Switching to Whole Milk - Hermosa Beach,CA

I consulted with a nutritionist because my daughter has eczema which was being aggravated by cow's milk. If you have doubts about organic cow's milk, i wouldn't recommend going with almond milk as a first alternative per the nutrtionist (who is also a lactation consultant). Try goat's milk instead, as it is a mammal milk with an equivalent amount of fat and calcium as cow's milk. Moreover, the protein is more similar to breastmilk making goat's milk more easily digestible. Almond milk is good if neither of those work for you, but be careful of all the sugar added as mentioned by a previous poster so get it with vanilla. Best of luck!

My lactation consultant said that most of the hormones get destroyed by the acid in our stomachs anyway.

I looked, and most of the milk from Costco and Sam's Club (Wal-Mart too) has a sticker that says their farmers pledge not to use the RGHb hormone, or whatever it is. So I've been buying milk from Costco. They do also carry organic milk, but it's pretty expensive.

If you have any concerns about allergies, be careful with Almond milk! Tree nuts are a big allergn. Check with your dr.

We're a milk family -- milk may not be necessary, as others have said, but we like it! We buy organic milk from Trader Joe's. It is expensive, but it's hormone free. And, it tastes really good! I actually think that most milk is labeled hormone free these days.

Dr's usually recommend whole milk because the fat is soooo good for growing brains. If you decide not to go with cow's milk, be sure that that you child is getting enough fat, and the right kind. The whole milk yogurts are also really good (although, of course, it's still milk).

If you are going to go with dairy, organic is definitely the way to go. However, keep in mind that milk is not all that it is cracked up to be. It is hard to digest, is one of the most common allergens, and only about 1/3 of the calcium content is usable by our bodies. Besides the hormones, cows are often heavily medicated with antibiotics. Our bodies will "process" this stuff and, in theory, filter them out. However, when our bodies have to work to clean the food it consumes, it does not benefit and "thrive" the way we want it to, especially for our children.

Almond milk is a good alternative. However, again, nuts are higher on the allergen list and the almond milk on the market tends to have a lot of emulsifiers to keep it from separating. Almond milk is really easy to make. Just soak raw almonds for 6-8 hours. Rinse them. Then puree them with water (you have to play with it so get the concentration you like-- a thick rich milk or a thin mild milk. Then strain the fluid through a thin strainer or cheese cloth.

We use rice milk in my home. I buy Trader Joes brand "Original". It is unsweetened, mild, and organic. Plus it is enriched just like all the other stuff.

I feel good about using Organic milk. It is more expensive, but worth it in my opinion!

We use Almond milk and my baby girl loves it! It is reallygood for you, too! Enriched with calcium and a lot of protein. It is way better than soy milk which many people can become allergic to. We alternate with the vanilla flavor and the original. I get the Pacific organic brand at Trader Joes and it is only $1.69 a box. One of the things I also like is that you can buy a whole bunch and store it right in your pantry without having to refrigerate it.

If you are going to give your child milk, organic milk is the better choice - goat milk or raw milk are even better. Milk, however, is unnecessary for people (other than breast milk).

If you are going to do almond milk, make your own - the packaged stuff has all kinds of extra junk in it.

I buy milk with the label that it's from cows not treated with hormones. I've found it most cost effective to purchase this milk from Costco or Smart and Final (they're about half the price of regular retail). Recently, however, I've started having milk delivered by Rockview. It comes from local cows that has been milked within 48 hours (I think) of it being delivered. The pasturization is less intensive creating a much better tasting milk, high-quality. Organic Trader Joes milk is also very good and, if you can afford it, organic would be the way to go.

I know there are different opinions about cow's milk. I've opted for cows milk rather than any other options because I've found controversy with just about every option.

Organic milk won't have the hormones and there are many brands that are not organic that say they have no hormones like Alta Dena. I just do Organic Milk and have used Trader Joe's or Horizons Organic many times. I personnally wouldn't use Almond Milk as a substitute (it doesn't have the same nutrients), but if you Dr. says its Ok you can use it also.