easier to digest than cow's milk.
There is no danger in going on goat's milk before age 1. The production process is no different than cow's milk.

Coconut milk is a wonderful option. My friend makes ice cream out of coconut milk and it's amazing! Very, very good for you.

Good luck in whatever you decide!