Rice Milk

It's my understanding that babies only need formula for one year. Rice milk is not a complete food like formula but it has some nutrition, especially calcium. I drink rice milk everyday. It tastes good.

I would try goats milk I know some babies can't handle cow but are fine with goat. It's not the same. You can talk with someone in a health food store maybe they can tell you more about why it may be O.K when she can't handle cows.All three of mine are that why
L.

I gave rice milk to my son...and we didn't have any problems with it. I also used it in place of milk in recipes...I think it's OK nutritionally as long as you but the ones with the added vitamins! But, check with your doctor!

Everything I've read and understand is that you shouldn't be giving cow's milk to a baby until they're a year old and even then you should gradually introduce it. I would talk to her doctor to be sure that it's an allergy and how you might be able to proceed as far as going with a soy based milk, rice milk, or an alternative. Let's us know how it works out :)

A couple of my kids were drinking rice milk until they were over two. They did fine on it. Most of the rice milk products on the market are fortified with vitamins, but I am not entirely sure how they add up next to cow's milk. The nice thing about rice milk is that it has a mild flavor that kids do not seem to mind.

Rice Milk is great sometimes, yet I would consult your pediatrician first. There is a lot of controvery over vitamin D which only cows milk contains. Rice Milk does not contain any.

And because Vitamin D is not found in adequate amounts of breastmilk either, there are many healthcare professionals that now suggest that all babies are supplemented after 4 months.

Vitamin D deficiency is a leading cause of rickets. This is not to say that your baby is deficient, this is just food for thought. It is always comforting to discuss issues with your pediatrician before making changes to your babies diet.

Sunlight is great for us and gives us the Vitamin D we so need. Also found in codliver, cheese, yogurt, sardines, light tuna, egg yolks and in fortified foods such as cereal and orange juice.

Again, all of this is just add'l info for you to look at.

K.,
All 5 of my kids have gone from formula to soy milk for their second yr. When I would start whole milk I dealt with constipation with all of them and the soy did not do this. I actually had my peds tell me to use the soy milk until I could go to regular milk, I have never heard that soy is not good. All of my kids did fine with dairy products it was only when they went to regular milk off of formula that there was a problem. I am slowly getting my 18 month old onto regular milk and off of soy so I dont have to buy both. I have used the rice milk as well and my kids did fine with it.

When you say can't handle cow's milk do you mean he has a life threatening reaction or just stomach issues? If it's a life threatening reaction then rice and soy milk. But, if it's stomach issues I would try goat's milk (pasteurized) first to see if that works for him because it works for most people with lactose intolerance and even cow's milk allergies (such as my sister and my son). It is just a lot more nutritious than cow's milk and better than soy milk when you consider the controversial studies about what soy does to a boy's fertility. Of course I would try it in small amounts and gradually increase but I would go that route first. It is more expensive than regular milk (probably about the same as rice and soy milk) but is very healthy and healthier than cow's milk. Good luck. Keep me posted on how it goes. I do the same with goat milk cheeses and butter and use it when I cook for him as well.

Fat is very important in their first couple years of life. Hemp milk may be another option to try - it has the essential fatty acids and is fortified. Some major supermarkets now carry it. I would discuss it with a pediatrician.

Good luck!

a baby shouldn't be started on cow's milk until they are 1 year old anyway. sounds like you tried to introduce it too early, which could be why she had problems. they're systems just can't process it properly. you might want to try to introduce it again once she is 1. and i would talk to the dr about the rice milk, she is lactose intolerant. not sure that it contains all of the nutrients that the baby is supposed to be getting from a milk source. it's not an uncommon problem so i'm sure there are products available. hope you find your answer!

hi. My little one has been on rice milk for a long time. You want to buy the kind that's fortified with vitamins. Then your golden. It does not have fat in it though so make sure your little is getting enough fat from another source.
Rachee

No, there aren't enough nutrients in rice milk, because it's not really milk in any sense. Try goats milk for a little while, and see how it goes. I homemade goats milk formula for a few months becuase my dd tolerated it better than cows milk. Now that she's older, she's outgrown her cows milk issue thankfully.

You can find goats milk in the bakery isle, near the condensed milk. It's a can, but will need to be diluted. There's a little info about goats milk on Dr. Sears website, at www.askdrsears.com.

K.,

I believe the side of the rice milk says it does not have enough nutrients. Be sure to ask your doc. I love alternatives and natural ways; however, the fat from cow's milk is so important for them from 1-2yrs old. It adds protection to the base of the skull at the brain stem. So be sure to ask your ped doc for an alternative.

Take Care,
N. :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys 13, 8 & 2 yrs old and married to my Mr. Wonderful for almost 15yrs. I love to help moms who want to become SAHMs reach that goal!

My son has a severe cow milk allergy. If you have a cow milk allergy you are not supposed to have goat's milk either like others advised you. We can't do soy either because my other son is allergic to that. We did Enriched Rice milk like someone else mentioned. We have seen a nutritionist and I was told as long as I bought the enriched we were fine. However, it doesn't have the fat your daughter will need. I was told to make up the fat to use oil like olive or canola on his veggies. He's also a good meat eater so he gets it from there too. We also give him a multivitamin and a calcium supplement per my doctor's orders.

My almost six year old has severe milk & egg allergies. We discovered this at about the same age your daughter is now. So... for the past 5 years he has been drinking rice milk, almond milk and hazelnut milk. We began with soy but that was short lived after I started researching the effects of soy on little boys. He does still eat some soy products but it's very limited.

You can buy so many different varieties of these non-diary milks and I'd just be sure to focus on the "enriched" variety so you can maximize her vitamin intake.

I read somewhere that rice milk can have a laxative effect, so look out for that. In addition to buying the fortified rice milk, make sure you are supplementing with enough SATURATED fats, not just olive oil, avocadoes, etc. Sources include meats, egg yolks, butter, coconut oil. Is she allergic to milk or simply intolerant? My 18-month old dislikes milk and it seems to give her indigestion and loose stool, but no allergy. She eats tons of organic yogurt, cheese and butter with no problem. As a beverage, she likes Kefir, which is a yogurt drink. The milk proteins are broken down by the yogurt cultures which is why babies can eat yogurt before they can drink whole milk.

Hello K., Almond milk is a good choice. It comes in original, vanilla, and chocolate... As well as rice milk. I give it a sweet boost with flavored liquid stevia when i crave ice creeam....good luck

I would be careful with the rice milk. It has a very high sugar content which is bad for teeth. My brothers family was on rice milk but discovered it was ruining everyones teeth. Also rice milk does not have the fat content that whole milk has which is so important for young children. If you do go to rice milk be sure you supplement lots of cheese, yogurt etc if you daughter can handle that type of dairy. Best of luck!

K.,

My son couldn't handle cow's milk either. When he was on formula he had to be on soy and then when it was time to ween to milk, he had to be on soy and then I switched to Rice milk when he was about 18 months old. Rice milk is very good for you. I would suggest though that you include eating other dairy in your diet such us cheeses or yogurt, but be careful because those will raise your cholesterol. Rice milk will not. There are plenty of nutrients in Rice milk. I drink the Rice Dream milk and it is wonderful. You can also try goat's milk and see if you like that. That's really good too.

I don't know about rice milk, but have you tried goat's milk? It is pretty common for babies who cannot tolerate cow's milk to be able to tolerate goat's milk, which has only simple proteins that are easier to digest (the problem babies have with cow's milk is usually the proteins, not lactose intolerance--lactose problems are an adult thing. Lactose intolerance in babies is rare, as human breast milk has way more lactose than cow's milk). Wegman's carries fresh goat's milk, and so do some organic food stores. Goat's milk is considered to be a better nutritional match for kids than soy or other plant milks, because it comes from another mammal.

My son could not tolerate cow's milk at all, so I kept him nursing for a good while, but when he was about 1 1/2 I switched him to goat's milk. Now that he is older he is at least able to tolerate cow's milk, though I am keeping an eye on him to make sure it doesn't have some subtle affects.

Hi K., I understand your dilemma. My son is now almost 15 months and he has a severe milk allergy. I did not know what to do when he turned one, which is when I was hoping to switch him to something other than breastmilk. But I just stuck with breastfeeding until just about a month ago. I tried to give him goat's milk and he had an allergic reaction to that, which I found out is pretty common if they truly have an milk allergy. So, I have been buying "Enriched" Rice Milk, which has Vitamin D (25% daily value), Vitamin A (30%), Calcium (30%), Iron (4%), Vitamin B12 (25%), Phosphorus (15%). When I looked at the soy label, it had the same amounts, and I have found out soy is not that great for us anyway... so I just have been getting Rice Milk. The only thing I am worried about is that he is not getting enough fat in-take. But I can make up for it in the foods he eats. He loves avocados and eating different meats, which also covers his iron in-take. I also saw some one on here mentioned Almond Milk, which has more fat probably, but I don't know if they have "enriched". Hope this helps!!!

You also can try almond milk. Both of my girls didn't tolerate cows milk. Good luck and She may out grow it :)