Transitioning to almond milk?

DahliaFlower · June 2014

Question for moms w/ LO at the 12 month mark ready to transition from BM / formula to WCM or alternatives:

I am interested in exploring the possibility of transitioning from BM to almond milk rather than cow's milk. If anyone has done this, I would be interested in hearing your reasons for choosing almond milk and any concerns you had. Did you give a DHA supplement to LO? I am not planning to avoid dairy altogether - I would still do full fat yogurt, cheese and eggs.

I would appreciate hearing your opinions. TIA!

=Lee=B · June 2014

If you plan to give full fat dairy alternatives it may not be an issue but my daughter has a dairy intolerance and we were told by our pediatric dietician that the almond/soy/coconut milks do not meet the dietary requirements of children under age 2. Their brains and bodies NEED fat and proteins and these alternative milks just do not have enough.

But, my daughter can't have the cheese and yogurt and all that either so that may be the difference for your case.

Just wanted to put it out there for consideration though.

Bornearth · June 2014

We transitioned from breast to almond milk. Now we drink coconut milk because I found out I was allergic to almonds but I think either milk alternative is fine. Our son did and does eat full fat yogurt and cheeses so our pediatrician did not recommend any supplements. Our son is now 3 1/2 and growing strong. We plan to avoid cows milk with our daughter too, when the time comes. If for any reason you feel you need cows milk, it should be organic to ensure that it is hormone free. Good luck.

minervacullen · June 2014

@Nana_Osaki06‌ uses alternatives with her children. I'm pretty sure they do meet nutritional needs for fat as well.

nanabanana06 · June 2014

We did Almond milk instead of WCM due to my son having MPI. I did tons of research before picking my alternative milk though. There's pro's and con's of each type. I chose almond milk since it was easily available, has moderate protein, and is high in calcium. Almond milk is not high in fat though, so you have to make up for the lack of fat elsewhere in his diet. Other options are:

Coconut milk- Moderate fat, no protein, calcium. High in saturated fat
Soy Milk- Moderate fat, moderate protein, calcium. Can be very high in sugar and is controversial.
Rice Milk- No fat, no protein, high in sugar. Very hypoallergenic
Hemp Milk- Moderate fat, moderate protein, calcium, high in Omega 3's and 6's

There are other options, but those are typically harder to find. In all Hemp milk is the most rounded for babies. I used it for LO when I could get my hands on it. Transitioning was no big deal. We just replaced formula with it in his cups and he took right to it. Since then he has finally passed his dairy tolerance test and is now on WCM without issues. We no longer have to make up for what his diet lacks since now he is getting the fats he needs. If he doesn't NEED almond milk in his diet, I wouldn't do it. WCM is so beneficial for this age. However, it won't hurt them if you do. GL!

Sunshineflo · June 2014

We did not do cows milk, but like you did full fat yogurt, cheese, etc. My pediatrician did not have any concerns with me not giving her cow's milk and my daughter isn't on any supplements. I do almond milk but really she drinks water most of the time. She does get cheese and yogurt everyday.

ScarletOflaherty · June 2014

=Lee=B said:

If you plan to give full fat dairy alternatives it may not be an issue but my daughter has a dairy intolerance and we were told by our pediatric dietician that the almond/soy/coconut milks do not meet the dietary requirements of children under age 2. Their brains and bodies NEED fat and proteins and these alternative milks just do not have enough.
But, my daughter can't have the cheese and yogurt and all that either so that may be the difference for your case.
Just wanted to put it out there for consideration though.

The problem with that is it goes under the assumption that milk/dairy is the only source of those things. They aren't. Babies don't *need* any kind of milk after a year if they are eating a good range of foods and getting the needed fat/protein/calcium elsewhere. Milk of any sort is just a convenient way to get those things.

valerie4977 · June 2014

A1 is a mutated beta-casein protein found in milk. Most cows in the United States have this A1 beta-casein. My LO will not be given this milk. Plus we are Blue Diamond Almond growers and love Almond Breeze. She does eat cheese though.

summererobinson · July 2014

My son gets almond milk. I just did it because I thought he would like it better because hes picky. He loves it. I just put it in a sippy cup and haven’t had any issues. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

vintageutopia · July 2014

Another thought...have you considered goat's milk?

jchytil · August 2014

My son did not care for cows milk refused it, so ped said we could do almond milk but just make sure he was getting some dairy from other sources like cottage cheese, yogurt, regular cheese.... He loved the almond milk because it is sweeter but eventually came around to drinking regular milk about 4 months later. good luck

clnelson8 · September 2014

I have my twins on goats milk instead of formula, once a day I put in their bottles iron, VD, children's probiotic, and fish oil. I had tried giving them cows milk and they both burst out into major rashes but when i tried the goats milk they seemed fine with it. I got this combination of supplements from a doctor, who also has pediatrician and natrupathy training, so i believe that this combination is dynamite!

DahliaFlower · September 2014

clnelson8 said:

I have my twins on goats milk instead of formula, once a day I put in their bottles iron, VD, children's probiotic, and fish oil. I had tried giving them cows milk and they both burst out into major rashes but when i tried the goats milk they seemed fine with it. I got this combination of supplements from a doctor, who also has pediatrician and natrupathy training, so i believe that this combination is dynamite!

Thanks for the info. Update: as of now, @ 11 months my LO is still getting BM in bottles (and nursing multiple times per day), but I have been occasionally been giving almond milk in cereal. He seems to like it OK. He eats a container of Yobaby yogurt every day and sometimes has some cottage cheese w/ mashed fruit. I am still unsure if I want him on cow's milk or if we would prefer to stick to almond milk.

I give him oatmeal fortified with iron, he gets Culturelle probiotic (seems to work well for him), Nordic Naturals DHA / fish oil and Carlson's Vitamin D. So, I think I have the supplements covered right? Except possibly more iron, but I've gone easy on that b/c he used to get constipated when he first started solids. What type of iron supplement do you use?

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