Alternatives to WCM

lisac1017 · December 2012

I'm not sure where to post this but since this is my favorite board I'll give it a shot here. we are almost at a year nursing and I am wondering if there are better options than cows milk. Has any one transitioned to goats milk? A book I'm reading has my curiosity piqued. Ideally DS will continue to nurse up to two years but I plan to just pump once a day after he turns one and supplement with organic WCM unless there are better options.

Thanks!

tokenhoser · December 2012

If your kid doesn't have any dietary sensitivities, cow milk is just fine. It's rich in protein and fat, affordable, and widely available. Goats milk is fine, too, but often harder to come by and more expensive. Plant based "milk" tends to be lower in fat and protein.

DS drinks a bit of milk, but generally prefers to wait for me. I haven't pumped since returning to work when he was 12 months. Nursing 2-3 x a day fills their milk needs.

lisac1017 · December 2012

I didn't know that 3 nursing sessions would meet his needs. In that case, I guess we should be set since I plan to wean down to that. Good to know! Thanks!

BrittKav · December 2012

I would use organic WCM if the girls would drink it. They don't, so we use soy milk with added calcium.

ETA: Like PP said, nursing a few times a day is fine and if you do that you don't need to use any other milk so you should be set!

rica21483 · December 2012

I don't know this from personal experience because DD is only almost 5 months, but someone asked my LC about this during BF support group. The LC said that older babies don't necessarily need milk. Calcium and protein can he found elsewhere in their diet. Milk has vitamins A and D, but it is fortefied, and they can be found elsewhere, too. Not sure how true this all is, but it makes sense to me.

Rynna · December 2012

I prefer not to give cow's milk because I have a dairy sensitivity, and the human body is just not designed to digest it. Coconut milk has a higher fat content than the other alternatives, and almond milk has higher protein. I prefer the taste of almond, and it's easier to cook with, so we use that unless we're trying to get extra calories into LO. But a few nursings a day does meet the nutritional needs of LO, in addition to table foods.

sosoph · December 2012

Is there a dietary intolerance or other reason you're avoiding cow dairy? If he's eating cheese and yogurt, WCM will be fine. When I dropped some daytime sessions, we started with goat milk for a number of reasons. By the time she fully weaned she was drinking WCM. The protein in GM is closest in size to human milk, so easiest to break down. There are charts out there that compare types of milk so you can see the calorie/vitamin-mineral breakdown.

sooner1981 · December 2012

Rynna:
I prefer not to give cow's milk because I have a dairy sensitivity, and the human body is just not designed to digest it. Coconut milk has a higher fat content than the other alternatives, and almond milk has higher protein. I prefer the taste of almond, and it's easier to cook with, so we use that unless we're trying to get extra calories into LO. But a few nursings a day does meet the nutritional needs of LO, in addition to table foods.

Just FYI--you are completely wrong about almond milk. Almond milk only has 40 calories per 8 ounce serving. It only has 2 grams of fat per serving (fat is incredibly vital for a baby's growing brain) and it only has 1 measly gram of protein (vs. the 8 grams of protein found in every serving of cow's milk). Do NOT give your baby almond milk, unless you are under the care of an allergist or other pediatric specialist who has recommended this--it simply is not and will never be a substitute for cow or goat milk. Alo, just fyi, coconut milk has an incredible amount of saturated fat, much higher than cow's milk.

ncbelle · December 2012

I've never given cow's milk on a regular basis even after Callum weaned right before 2 (Eleanor is still nursing). Even if you just nursed morning and night and kiddo had one serving of cheese or yogurt you'd be fine. There's nothing magic about cow's milk - it's just convenient!

lisac1017 · December 2012

Thanks for the replies. There is no inolerance that I am aware of. I would tend to avoid soy and almond no protein in almond. I just dont know how good cows milk really is. I think maybe avocado and goats milk will be able to fill in the gaps if I continue to nurse. And who am I kidding...DS will likely nurse 2x overnight til he's 5! At least that's how it feels. :

shotzie · December 2012

sooner1981:

Rynna:
I prefer not to give cow's milk because I have a dairy sensitivity, and the human body is just not designed to digest it. Coconut milk has a higher fat content than the other alternatives, and almond milk has higher protein. I prefer the taste of almond, and it's easier to cook with, so we use that unless we're trying to get extra calories into LO. But a few nursings a day does meet the nutritional needs of LO, in addition to table foods.

Just FYI--you are completely wrong about almond milk. Almond milk only has 40 calories per 8 ounce serving. It only has 2 grams of fat per serving (fat is incredibly vital for a baby's growing brain) and it only has 1 measly gram of protein (vs. the 8 grams of protein found in every serving of cow's milk). Do NOT give your baby almond milk, unless you are under the care of an allergist or other pediatric specialist who has recommended this--it simply is not and will never be a substitute for cow or goat milk. Alo, just fyi, coconut milk has an incredible amount of saturated fat, much higher than cow's milk.

Coconut milk has 5g of saturated fat/cup. Whole cow's milk has 5g saturated fat/cup. Cow's milk is meant for baby cows, just like human milk is meant for human babies. We can get all the vitamins/protein/nutrients we need through other foods. Avocado is a great source of *healthy* fats. Saturated fat is not healthy.

sooner1981 · December 2012

Yes, cow's milk is intended for cows and human milk is intended for babies. But, I would argue from a purely scientific standard, that milk intended for a four-apendaged, warm-blooded mammal is probably much better suited for a human baby than milk meant to nourish the future seedlings of a tropical fruit. Just a thought.

Also, the main point of my comment was that almond milk is 100% not suited for a baby's needs. If a child is still nursing and eating cheese/yogurt (or even like 8 cups of spinach a day plus a healthy dose of avocado for those essential fats that baby's brain can't develop without--which I can't imagine a toddler doing, but godspeed if someone wants to try that course!), then cow's milk is much less important. But if we are talking about reasonable alternatives to human milk, then I would put cow's milk and goat's milk (preferably organic) at the top of my list.

jlsimon56 · December 2012

My LO started rejecting my frozen BM at daycare so now she just gets water there and BFs at home - 4pm, 8pm, and 1-2x overnight. She eats tons of cheese and yogurt so I am not at all concerned about needing to add milk to her diet. We will be revisiting this at her 18mo. appt. next month.

huskymomma94 · December 2012

sooner1981:

Yes, cow's milk is intended for cows and human milk is intended for babies. But, I would argue from a purely scientific standard, that milk intended for a four-apendaged, warm-blooded mammal is probably much better suited for a human baby than milk meant to nourish the future seedlings of a tropical fruit. Just a thought.

Also, the main point of my comment was that almond milk is 100% not suited for a baby's needs. If a child is still nursing and eating cheese/yogurt (or even like 8 cups of spinach a day plus a healthy dose of avocado for those essential fats that baby's brain can't develop without--which I can't imagine a toddler doing, but godspeed if someone wants to try that course!), then cow's milk is much less important. But if we are talking about reasonable alternatives to human milk, then I would put cow's milk and goat's milk (preferably organic) at the top of my list.

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