Hi Moms,
I need some suggestion on what kind of milk I can try for my 6 years old daughter. She used to have tummy ache with regular milk right from the beginning after we stopped the infant formula for her, so the doctor advised us to put her on the soy milk. She was okay with that for almost 4 years now, but now she doesn't even like soy milk and has completely stopped taking it. I've tried different brands of soy milk, even tried chocolate soy milk, or adding strawberry or chocolate powder to it, but she still doesn't like it and complains of having a loose motion and tummy ache with soy milk as well. I'm not sure if giving up milk at such a young age is a good thing for a growing child. She likes to take yougurt or cheese sometimes (not every day though), so I'm confused how she is going to get enough calcium from.
Do you moms have any good suggestions for me. Please help!
Try Lactaid milk. It's easy to digest and lactose free. You can also get calcium fortified. My son has to use this and I have switched to it also.
just drop the milk, make sure she has calcium from other sources, milk is not required it is just common.
There are plenty of other natural sources of dietary calcium. You don't need to buy foods that are "fortified" with extra calcium
Goat's milk (some people find it easier to digest than cow's milk)
Cheese
Yogurt
Dark leafy greens
Salmon
Oranges
Shellfish
Dried beans
Nuts
Tofu
Molasses
Hi,
She can definitely get calcium from other sources - even OJ is fortified now if you buy the right brands.
I would maybe suggest yougurt 'smoothies'. You can make them yourself in the blender or you can buy them pre-made. Dannon makes a kid version, but other brands make them as well.
Also, my daughter used to drink YO-J. They don't sell it here in Chicago, but they had it in other places we live. It's in the OJ size containers in the juice coolers, but it's a yougurt smoothie mix. I believe it has calcium in it.
Here is a list of foods that contain calcium.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium/
Good Luck!
Milk isn't a requirement. There are other sources to get calcium but if she wants it for cereal etc. then try rice milk. My kids like the original flavor but they have vanilla and chocolate too. I like it better than soy milk. =)
Milk is actually not necessary in the human diet - at least not another's species milk. Try offering organic yogurts and cheeses and forget about actual liquid milk.
Calcium is higher in many veggies than it is in milk - so why not google "Foods high in calcium"?
Why does she need the milk? Serious question. And does other forms of dairy bother her?
I was never a big milk drinker, but I ate cheese and yogurt, etc. These days there are also several fortified juice blends, so she can have her calcium with her OJ instead. I'd look up vegetarian forms of calcium and encourage her to eat leafy greens, broccoli, etc.
She doesn't need cow's milk; she'll get calcium and vitamins from other sources. However, if you are looking for it to put in cereal, oatmeal, hot chocolate, etc. my son's favorite is oat milk, which you can get at Sprouts and Whole Foods, and just recently I've spotted it at Fry's.
Lactaid milk worked best for my son.
Have you considered Lactaid or a store brand of lactose-free milk? We have to get that for our 4 year old, as too much regular milk upsets his tummy also.
Rice or almond milk are a good one to try. But also lots of kiddos outgrow a lactose problem as they get older. If she is eating cheese, yogurts etc with no problems is it possible that maybe she could try regular milk again?
Try , Lactaid, Almond or Rice Milk.
You really should move her away all things soy.
I know someone who gave her daughter soy milk from a young age and her daughter was thrown into early puberty because of the natural estrogen in it.
Also have you tried regular milk again and see how she reacts to it. It's very common for kids to grow out of cows milk intolerance. I was one of those kids.
Does she eat well and have a balanced diet? Then she doesn't need milk. I am allergic to dairy and millions of other people in the world are allergic and have lactose intolerance. Many of us grow up never having a drop of milk and we are fine!! She doesn't NEED milk to grow strong and healthy. If she eats well, she is doing WAY better then a kid who drinks milk, but doesn't have a good diet. If you're worried about calcium, give her a vitamin.
Almond milk, or rice milk are a good options. She can get calcium from the fortified orange juice like other's suggested, but also from foods like some beans, nuts, sardines, kale, oranges, cheese (especially mozarella), yogurt, cottage cheese, thyme, basil, turnips, spinach, mustard and collard greens, swiss chard...
Here are good lists of calcium rich foods:
http://www.iloveindia.com/nutrition/calcium/sources-of-ca...
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbi...
Also, to ensure maximum calcium absorption, make sure she eats it with some sort of vitamin d. There are also chocolate calcium chews and other supplements she could take as well.
You can try Lactaid, which is regular cow's milk but has been treated to break down the lactose. Lactose is the common cause of problems for those with digestive upset from milk, because many humans don't make the enzyme to break down this sugar after outgrow their infanthood. But Lactaid doesn't have lactose as it's already treated to break it down.
You can try almond or rice milk, but both of these tend to have a lot of sugar to make them more palatable.
Here is a list of common foods that have good levels of calcium:
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/calcium_non_dair...
