What Brand of Whole Milk Is Best for Babies

Knowing what to type of milk to transition your baby onto can be a tricky choice. As parents, nosotros always want our lilliputian ones to exist consuming the healthiest option to allow for proper growth and development. However, we are hearing a lot nigh what the healthiest option could really could mean. Questions I hear that often come up include:

Are humans meant to drink another beast's milk?
Do we really need dairy in our nutrition?
What if my child has an allergy or intolerance to milk?

These questions are all valid and worth discussing. While the answers to some of these (like do we actually need dairy in our diet), can exist elaborated on in another blog post, we know that traditionally, cow'due south milk has been the most nutritionally well-rounded choice. However, for many parents the determination is not always every bit easy as that. Many families desire to provide their child with a milk culling for various reasons, including allergies and intolerances, for cultural/religious reasons, because they are post-obit vegan diets, or simply because their baby doesn't like it! In these cases, it becomes absolutely crucial for your little ones to accept a safe milk exchange. So let's break downwardly the different milk options and their benefits.

Breastmilk

Let'due south start with the nuts. The World Health System recommends connected breastfeeding until 2 years of age to help meet nutrients needs for toddlers. If yous've decided that you're going to proceed to breastfeed after 12 months… astonishing! Keep that going and know that there is no need to introduce another blazon of milk if your toddler is nursing about 4 times per twenty-four hour period. The quantity ordinarily consumed in 4 nursing sessions is enough to see their calcium needs and provides them with tailored diet. If your baby/toddler is breastfeeding any less than 4 times a twenty-four hour period, and then I would look to see if they're getting 1-2 servings of dairy products a twenty-four hours to encompass their calcium needs (run across the section beneath on "do we fifty-fifty need milk?"). If they're non consuming dairy products (or not enough), I'd highly consider calculation in another milk at mealtimes to provide the additional nutrients or speak with a dietitian most supplementation.

Cow'south Milk – The Traditional Choice

Past 12 months of age, (and once your baby is successfully eating iron-rich foods at least twice a day and assuming yous've weaned off breastmilk), is when I get-go recommending introducing whole (3.25%) moo-cow's milk to your babe going on toddler. This is because full fat cow's milk is a nutritional powerhouse that contains high levels of fatty, protein, Vitamin D, calcium, and Vitamin A. Moo-cow'southward milk has always been a readily available and cost effective option, and ensures that babies get all the above mentioned nutrients in sufficient quantities throughout their day. Children upwardly to two years of age need a loftier amount of fatty in their diets to help maintain healthy weight gain too as to blot Vitamin D and A into the trunk. It's also a cracking and easy way to get enough calcium in the diet to back up healthy teeth and bone growth, also for musculus command.

Giving moo-cow's milk to a infant before 12 months of age is not recommended, as it's such a dumbo concentration of protein and minerals, which tin can be difficult on your infant'southward kidneys. Your babe'southward digestive arrangement also can't properly digest cow'southward milk protein that early on, and because information technology doesn't contain enough iron, as well much cow's milk can also put your baby at run a risk for iron deficiency. However, once your babe hits 1 year of age, they are well adapted to handle information technology merely fine and can incorporate every bit part of a balanced and nutritious diet. Information technology's always skillful to start at a slow pace when introducing moo-cow'south milk. This way, you tin can allow your babe to adjust to the influx of nutrients and proteins coming from moo-cow's milk. Subsequently two years of age, you can speak to your pediatrician or dietitian about offering reduced fat milk or milk alternatives regularly, if that'due south what y'all all regularly beverage at home, however I personally think the fat is of import for all growing kids and isn't typically needed to reduce.

Organic, Grass Fed, Both?

Now, there may be a bit of a debate on whether to go with conventional, organic, or grass fed milk choice for baby/toddler. Generally speaking, we desire to avoid antibiotics or growth hormones added into milk, and luckily, in Canada, we have rules around this that ensure all dairy products produced (organic or not) are completely free of both of these nasties! If a cow happens to go sick and is required to be given antibiotics, her milk is removed from the supply system for a regulated flow of time. Organic ways that the moo-cow'due south are fed organic (natural) feed, that they are generally allowed greater outdoor grazing access. If the cow is sick, whatever milk the cow'southward produce while taking antibiotics is kept out of the milk supply for an even longer period of time than with conventional milk. In the U.S., the guidelines for antibiotics and growth hormones are not the same unfortunately, and then you will need to purchase organic dairy products to ensure your babe is non getting any antibiotics in their arrangement.

In terms of grass fed products, I practice recommend them if it fits into your budget and you lot have access to them, as grass fed cow's have a superior diet quality which yields in a higher corporeality of a brain salubrious fat called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and also is college in omega-three fat acids. Don't worry if yous can't get your hands on it though! Regular Canadian dairy milk or organic milk is just fine!

Do we fifty-fifty demand milk at all?

Short reply…no. But is it a super user-friendly form of calories and nutrients for babes and toddlers with generally smaller appetites and finicky eating? Aye. Here's the thing…there is no pressure to offering milk to your baby after ane year. Some toddlers don't like it, and others don't drink enough (when moved onto an open up cup) to be able to consider information technology a pregnant enough nutrition source.

When you wait at the recommended servings of dairy per twenty-four hour period for toddlers, it's really only two servings/day. Bold offering dairy products is ok for yous, you can make that upwards those servings whatsoever which way you like! Non only through milk, but how nigh yogurt? or cheese? or kefir? Honestly, equally long as your kid gets two servings of total fat dairy (in full general) a 24-hour interval, they'll be ok to more hands meet their calcium, protein and fatty needs a day.

If your toddler isn't eating dairy, then special considerations need to be made to get enough calcium in the diet. Poly peptide and fat tin can usually be more than easily achieved than calcium (via other foods), but there is always a mode to make to happen with a little help. My Feeding Toddlers course is a neat resources to become a breakdown of loftier calcium, poly peptide and fatty foods (also as other nutrient lists) that will aid you lot identify how many of each type of nutrient are needed to brand upwards nutrient needs. Working closely with a dietitian in full general is a skillful thought to take your toddler'due south diet assessed and get recommendations for supplements, if needed.

Comparing Moo-cow'southward Milk to Other Milk Alternatives

As was mentioned above, babies up to two years of age need good sources of protein, fat, vitamin D, and calcium. I've put together this table comparing the major nutrients found in cow's milk versus the most mutual milk alternative (all unflavoured).

• Cows Milk = Natrel 3.25%
• Almond Beverage = Blueish Diamond Unsweetened Original
• Coconut milk = Silk Unsweetened Original
• Hemp Beverage = Hemp Yep Unsweetened Original
• Soy Drink = Silk Unsweetened Original
• Goat Milk = Liberte 3.25%
• Rice Beverage = Natura Unsweetened Original
• Cashew Beverage = Silk Unsweetened original
• Oat Potable= Earth's Own Unsweetened Original
• Ripple Milk = Ripple Foods Unsweetened Original

If you compare the food profiles of the virtually common milk substitutions to regular moo-cow'south milk, you lot will the there are many variations in what each has to offer. Permit'south have a closer look:

Almond Drinkable

Almond beverage is 1 of the most commonly substituted milk alternatives for babies and children who tin can't have cow's milk. Information technology's a tasty selection that works well in many recipes every bit well as when consumed on information technology's ain. Although almond milk is close in food content to cow's milk, it is still not close plenty to meet a infant's needs! Poly peptide levels in almond milk are significantly lower than in a serving of cow's milk and the fat content also isn't there to support the assimilation of vitamin D or provide healthy calories. With almond milk, there isn't usually a concern about the levels of calcium and vitamin D as most companies will oft fortify their products with these of import nutrients. And so all in all…think of almond milk as a liquid calcium supplement! You will need to make sure you are offering plenty protein and fatty via other foods in the diet to make up for what's not being received through milk.

Coconut Beverage

Coconut beverage is a great choice in that it provides lots of healthy fat which your kid needs, specially upwardly to historic period 2. Choosing a canned coconut milk gratuitous of BPA in the canned lining is superior to the cartoned kokosnoot milk, as this is watered downwards and contains less fat per serving. However, note that coconut potable contains nigh no protein per serving, but calcium and B12 are comparable with cows milk. There is very petty Vitamin D, merely can exist offered through a Vitamin D supplement. My recommendation is to retrieve of kokosnoot milk as merely a high fat food.

Hemp Beverage

Hemp beverage looks pretty good when information technology comes to the amount of fat and protein information technology provides. Information technology's especially unique in that it contains a adept source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain evolution in young babes. Unfortunately, it all the same has information technology'southward cons, in that it's largely defective Vitamin D, calcium and Vitamin B12. And so ensuring you provide your toddler with a bit actress Vitamin D supplementation, as well as either a calcium supplement or multiple foods high calcium and B12 a few times a twenty-four hours is recommended.

Soy Drink

The milk alternative that is closest to cow'south milk of class, is soy milk. There are many pro's to this milk – high protein, moderate fat, a adept corporeality of vitamin D and vitamin B12. However, the main issue I have with soy milk is that soy contains phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogen in the body. Although studies are non entirely conclusive equally to whether or not these phytoestrogen significantly bear on our hormone levels in our bodies, I would avoid drinking soy milk daily equally the main source of liquid nutrition. Soy milk can definitely exist used in conjunction with some other type of milk if your baby can't tolerate moo-cow's milk, I only wouldn't offering it equally a primary beverage. Some other quick note – often times if it'southward cow'south milk protein your baby is allergic to, there tin exist high cross-reactivity to the protein in soy milk also, so be careful about that when trying it out initially. Nearly half of all children with a cow's milk allergy may as well exist allergic to soy protein!

Goat Milk

Goat milk is a wonderfully close match to cow'southward milk'south nutritional contour. However, if the reason you aren't feeding your kid cow'due south milk is because you would similar to avoid fauna products, then this obviously doesn't solve the problem. In addition, be careful if your kid has an allergy or intolerance to cow's milk. Even though cows and goats are different animals, at that place is a high chance the body will fault the 2 protein structures and therefore most 90% of those with a moo-cow's milk allergy also cannot drink caprine animal's milk. Otherwise, this is definitely the manner to go for a milk culling that's an easy substitution!

Rice Drink

Rice beverage has essentially non-existent levels of protein. Furthermore, rice is known to comprise loftier levels of inorganic arsenic, which is listed every bit the World Health Organization'south 10 chemicals of major public business. For this reason lone, I would never recommend using a rice cereal for your babe on a daily footing, and considering of the lack of nutrients information technology contains, it should besides non exist used as a main source of drinkable nutrition.

Ripple Milk

Equally you may take noticed, there is a milk exchange on the nautical chart above that matches or surpasses cow'south milk's nutritional benefits: Ripple milk. Ripple milk is a 100% institute based milk that is derived from pea protein. It is low in saccharide, high in poly peptide and contains more than calcium than cow's milk. I highly recommend this product if yous are choosing an alternative to cow'south milk – BUT – only if you are living in the Usa! Unfortunately in Canada, regulations don't let for the aforementioned fortification in non-dairy alternatives, pregnant that it's non fortified in Vitamin D and calcium. However, it'south all the same a great low sugar and a good source of poly peptide and fat, so as long as y'all supplement the Vitamin D in your baby/toddler's diet and focus on calcium via other means, it can piece of work keen!

Then, What's My Proposition?

If and when choosing a milk commutation for your baby, it is best to consider whether or not you can brand up for the missing nutrients via diet. Consider the post-obit:

Is my baby a good eater? Is he or she very picky? Does she need extra calories via fat in milk?
Can I offer supplementing foods with the missing nutrients consistently?
What is realistic for my family's lifestyle?

Some parents may have an easier time with choosing a substitution that doesn't take as much, for example, protein, fat or Vitamin D as cow's milk, since these are usually constitute in other foods like loftier fat cheeses and yogurts, meat, fat fish and/or vegetarian protein options. Providing your child with these options daily will help them get the levels of nutrients that are necessary for proper growth and development. However, I should say this: it is frequently easier said than done! It can be hard to make sure you are existence consistent in giving your child enough of these foods (and that they volition really eat them)… and these are non nutrients you lot desire to be skimping on! So I caution you lot to be very deliberate most feeding your child these options if they aren't getting moo-cow's milk. Supplements can exist used to aid in these situations where getting nutrition through food isn't an option.

If you're not sure if you'll be able to successfully and consistently accomplish this, my suggestion is elementary – keep your baby on formula or breastmilk until up to 2 years. If the baby is already on formula/breastmilk, they will be likely tolerating it well and are receiving the appropriate amount of nutrients they demand. And so, at two years of age when information technology's less critical, you can switch your child to your milk substitution of choice, keeping in listen the importance of continuing to make sure you supplement your child with an adequate corporeality of these nutrients via nutrient. *A reminder that breastfeeding less than 4 times per twenty-four hours may require calcium supplementation.

One more thing – all toddler should exist on a Vitamin D supplement no matter what type of milk they are drinking, including breastmilk (although if drinking cow's milk, they will require less supplementation). Nosotros talk all about this, along with all your toddler'south nutrition needs in my Feeding Toddlers online grade. Bank check it out and go on your way to raising a healthy and food loving toddler!

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Source: https://mylittleeater.com/besttypeofmilk/