Milk Suggestions for Toddler

If you want to try dairy, try Lactaid -- the lactose is usually the cause of the problem (gassiness), and in Lactaid, the lactose has been broken down already. Cheese and kefir are two good ways to get dairy in with little or no lactose (the lactose is already broken down the the microorganisms used to make these products).

You could also try goats milk--it is more easily digested by humans than cow's milk (but it's pricey).

As Eliza F said, though, you don't need to give milk.

M.,
She actually doesn't need to "drink" her dairy, she can get all she needs from cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. She can also get calcium from the fortified orange juice, dark leaf vegetable, broccoli, pinto, red and white beans, hummus.
If you just make sure she is eating things that have calcium in them she should be fine.
On another note, perhaps if she is getting probiotics (easy way to get them is yogurt) she might be able to handle the dairy milk better. you could also try goats milk if you still wanted to do it the drinking way.
Good luck!
E.

HI M.

My nephew is lactose intolerant.... but strangely enough ONLY with actual MILK. milk products (cheese, yogurt, ice cream) are all fine. So, I would try cheese and yogurt and see if she can tolerate that.

In addition to the calcium the milkfat is REALLY important to brain development up to age 2 - but since you breastfed til 2 you did fine and would be changing her to 2%/skim about now anyway.

As long as she can get the calcium / vitamin D etc from other sources she doesn't need actual milk.

Have you tried the vanilla flavored rice and almond milk? Keep trying. Also, talk to your pediatrician about the lactose free. If she has a dairy allergy they should be able to make suggestions. Also, consult a nutritionist for dairy alternatives for her.

Hi M.---Cows milk is a very allergenic food for humans even though some are able to tolerate it. These allergies are very subtle and often mistaken for other problems. Cows milk is designed to make baby cows grow into big cows in a very short period of time. I am a reformed cows milk drinker after taking a series of wellness classes, taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. For information on the dangers of eating any dairy product, please go to www.pcrm.org and put dairy in the search box.

Calcium needs can be met by other sources, such as the fortified oj as mentioned before, as well as by leafy greens such as broccoli, bok choy and kale ( http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/calcium). Sesame seeds are great source of calcium and can be added by eating humus which contains gound sesame (tahini). I think almonds are another good source. You also want to think in terms of absorbable calcium and even though diary offers more calcium per unit, far more calcium is ABSORBED when it is from plants because of the complimentary nutrients found in those plants. As for fat, we really don't need all that much (absolutely no more than 20% of calories) but do be sure that the fats that the family eats are from plant sources such as ground flax seeds, olives and avocado.

Your daughter should be drinking plain old filtered water at every opportunity. It is essential for good health. Starting her with that habit now will set her up for optimal health.

Keep offering the other milks as she is likely to decide that one will be ok. I just use these milks in my cereals and smoothies so it really isn't essential that she drink them with meals. You could also get coconut milk, oat and hemp milks as well. Different milks have different nutritional qualities and they are all fortified.

I also recommend against supplementing with vitamins, unless it is whole food based. There is a lot of emerging evidence that isolated fragmented man-made vitamins do NOT help to prevent disease (why else would we take them?) and can even cause harm in the body. I can make some suggestions about what you might want to look for as you make that decision. I can also share documents, articles and reports on all of the topics I have shared here. Please feel free to contact me with your questions and I'd be honored to help. Good luck...D.

If it were me, I'd try the whole milk in small amounts and see what happens. If she can't tolerate it then go with one of the others and make sure she gets plenty of calcium and sunshine.

whole milk is only recomended intill they are two (they need the fats) since you have breastfed your child till then it doesnt matter if she has whole milk or not.

Goat's milk and organic milk... You can always continue breastfeeding for as long as your daughter is desiring it and willing too.

I was thinking the Vanilla flavored Almond Milk like another poster. As well as the eating the dairy. I couldn't drink milk while growing up... Actually I really still can't. Makes my belly churn. My daughter isn't fond of regular white milk... She drinks either my Almond Milk (vanilla) or gets a bit of chocolate syrup in her milk. She also LOVES cheese and yogurt. My son... I'm very relieved that he's just like his dad... Loves milk and has no problems with it.

My daughter didn't take to soymilk at first either. She didn't hate it, but would just drink a sip or two a day. So i put off weaning because I worried that she'd not drink the milk. I did finally wean about 2 months later and amazingly she started drinking a sippy cup of milk without complaint. It didn't work to offer it during old breastfeeding times, but I just put it on her tray during meals.

If she still isn't interested, just combine it with her foods. Nothing says they have to "drink" it from a cup right! :) Provide lots of water in the sippy cup, and she'll be fine. Be careful of giving lots of juice, it has a ton of sugar in it, even if its natural sugar, because its concentrated fruit juice. Like eating several pieces of fruit per cup. Better to just drink water and eat real fruit, use juice for a special occasion.

I'd avoid whole milk, its obviously not the best for her, its designed for a cow... :) And honestly, she'd probably not be wild about milk at this point in time either.

Best wishes!

My DS is 21 months and does not drink milk and is still nursing 3 times a day. I have tried soy, almond and coconut milk to no avail. I just make sure I give him yogurt (homemade smoothie in vita mix) and some cheese to get what he needs. We drink at least one smoothie a day here that has carrots, celery, apple or orange, banana, spinach or other green leaf, blueberries and yogurt. I mix in vita mixer. You can also just use almond milk instead of yogurt if she still shows signs of a reaction.
I don't drink milk, never could. I use almond milk. In the future when he needs milk for cereal it will be almond - if I recall many people with dairy issues can have soy issues as well.
Good luck!