Cows Milk

Mom mom had awful trouble with weaning me for the same reason. It probabally is lactose intolarence. Yougart has never bothered me, i guess the friendly bacteria help. Try buying lactose free milk to give to him and see if he has the same problems.

I was raised in the Carbbean and am used to drinking goats milk, but when I came to the United States and start drinking cow's milk I got sick. So, I had to revert back to goats milk. Now since living in San Diego, California, I can not find goat's milk any where. Now, soy milk has help me a lot. Try the soy.

Try giving him rice milk. It is helpful for lactose intolerance. If he can eat dairy with no problem it may not be that though. My Dr. told me that when my 10 1/2 month old is off formula to try rice milk, it has all the same nutrients it just may settle with him better. She also told me cow milk is milk from another species so children can often have problems with it. Good luck

yES TOTAL lACTOSE INTOLLERANT, MY 1ST WAS THE SAME WAY WITH any dairy FOR THE 1ST 2 YEARS OF HER LIFE. iT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE LINING OF HER STOMACH AND THE ENZYMES. tYPICALLY, HER INTOLERANCE WAS WHEN SHE WAS SICK WITH THE COLD. tHE DR TOLD ME TO HAVE HER ON THE "BRAT" DIET, BLAH, PLAIN FOODS, TOAST, RICE, APPLES, BANANAS, ETC. AND AS FAR AS MILK SHE SAID SOY WAS FINE UNTILL SHE DEVELOPES A STRONGER STOMACH. bUT SHE STILL NEEDED HER VITAMINS FOR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT SHE WOULD OF RECEIVED FROM (COWS) WHOLE MILK. SO TO LET YOU KNOW I WENT THROUGH SOMETHING SIMILAR, YOURE NOT ALONE, HANG IN THERE, I EVEN HAD TO DEAL WITH THROWING UP AFTER A BOTTLE OF MILK :)

www.babble.com has a great article on this issue, go to the website and search under lactose intolerant...

Absolutely he is...take him off asap! Use Rice milk, it is the least offending. Soy is very hard to digest. Pacific brand is the best.
You can learn more about why you should not use milk at:
www.notmilk.com This is really important for you and your kids.

Hi J.,
I discovered when night weaning my 1 year old son that he LOVES Hemp Milk and has no adverse reaction to it. It is very high in protein as well as Omega oils. We like the Vanilla flavor best in the purple carton. It is sold next to the soy/rice milks and we buy it by the case to receive a 12% discount from our health food store.
I am also hooked on it as a replacement for milk in coffee or tea as I have recently cut dairy products out of my diet and feel better physically for it.

Aloha,

S.

what i would do is mix it with the breast milk. so if he drinks 6oz them only give him 4oz breast milk and 2oz cows milk. and after a week add more milk till he totally drinks just milk. his body may need a slower adjustment then just going to straight milk. it took me about 1 1/2 weeks to transistion my daughter to milk but she was on formula. what milk do you give him? drs say to start on whole milk. if his runs continue try 2% the lower milk fat may help

Goats milk or organic formula. Cows milk is not fit for humans.

Aloha J.,

Soy or also almond milk are definitally better alternatives. Cows milk is formulated for growing baby cows. Although we have grown accustomed to drinking it, it was not created for humans. Of course, we are all different so some of us have strong reactions while others don't show any reactions. In my case, dairy got me (as a baby) in the hospital. You can get recipes, information, etc at godairyfree.org

I hope this information helps.

Blessings,
Marie-anne

Have you tried Carnation's Follow Up Formula? It is quite a bit cheaper than regular formula, tastes better - more like regular milk - and made the transition for my kids much smoother.

My son had the same reaction to cows milk when I weaned him at 9 months. I tried soy and it seemed to help a little. Then I tried rice milk (enhanced, because it has more nutrients) and it worked great and he liked it. The doctor said to check the fat content as well as the calcium content as young children need a certain amount of both in their daily diet. Fat helps develop the brain at that age. My son is now almost 8 years old and still drinks rice milk instead of cows milk because he prefers the flavor. However, he does eat ice-cream, yogurt, cheese, and any other dairy foods that contain cows milk without a reaction.

Just a quick response about the use of rice milk. If you use it be sure to use a vitamin supplement as well. Rice milk has very little nutricional value. If not soy or animal I would go with hemp milk. Our bodies have built in cannabinoid receptors which respond to the hemp. Hemp is one of only two foods that have the most (and best variety) of omega 3's, the other is soy. It is a very nutritional food and has wonderful immunity as well. Plus the nutty flavor is great!!

Hi J.,

I would do the soy...my son is 16 months old and was on lactose free forumla until one year, because he has intolerance to the milk based formula. Then I put him on regular whole milk at the doctor's request and he was fine with it gastro speaking. BUT, then he kept getting ezcema, getting sick, etc. So, I have taken him to a homeopathic doctor who says that the two biggest causes of allergies in kids are milk based dairy products and milk, and sugar. So now my son is on soy, which took some adjusting. But if your little one hasn't had too much milk yet, he may adjust well to the soy. And it is a lot cheaper, even for organic!

When I was a baby, I was allergic to cow's milk. I never had an allergic reaction to other dairy products. My mom fed me soy milk.

Have you tried soy milk? Silk soy milk is the best!! No lactose

Cows milk can be VERY problematic for many kids and adults. I haven't had cow's milk since I was 12 and I never had the acne and digestive problems that my friend's had.

Soy milk is a phytoestrogen and especially with a boy, I would stay away from anything that raises his estrogen levels.

You could try rice milk - just regular, as the flavored ones have a lot of sugar in it.

Or, our sons have had nothing but water - not even juice - after I stopped breastfeeding. We do give them liquid calcium at night and it helps them sleep, keeps the growing pains away and keeps them mucus-free, as milk is VERY mucus-producing, as well. They are rarely if ever sick and have no ear infections or any other problems. We do use rice milk in cereal, on the occassion that they get it.

Cheese and yogurt are processed differently - and most people who react to milk and can handle smalla mounts of cheese and yogurt without symptoms. We kept our kids off dairy for at least 1.5 years, so that they didn't end up with a dairy allergy....just in case.

I have a son who is lactose intolerant. I couldn't even drink dairy myself while I was nursing him. I went from breastmilk to a lactose-free formula then to Lactaid (regular milk that has lactose enzymes in it). He has always been able to tolerate yogurt and cheese which don't have much lactose in them because they have been pausterized/cooked (wrong spelling & term, sorry) longer. I have another son who is milk intolerant (can't handle it because he has an intestinal disease-Hirschsprung's- probably the milk protein instead of the milk sugars like lactase). He drinks Pediasure (lactose formulas didn't help him at all). Then there is of course the true milk allergy that can be tested for. Many people cannot tolerate milk very well, it is very hard to digest. I'd start with the Lactose free formula first so you can see how he responds and then go from there. Be encouraged that there is a solution and your child will be just fine! And there is the chance he can "outgrow" it later. Best wishes to you! And what a blessing you were able to breastfeed, sounds like it was the best thing for your son.

HI J.

My kids are teens now but I started them with 2% milk and not whole milk try that. I hope that helps.

D. K.

I would check with your pediatrician, but I did the same thing around age one with my son and it definitely gave him some loose stools while his body adjusted. I think it took a few weeks, but then he was fine.

Hi. :) Don't change it so drastically. That may be the reason for his runs. Add 20% milk to his bottle- then in a few days make it 30% if he is doing fine- make it 50% cow milk... and so on and so on. It should take about 2 weeeks to fully transition him from breast milk to Cows milk. Also you may want to try organic. That may ease on his little tummy. Just remember- ever child is different- and just b.c your first did okay- doesn't mean your second will! :) Good luck! :)

My daughter had issues with cows milk when she was very young. You may want to try a brand called Lactaid. You should have no problem finding it at your local grocery store. It is made with cows milk but the lactose enzyme has already been broken down, so it is easier to digest. My daughter was able to drink Lactaid with no problems while regular cows milk made her ill. The Lactaid is available in whole and reduced fat forms so you can give the appropriate fat content to your son. If he still becomes ill, I would consult with his doctor on the best route for him. Hope this helps! L. S.

Talk with your childs doctor. It may be a milk allergy and it may not. Are you giving whole milk??? It may be the fat in the milk is too much for your son. Either way ask your peditrician. This may be nothing or something his physician may want to keep an eye on. My sons both had problems with whole milk so I used soy. The later developed allergies and to this day have seasonal allergies as well as asthma. They both still to this day can not take whole milk, but low fat.

Hi J.,

The fact that your baby can take your milk means he is not lactose intolerant. (You have heard the term "I'm lactating" or "lactating mothers" should or shouldn't do something) He seems to be intolerant of cows milk though. I experienced this with both of my children. The solution, after much trial and error, was to use goat's milk. You can buy it at the grocery store right where the cow' milk is kept...If your grocery store doesn't carry it, many health food stores do! (There are soy products out there but new studies are showing we eat too much soy and there are real issues developing because of it). Good old fashioned dairy is best...and goat milk is a dairy product.

Good Luck!

I would try goats milk. It's suppose to be very hypoallergenic and easy to digest!
Good luck,
S.

Hello J.. I have two children who are lactose intolerant. One is 7 1/2 and the other is 4 1/2. When they were babies, they could not handle milk. It gave them horrible breath and sour stomachs which in turn resulted in diarehea. They can handle yogurt I think because it has live enzymes and I think it is partially broken down? I am not sure. I just know that as they got older, they could handle things with milk more and more as long as they don't have more than one thing in a day that is dairy. Like if they have a bowl of cereal, they don't get a glass of milk or bowl of ice cream because it will upset their tummies. When they switched from formula to milk, I used soy. We just buy "West Soy Plus" plain. My husband likes to buy the Kirkland brand because we can get it in bulk. Neither one of my kids likes the vanilla soy. Try using soy milk instead of cows milk for a week and see what happens. If it doesn't work, you can just make sure that he gets yogurt and cheese in his diet and eats fruits and vegetables high in calcium. If he is getting enough vitamin D and calcium, he really doesn't need milk. If he is not ready to give up the bottle, try giving him water in it. You don't have to worry about his teeth and he will become a water drinker which beats juice :) Good luck and hope this helps.

I would ask your doctor what to do. You don't want to mess around with food allergies. Good luck!

His body is telling you something. It is way too early to call him lactose intolerant, but if you keep up with the cows milk at this point he may well develop that condition. One year old humans were not meant to drink cows milk. Many can, but they were not DESIGNED to. If you are dead set on introducing your son to another type of milk at this point, stop with the cows milk and try soy milk or rice milk or goats milk or some other type of milk. His system obviously is not ready for cows milk.

Hi J.,

Have you consider goats milk? I did that with both of my daughters and no problem. Not sure where you are from but you can get it from Ralph's Grocery Store and also Vons. Ofcourse stores that specialize in more organic and natural products will have it as well, such as Whole Foods. Goats milk is closer to breast milk than cows milk, in terms of proteins so it is not as hard on our digestion. Plus they aren't pumped with antibiotics, steroids and given food with pesticids. Keep in mind cows milk is intended for little calfs who are going to grow into big cows! We (humans) are the only species who NURSE from another species. Tigers don't nurse from monkeys and dogs don't nurse from cats. Another option is Rice Milk from Rice Dream, I would stay away from soy, although it is better than Cows milk. One more thing, when you make the switch start doing half and half at first, 2oz of breast milk and 2 oz of Goat milk/Rice/soy and then gradually move up. Cows get their calcium from greens and so should we, brocoli, spinich, seasame seeds, etc etc. Congratulations on breastfeding for as long as you did!!!!! I nursed both my older daughters for 1 year and I am nursing my 7 month old as well. It is not always easy. I also give them a cacium supplement. Hope this helps!
Geneva

Maybe he just needs to get used to it. talk to your doc first, but try things like soy, nonfat, goats milk or lactaid. Do like you did with baby food, one a a time for 5 days straight before trying something new. Keep notes and report to your doc. Cow milk is not really created for human consumption, it is harsh and works for critters with 4 stomachs.

Right now he should be getting all his nutrition from regular foods, and completely off the bottle. Maybe with enough calcium and vitamin D in his diet, he won't need milk.

Soak raw almonds overnight and blend w/ water (one handful per quart, use less water and then add more for easy blend). Pour through a strainer. Healthy and non allergenic. Cashews do not require soaking. Tasty, easy... soy is generally not digested the best either.

The reality is that none of us should be drinking cow’s milk or any other mammal’s milk. We are the only mammal that drinks another mammal's milk. Your son really doesn't need milk anymore. He will absolutely continue to benefit from your giving him your milk, as long as you continue to pump for him but he doesn't need it substituted by cow's milk. Your milk continues to benefit him by strengthening his immune system, reducing his chances of obesity, diabetes, and illness. As well the longer you produce milk from your breast the lower your chances of breast and ovarian cancer are. But he is over a year and only you can say when enough is enough of pumping. The dairy industry is the largest lobbyist on capital hill and they have marketed to us that we NEED cow’s milk to be healthy, but we don't. It is a convent way to get protein and calcium but you can get those in other ways, and you don't even need soy milk to do it. Talk to your Pediatrician, or a dietician. Since he's over a year he can have everything you eat including orange juice with added calcium and meats to balance out his diet. Good luck to you and you've done an excellent job at supplying your son with good nutrition in his first year.
A.

Congrats on pumping for as long as you did. Personally, I wouldn't worry about him not tolerating cows milk, especially if he is OK with yogurt, cheese, etc. My kids are 5 and almost 3 and don't drink milk on a daily basis. They have the occasional chocolate milk and the occasional soy milk but mostly they get their calcium from other sources. (They also breastfed past 2 years old). We are the only species on the planet that drinks the milk of another species. Cows milk is designed for calves. Not the information you asked for, I just wanted to say, don't worry if he doesn't ever drink cows milk again.

Keep a log and note any other foods that do this to him. This way you are armed with the information your doctor will need to assess whether or not he has a particular food allergy.

M.

We had the same problem with my son. We had him on soy milk for awhile, which did a little better, but ultimately we put him on milk directly from the dairy that didn't have the hormones in it, and this worked best for him. Good luck to you.

Theres no need to give cows milk. Try Rice dream instead kids dont like the taste of soy sometimes mine loved the Rice dream and it has everything they need.

Try adding some probiotics to your breast milk. Acidophilus and bifidus are available in your pharmacy. They help the intestines grow the natural flora needed to break down complex proteins and sugars in Cow's Milk.
Start off with the lactose free whole milk ( half breast milk 1/2 lactose free) and work your way to half lactose free/ half regular whole milk as he tolerates it.

Hope it helps

J.

I had a similar problem, however my son would throw up! I tried soy, but then I talked to a mom who had a lactose intolerant daughter. Try 2% milk, instead of whole milk. Lots of times their tummies can't handle the whole milk, but can handle something more mild. If he continues, then ask his doctor, and try soy, or try Lactaid. (a dairy free milk) When I weaned my baby, I split half breast milk, and half regular cow milk. Then their system can begin to get used to the new milk. I would try that first. Hope this helps :0)

A.

My son had exact same symptoms with milk but not yogurt (or cheese as long as small amounts) begining at 18 mos. and was diagnosed lactose intolerant. We switched to soy with no problem and we also use lactose pills when we can't get non-dairy options or he feel like a little cow milk (doc said he can take half a pill and they are chewable). Now he is almost 6 and still the same. Sounds like your son might be the same.

Hi! I had an easy time transitioning my twins, here is what we did (and do now) -
1 - Like some wrote above, start slow - 1/4 cow milk, 3/4 breast milk for several days, then 1/2 and 1/2, etc. for about 2 weeks.
2 - Don't transition from bottle to sippy at the same time. I got my kids used to regular milk from their bottles before I transitioned them to sippies (which only took a few days, but that's another topic). One change at a time.
3 - I add a probiotic powder to the milk once or twice per day - I use Solaray BabyLife powder, I get it at Henry's. It is the live cultures that help keep our digestive system healthy, just like I take mine in capsule form. Yogurt has certain cultures in it as well, from age 1-2 my kids had YoBaby yogurt every day as well. These cultures help with our immune system and especially with digestion. My husband isn't necessarily lactose intolerant, he can eat all dairy, but if he drinks straight milk, he gets discomfort unless he takes a probiotic; in that case, he usually doesn't have any symptoms.

Good luck!!

J.,
First of all, good for you for feeding your son breast milk. There is no superior milk to give a child. The benefits do not end at 1 year. Human milk is perfectly adapted for human survival and human growth. It's the ultimate brain food and the ultimate health food. Nothing even comes close in comparison, no matter how much the dairy industry tells us otherwise.

Drinking cow's milk is seen as normal and healthy in our society. But the facts are that cow's milk is made for calves with completely different systems, growth patterns, metabolism, etc. than humans. It's no wonder that so many people are "allergic" or lactose intolerant. If you are already noticing a negative reaction in your son, please beware that it will only get worse with time if you don't take him off dairy immediately. I wasn't as observant (after all, "milk does a body good", right) and my daughter's milk allergies led to asthma and worse problems for her (she's now 11 yrs). Soy milk has some potential problems as well (google "soy for children" or susan weed for more info) and all the alternatives (rice milk, oat milk, etc.) have quite a bit of sugar in them. In my opinion, the only other kind of milk that is healthy for such a young child (besides breastmilk) is nut milk (almond milk especially) but beware of sugar content. I've heard goat's milk is better than cow's milk but, like cow's milk, it isn't made for humans so there must be potential problems with it also.

Good luck to you.
M.

Edited to add:
Water is the best liquid to give a child. Milk (any kind, besides breastmilk) is not needed for a child to grow healthy. As long as he is eating a healthy balanced diet. If not, try OJ w/calcium, vitamin supplements, and dark green leafy veggies (best choice).

Hello J., I have a son who will be 2 on the 30th of this month. When we changed from formula to milk, my son didn't really have any problems at first and then I noticed that he was having trouble sleeping, had a lot of gas, and he also had the runs. The doctor's told me to try a Lactose free milk to see how he would do, so we tried that for a week and notice that nothing was different. They told us that if he couldn't handle the Lactose free milk then he was allergic to the protein in milk. My son is ok with cheese and yogurt but if he has a lot it does give him gas. He drinks the vanilla Silk Soy milk and the doctor's told me that was fine. He has done great on it and he has no trouble at all drinking it he loves the flavor. In fact I think when we have our second child and he or she starts on milk, I think I'm going to start he or she on it as well. I think it's better then regular milk. I hope this helps you and good luck to you!

My son was also breast fed for about a year and when I started regular whole milk, he did the same but with runny eyes, runny nose also. He has been on soy for almost 2 years and the runny nose and eyes has lessened. The yogurt is not a problem for him or white cheese but if I give him real ice cream(had homemade at a party once) he threw it up at 2am. My sister in law has a stepdaughter that is lactose intolerant along w/ her husband so she gave me those suggestions. The stools will still be soft and smelly but better than runny.

L. K
mom of a 2 1/2 year boy and 13 yr old girl.

After i stopped nursing my 3rd child i switched to Organic milk with him. have you tryed that? or soy,thats good to start now hes still young and developing taste his taste buds.my kids did not like soy.

I'm allergic to cow's milk but can eat yogurt and cheese just fine. It's because I'm not lactose intolerant but allergic to whey (milk protein).
A lot of people are also allergic to soy, so whatever you do, start with a small amount and be careful. There's also other alternatives such as rice milk and almond milk (you can get them at the health food store).
Good luck!

First off- call your ped in the a.m. and ask their advice. Second- it is likely not lactose intollorance, as your breast milk is loaded with lactose as well. However- he could be sensetive to protien in cows milk. Yogurt and cheese tend to be easier to digest than regular milk. (I think it is becuase of the ageing process and the cultered bacteria.) If the Dr. agrees that you should stop with the cows milk for now, he/she will recomend what you should suppiment with instead. Some peds recomend soy milk, some recomend rice milk. Both are fortified with the nutrients your baby needs.

That said, are you weaning him "because the average American baby is weaned at one year" or because it is fully YOUR desire to not have to bump/nurse anymore? If you are not bothered by the extra work of pumping/nursing a toddler, then I encourage you to keep it up so long as your supply will allow. Especially if he is having milk issues. If you simply cannot do it anymore, then Kudos for doing it a full year! He has been so blessed to have you provide this for him.

I nursed my son for 18 months, and stopped because my family made me feel ashamed. They made comments about him being "too big for that" and so I stopped. Looking back- I regret letting them tell me what was right for my child. Now I am pregnant again, and I will likely breast feed until 2 years. Perhaps even longer if that's what the child wants. (No- I don't plan to allow the child to nurse all the way to kindergarten- but if they wat it beyond 24 months, I will start the weaning process then.)

I hope that helps some- even though I know I didn't really offer any advice beyond "call the dr".