It is widely recommended by health professionals that you introduce whole cow’s milk into your baby’s diet at 12 months of age. It doesn’t matter if they are breastfed or formula fed, but at age one they want you to start giving your child whole cow or goat milk.
Most moms I know have unquestioningly taken this advice and followed through with their health care professional’s recommendation. I, however, never understood why a one year old breastfed baby suddenly needs cow’s milk when he is already getting the best milk made specifically for him.
If you introduce cow’s milk to your toddler it must be whole milk because a growing and developing baby needs the higher fat content. In fact, up until the age of two, about 50% of your child’s caloric intake should be made up of healthy fats. However, breast milk has a higher fat content than whole cow’s milk, and just like before your baby turned one, it fulfills all the nutrient specific needs of your child that cow’s milk does not. Cow’s milk is just a convenient source of the nutrients your child needs. You can derive calcium, protein, iron, fats and vitamin D, etc., from other sources.
Speaking of iron, I have been a vegetarian for almost 20 years. I’ve been questioned about my iron levels many times, and I’ve been tested a handful of times for iron-deficiency anemia, but it has always come back negative. Even when I was pregnant and after child birth (and all that blood loss) I wasn’t anemic. My children, thus far at age 3 and 5, do not show signs of anemia. Perhaps it is my and their unique constitution, but I believe it is in part due to the fact that my cow milk consumption has always been low. Theirs has virtually been non-existent. Milk, due to its high calcium content when drunk in large amounts, interferes with the absorption of iron and can thus put a person at risk for iron-deficiency anemia. Therefore, it is recommended that a child drink no more than 16-24 ounces per day. Tip: Don’t serve milk with a heavily protein-laden meal. Instead serve juice. Vitamin C assists in iron absorption.
In addition, too much cow’s milk may also decrease the child’s desire for other foods. The same goes for too much breast milk, (in my children’s case anyway!) but the difference is that breast milk is still giving them the right proportions of nutrients whereas cow’s milk is not.
However, if it is important to you for your child to drink cow’s milk, but they do not like it, you can try mixing it with breast milk and over time decrease the amount of breast milk until they are drinking 100% cow’s milk.
However, I always felt that the push to make our kids drink cow’s milk was more from the huge corporation that is the Milk and Dairy Association, and the funding they give to scientists who like to claim that cow’s milk is an important if not vital part of our nutritional needs, than from actual common sense: Human milk is for human babies and children, and cow’s milk is for calves. Once in awhile a member of either species might have trouble with its own species milk and be fed with the milk of another species, but even so, the nutrients of each species milk is significantly more bioavailable to its own species.
There is no need to add cow’s milk to your toddler’s diet (or the equivalent nutrients from other milks or foods) as long as your baby is nursing at least 3-4 times per day. [Source]
Below are some alternative sources of protein, calcium, fats and vitamin D. I am even including meat-based sources for my omnivore friends.
Good non-dairy sources of protein include meats, fish, peas & beans (chick peas, lentils, baked beans, etc.), tofu and other soy products, boiled eggs, peanut and other nut butters (if your child is not allergic). Good non-dairy sources of fats include soy and safflower oils, flax seed and flax seed oil, walnuts, fish and fish oils, hemp oil, coconut oil (my additions), avocado. Adding fats to cooking and baking can work well, for example, stir fry in safflower oil or make mini-muffins with soy or rice milk, oil or butter, and eggs. Calcium may be derived from many nondairy sources. Vitamin D can be supplied by sunlight exposure and food sources. If your child is not nursing regularly and is not allergic to cow’s milk products, but simply doesn’t like cow’s milk, you can incorporate milk into your child’s diet in other ways. Many children like cheese, whole-fat yogurt or ice cream. You can also put milk into various food products: pancakes, waffles, muffins, French toast, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and baked goods. [Source]
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Tags: breast milk, breastfeeding, cow's milk, introducing solids, vegetarian, vegetarianism
Posted by Melodie Breastfeeding General, Breastfeeding Toddler, My Values, Real Food Nutrition Subscribe to RSS feed
So interesting… I was *just* thinking about this! About whether, if I continue pumping, I should introduce cow’s milk or not.
About how much would you say a baby takes at 3-4 nursing sessions a day, as you say in your article? I exclusively pump, so I would measure that in ounces
.
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Headstone =-.
GREAT POST! My LO was allergic to the cow’s milk in my diet so I cut it out for her when we figured it out! Once I did , most of my digestive problems & all of my awful eczema went away! It turned out that I was allergic too & still am! I owe her one for letting me know! When she turned 1, our Dr. told us to give her cow’s milk slowly & around 18 months we finally gave in. She will eat cheese & yogurt but wants nothing to do w/ cow’s milk! She’s still nursing though so, I’m not too worried but , my mother & MIL both insist that I stop nursing her & if she’d just drink the cow’s milk that she’d stop! I am so glad to see some facts to share w/ them & to make me feel better when so many people seem to act like I’m somehow neglecting her b/c she doesn’t drink cow’s milk!
I think it’s totally bizarre that they recommend cow’s milk. From a biological/evolutionary standpoint it truly makes zero sense. Great post!
I am with Janine. Isn’t cow’s milk for baby cows? My almost 4 year old has never had milk for drinking. We sometimes put it on cereal if we are on holiday. At home we use soy milk (which also isn’t perfect) on cereal/oatmeal. She drinks water mostly or herbal tea. OK, here is where I lose the milk for cows thing. I love cheese and yogurt. So, I guess I am a hypocrite.
I nursed her almost until 3. Would I have introduced milk if I didn’t nurse for so long? No, i kind of think milk is gross. See, I am a hypocrite. My milk perfect and not gross. Cow’s milk icky. Also, it seems to cause a host of problems in some people. Interesting topic. Thanks!
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I introduced whole cow’s milk to my son at age 1 for a couple of reasons. One, although he was still nursing, he was nursing very infrequently and I never felt like he was swallowing much anymore. Two, I found that on the days when he was a picky eater and didn’t want much food, he would gladly drink milk all day long. I think that cow’s milk is definitely not necessary for breastfed babies at age one (or at any age, really) however I personally enjoy cow’s milk as a beverage tremendously. My son also enjoys cow’s milk to this day. He also has a very hearty appetite for the most part and eats a wide variety of foods.
Thank you for this post! At my daughter’s 15 month checkup last month, we had to get a doctor’s note for daycare backing up our decision to delay cow’s milk. Seriously. A doctor’s note.
I explained to the teachers and to the assistant director of the daycare that my daughter nurses at least 4 times a day during the week and more on weekends. We don’t feel the need to introduce another milk because we want her to continue eating well (she was slow to start solid foods). Also, she has asthma, and adding cow’s milk just doesn’t feel right to us.
Because they receive government funding, they required the doctor’s note if we didn’t want her to have cow’s milk. Our word, apparently, was not good enough.
Fortunately, our nurse practitioner was happy to write the note and phrased it like this “C— should continue breastfeeding for at least the next 4-6 months.” Which, I know, she’ll be happy to oblige.
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I totally agree with you! I’ve also read some interesting articles about the historical rise in certain disorders as our population consumed more dairy. Also, aren’t we the only species that drinks *another animal’s* breast milk? It is odd when you think about it that way.
(by the way – Kieran has had access to cow’s milk since he was about 16 or 18 months old, he’s just never really liked it)
.-= Dionna @ Code Name: Mama´s last blog ..Sweet Little Parenting Lies + Wordless Wednesday =-.
I have also wondered why there is a need for me to introduce cow’s milk. I appreciate that cow’s milk has been a part of the human diet for some thousands of years (in some parts of the world, anyway), but it is certainly not necessary when human milk is already part of a child’s diet.
I occasionally give my daughter some cow’s milk as a drink because she likes it. Actually I give her skimmed milk. Although this is contrary to what “experts” tell us to do, I reason that she is having this skimmed milk as an alternative to water or weak fruit juice, NOT as an alternative to breastmilk. Those alternative drinks do not contain fat or many nutrients anyway, so she is not losing out on anything. If cow’s milk replaced breastfeeding then I would make sure it was whole milk.
.-= Cave Mother´s last blog ..On a Slightly Different Note: Baby Toiletries =-.
Good Topic! I am one of the lucky ones to have a fabulous doctor, with both my boys, my doctor asked if I was going to continue breastfeeding, I said yes, & she asked what types of foods I was introducing. After we talked about it, she said that cow’s milk was unnecessary. As it turns out both boys won’t drink it, they won’t take a bottle, or a soother, they are happy nursing, & I am fortunate enough to be home with them & can continue to nurse. I recently was talking to a pharmacist about calcium & my concern that my oldest has never drank cows milk, he does eat a little cheese & yogurt, but prefers water, he said smart boy. He believes that milk is ok in small quantities, but not the larger amounts that we were encouraged to drink as children. He continued to point out that we have much more knowledge about the different sources of nutrition, what foods to get them from, & what age to try them. He also noted that the rest of the world has longer nursing times, less formula,less processed food & have many healthy children. I was so reassured of my original instincts, & felt better about no cow milk. I later spoke to him about a lot of problems that my sister was having post children with her uterus, although this is a bit off topic, he made some great points. He thinks too much milk intake, although she loved it, it contributed to the many female problems later in her life. We now know the dangers of the all the antibodies, hormones, types of feed that cows were & some places are still given, & the terrible effect they have on our developing children. We thought it was good enough for us & we turned out fine, but the facts are undeniable, we are getting cancer at younger ages than before…. a young woman that graduated from our small town, just over 30 years old has died from Breast Cancer. Another girlfriend of mine, just 36 years old, has survived Cervical Cancer. Everyone is touched by cancer now, by living in a westernized world, our roots moved away from traditional ways of life, the age of instant everything is upon us, I think it’s time to slow down, go back to simple ways of living, take care of our world, & ourselves. So I am happy to follow my babies & their lead, I am relieved they don’t care for cow’s milk. My oldest is about to turn 4 & loves to eat many things, drinks plenty of water, some juice & the occasional cup of rice milk, & meets all his milestones in weight & height. His younger brother is only 15 months & is thriving sans cows milk too…. food for thought for sure. For those of you who are formula feeding, I agree with Mel, it’s your choice on what foods, & drinks you introduce to your babies, milk just doesn’t need to be the number one choice anymore.
Hot topic, thanks for sharing, I love to read up on what other mamas are doing & am grateful for the information exchanges. Take care ladies, keep loving, smiling & nursing.
Interesting! I personally LIKE to drink cows milk. I grew up with it, it tastes good to me, etc. etc. But I would hope that if we continue with nursing I could *avoid* introducing it as a major diet staple for my son. Why give our children milk from another animal when the perfect milk made just for them is right here??
We’ll see what kind of flack I get from our pediatrician about it! He is pretty old-school.
.-= the Grumbles´s last blog ..are you calling me a liar? =-.
@Elita – That’s a good thing to mention. If your breastfed baby isn’t breastfeeding very much anymore then it might be a good idea to introduce cow’s milk for the extra boost of nutrition. Also, if your family enjoys cow’s milk anyway, it is an easy decision to make, not unlike introducing any other kind of solids that one’s child can start to enjoy along with the rest of the family.
@Saisquoi – Wow! A doctor’s note!? That goes to show just how ingrained this milk thing is in our society and how much people rely on it for nutrition. Which is fine for many, but for those of us who don’t want it in our diet shouldn’t have to stand out as outsiders like that, leaving the less sure of themselves folks in a position to question their own values. Ugh!
@Cave Mother – I remember a couple of times giving my kids cow’s milk to try and it not being whole milk and feeling like I was somehow being a bad mom, but then I realized, like you said, that it wasn’t replacing my breast milk, it was just a rare beverage I was giving them an opportunity to try again.
@Trishy – Great points! I guess we could do a whole other post on milk and the reasons behind why a person might not want to drink it or offer it to one’s family at all. These were some of the reasons I went off milk, but like @georgine still eat cheese and yogurt although in smaller quantities than I did when I was younger.
I love cow milk, but recently discovered that I’m lactose intolerant (I didn’t know my “symptoms” were symptoms until I got married and Hubby noticed my excessive time spent in the bathroom and asked if I was ok!) anyway, I’m definitely considering delaying and dairy products for a while in hopes I can prevent Baby from developing lactose intolerance. I can’t even have ranch dressing on my salad or cream of mushroom soup in my dinner or I feel terrible for about a day. I hope Baby doesn’t end up the same!
.-= Maman A Droit´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: Does my baby look like me? =-.
I agree 100%. You know I have a cousin who has VERY bad anemia he is 3 years old and refuses to eat food. He will eat some lunch meat and that’s it but he drinks cows milk from a bottle all day and night. He was just recently taken to the hospital about a month ago for more testing. He is such a sickly little man. I think cow’s milk has EVERYTHING to do with it!
.-= Glenda Silva´s last blog ..Take Off The Weight Tuesdays =-.
Very interesting. I honestly don’t know how long I can breastfeed. My little one is three weeks old, and I’m going to try really hard to at least get to the six month point, but I’m not a real patient person and I haven’t figured out multi tasking yet. But if I’m still in the game at the one year point, I will totally delay cows milk. I will probably give her some, we do drink a lot of cows milk here, but reducing breastmilk in favor of cows milk does seem weird. I’m trying to pump extra for my toddler as it is so he can have the good breastmilk instead of so much cows milk.
.-= Danielle Miller´s last blog ..Candle Myth: Color and Scent =-.
Great post! My very first post at Pure Mothers was about this topic! Maybe that’s why I like your blog so much
It’s called “Marketing Away Real Milk”
http://www.puremothers.com/?p=3
I have a couple of comments – since my background is in massage and some nutrition (not psychology
.)
I personally wouldn’t serve juice with a protein meal instead of cow’s milk to get vitamin C. Whole vitamin C fruit is better. Juice requires so much fruit for one 8 oz glass – a person would never eat all that fruit in one sitting and it messes with your insulin. Why not serve some kiwi, strawberries, an orange, broccoli or bell peppers with the protein?
Some people drink goat milk instead of cow’s milk. It is molecularly pretty close to human milk and people with allergies or intolerances to cow’s milk can tolerate goat milk.
You may be interested to read about Rudolf Steiner and biodynamic farming. Did you know that the horns of cows are removed? Not in biodynamic farming. They serve a purpose. And people who were muscle tested with allergies to cow’s milk did not test weak when they drank raw milk from a biodynamically raised cow.
Lastly, since you are talking about mineral absorption interference – my big issue is with SOY products. Unless they are fermented they are not good for you. I wish soy formula would get banned! The high amount of phytates interfere with IRON absorption – a mineral so vital in red blood cell formation in infants. It is also a phyto-estrogen. We don’t need more estrogen – the BPA we’ve all been contaminated with has given us an extra dose, thank you!
My personal cow’s milk diet (and it’s not right for everyone) consists organic (raw when available) milk products like cheese, yogurt and ice cream. We don not drink cow’s milk. My 3 year old son has never tried it. He drinks rice milk for a little calorie boost instead of water all the time. He also has hemp milk or oat milk in his smoothies with some yogurt. But he also nursed for a little over 2 years and got his nutrients the old-fashioned way until he weaned.
He gets calcium from broccoli, apricots, kale chips, beans, salmon, cheese, yogurt, etc. but not cow’s milk. Maybe, if we move outside of London for a Waldorf School I want him to attend next year we will be near a biodynamic farm and he could try a little raw milk then. No need though. But it might taste good with a cookie sometime in the future.
.-= Pure Mothers´s last blog ..Earth Day Exploration =-.
This is a great post. At my last doctor’s visit, he kept telling me to give my son cow’s milk, even though I am still nursing and pumping at work. There is really no need for cow’s milk. He’s a great doctor normally. I don’t understand why he was obsessing over the cow’s milk issue.
.-= Holly´s last blog ..Breast-fed Babies Less Feverish After Immunization =-.
Hey! Thanks for being part of Pennywise again.
If you could just link to the carnival, that would be great. Thanks!
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My 5-year-old LOVES cow’s milk. However, she didn’t at first. As long as she was nursing, she didn’t really want it. Only after I weaned her at around age 3 did she start asking for it and drinking it. I think this is pretty common for a lot of breastfed toddlers. THEY know what they need, even if we don’t.
My current toddler, so far, is also uninterested in cow’s milk. That may or may not change as he nurses less. For now, since he breastfeeds at least 5-6 times a day, I’m not sweating it.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Having no Plan is Awesome =-.
At Kairi’s 12 month check up, the pediatrician asked if I had introduced cow milk. I told her that I hadn’t and I was curious as to what her recommendation was. She said that as long as we are breastfeeding we don’t have to give her any dairy that we don’t want to. She said she personally prefers to introduce it around 18 months, just so that they get used to the taste as opposed to breast milk, but she said that we don’t have to at all if we choose not to and that, again, that was just her personal preference.
I really enjoyed reading this post though – we discussed this in a lot of detail at our last LLL meeting on Tuesday. Now I have something specific I can link some of my friends to.
.-= Erin W. / Beatnik Momma´s last blog ..My Inspiration =-.
@pure Mothers – thank you so much for providing all that extra information. I totally agree with you on the raw milk thing. If I could get my hands on some I would. And the fruit instead of juice, also agreed. Sometimes I just take the easy route in advising people of certain things. Which is a bit hypocritical on my part since it is the ease and convenience around milk that I am fighting against here! And everything else you said – agreed. I have so much fodder for another post on soy and raw dairy, but definitely at another time. Great to know you have a nutrition background. I have thought of doing distance courses to study holistic nutrition which would be right up my alley, as opposed to doing a nutritionist’s degree which would have me working in a hospital or senior’s center no doubt tube feeding pureed cheap cuts of meat to patients. Ick! Not for me!
@Erin W – I’m so glad this was helpful and that you can pass it on. I love reading all the comments about what individual doctors have suggested around recommending cow’s milk too. It’s amazing the differences in opinion!
Very very interesting post.
My son is a huge milk drinker – and sometimes I know it can be too much and interfere with his diet.
I introduced it around 15 months and weaned him at 20 months. From the beginning he loved milk, and still loved to nurse.
I have yet to give it to my 15 month old daughter (fyi: my doc actually recommends 18 months to introduce) and she is still nursing a lot. I will likely introduce it soon, but doubt it will interfere with her nursing at this point.
You make some excellent statements and points, especially about the iron.
I just sent this post to my dh – will have to rethink how we’re serving some things!
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..A Bridal Shower =-.
This is an excelllent post. Thanks so much for writing it. I’m going to bookmark it for future reference. My little guy was a small baby when he was born, and although he quickly gained weight fir the first six months or so, he started crawling early so his growth slowed. now the doctors say he’s in the 12th percentile as far as weight, and the 2nd percentile in height. They insist he drink cow’s milk but he will have none of it, and i won’t force him. No wonder childhood obesity is so prominent in our culture; some health care professionals put too much emphasis on weight gain. My son is not a big meet eater, either, and although I do enjoy chicken and fish, I won’t force him to eat those things either. I’ll simply find alternate sources of protein. Even at 16 months, he has a right to decide his own likes and dislikes.
Thank you for this post! this is the exact information that NEEDS to be out there. Doctor’s often do NOT give out this info rather they promote milk.
I was floored when my child’s doctor insisted that I slow my nursing and introduce milk. NO WAY!
I know how important breastmilk is and why. But I’m informed, I can only imagine her other patients are not.
I’m glad to see you post this to help get the truth out there!
Thank you!
Thanks for this post. My daughter will be one in a little over a week and I was starting to wonder about whether or not it was necessary to introduce cow’s milk even though we’re nursing. I think I’ll just hold off for now and maybe try to introduce raw goat’s milk as she gets older. Thanks again. You seem to be reading my mind lately with your posts–giving me just the information and encouragement I needed to keep going.
Thank you so much for posting this! I have been beating myself up over my daughter not getting enough cows milk (she drinks maybe 6-8 oz a day) and wondering how I am ever going to get her to double or triple that number when she naturally does not want to drink more that 12-18 oz of total liquid (aside from breast-milk) a day.
She is 13 months old and breastfeeds 3 times a day and I have never really heard any definite answer how that should figure in to her cows-milk consumption but it always felt like to me that breast-milk should be better for her than trying to force cows-milk on her and it seems like an awfully large amount per day for someone so small.
Also, though she loves other dairy items like yogurt and cheese she is not really fond of cows-milk so I usually have to mix in about 1/4 yobaby yogurt & fruit smoothie to her cows-milk to get her to drink it. I am happy to see your post that someone agrees with what I think and that maybe I am not nuts or a mother incapable of giving my daughter what she needs.
I also have tried giving her at least 4 oz of juice a day because of the vitamin C (because like you, I am a vegetarian) to increase her iron level but seem to being told my everyone else that juice is ‘too sugary’ (even though I water it down) and not good for her and that she should drink only water and cows-milk. How boring and not at all exposing her to the wide variety of natural flavors!
Ugh, everything I do seems a loosing battle if I listen to the ‘experts.’ They basically make it so you have to pummel your kids with dairy and meat to get the protein, iron a
nd vitamins they need that are available in other sources.
Anyway this is a long enough message, but again, thanks for sharing this post. It makes me feel a bit better.
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[...] Newlyweds (Crawfish Boil) 2. New food success (Momsmagic) 3. Melodie (Breastfeeding Moms Don’t Need to Introduce Cow’s Milk) 4. Melodie (Yogurt Sundaes or Parfaits) W/ VEGETARIAN LINKY 5. Do You Know These Foods??? enearth [...]
Sarah,
If you are concerned about vitamin C, Hylands makes a vitamin C tablet that dissolves in a child’s mouth. They dissolve quickly. Your 13 month old could certainly handle them.
We never introduced cow’s milk for our three children to drink. At around 12 months they were given plain full fat yogurt instead. They still prefer it to cow’s milk, which is only served to them when we eat away from home.
.-= Julia´s last blog ..A Sloppy Joe Recipe for Omnivores: Pita with Lentils and Local Beef =-.
You cannot prevent lactose intolerance. It is normal for adults to be lactose intolerant and almost everyone is. During the biologically normal age of weaning (3-7 years), all children begin to diminish lactase production (the enzyme that digests lactose). Our bodies no longer need it, so we no longer synthesize it (with the exception of some Northern Europeans, who have become genetically adapted to continue production). Adults have a lactase level approximately 10% that of infants. Cow milk (in all its forms) has so many physiologic disadvantages (diabetes, obesity, anemia, asthma, allergies, hormone dysfunction, etc) that it is difficult to make any argument for feeding it to children.
Great video on food addictions, including addiction to cow milk products:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Jennifer
My experience is that introducing cow’s milk at 1 is actually more of a ‘tradition’ dating back to the industrial age when women had to work horrid hours and couldn’t afford wet nurses. There wasn’t formula available and many women were feeding their babes cow’s milk at very young ages which was doing more harm. I believe this started the waiting till 1 rule and continued on when women started using formula that was extremely expensive and gave them an option to go cheaper as soon as possible. This money problem continues to this day, but the introduction of cow’s milk still continues for everyone because of the lessened percentage of breastfeeding children through the century. Like everything else involving breastfeeding, certain protocol follows formula rules instead of vise versa!
As for our family, coming from a breastfeeding mom that only gave us milk if it were raw, when she could afford it as a single mom of 4, we never drank much and thus I don’t give my children much. They are huge water drinkers as am I! But as their father is a huge milk drinker, they do occasionally ask and then only a small percentage of those asking times do I give in. But like other beverages that are not water, milk in a glass is actually considered a treat around here. I instill in my kids that our bodies are made up of water and thus water is what we need to consume. When my oldest asked about my milk feeding the baby, I eplained how perfect our milk is because it’s primarily water as we still need when growing.
Great post, completely agree! My son is 14 months, and for a while now I’ve suspected he has a slight dairy intolerance. He seemed to get really congested whenever I ate a lot of cheese, so I cut dairy (mostly) out of my diet a few months ago and the results were clear. He still nurses like a champ, so I’m not worried about nutrients. We make time for the sun every day, and I make sure my diet is as wholesome as possible. The only one in my house who drinks cow milk is my husband!
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Happy Mothers’ Day! =-.
The naturopath wants us ALL off dairy completely. It’s been okay, we switched to the rice milk (or rather, rice drink) and we all love the taste of that. Jonas even prefers it in his milk. Julesy is a bit tougher sell though because he LOVES LOVES LOVES yogurt. I switched him to the goat’s milk yogurt, and that seems to be going well.
The naturopath pretty much said everything above. There’s NO real reason for humans to drink the milk of another animal, and she thinks that fact that our bodies can’t really digest it leads to a lot of problems. She did say that goat’s milk is a smaller protein, which makes it easier to digest, and that if we have to do animal milk (for cheese, yogurt especially) then that was fine.
I wish I’d known all this a year ago though. I probably never would have started Julesy on milk at all. I’m still nursing, so why does he need animal milk at all?
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@Sarah My children have never ever had cow milk or any other animal product. They were nursed for between 4 1/2-6 years each and are now 21, 17 and 11. They have been healthier than other kids their age at every step of the way. They have also not had fruit juice or soda and rarely had junk food. Submitting to pressure to conform so that others can feel good and normal in their choices does not make our children healthy. Babies born today are the first generation who will not outlive their parents. That is not as it should be and while the toxins our kids ingest through the environment, medications, vaccines and cleaning and skin care product, the food they eat is of great significance.
Interesting blog post. My little guy won’t drink whole cow’s milk, but he will drink 2%, and he likes it. I’m still nursing him way more than 3-4 times a day, so I haven’t really worried about the less fat content of the 2% milk. Hmm…this gives me something to chew on before his 18 month appointment.
GREAT post! I absolutely agree that human milk is for humans, cows milk is for cows, etc. My four kids are ages 1-10 and have never been served milk regularly. I don’t drink milk, without ever giving it much though, I just find drinking the milk of another animal weird. No other animal does that, right? When I had my first son, the recommendation was introducing milk at 9 months, and it was then that I started reading more about it and made the decision that milk was never going to be a regular part of their diets. This western concept that humans need milk for their entire lifespan is the greatest marketing initiative on earth, really.
This is a great, concise article, very easy to read… I will definitely be sharing it with my friends.