Cow's milk

[apples and bananas]

So here's an interesting one. I had a parent send me a text message at lunch time today asking me to no longer feed her 22 month old milk. She wants him to only have water. She's read some not so flattering stories on cows milk and thinks that he doesn't need the dairy anyways so she's going to cut him off.

What are you thoughts on cutting a child off of milk cold turkey. He loves his milk by the way. I have to make him eat his food first then give it to him because he drinks the whole thing at once.

[Sandbox Sally]

I think it's fine. I do not think that humans need cow milk. I think it *can* provide some nutrition benefits, but these benefits can also come from other foods.

[Skysue]

They really don't need it past 12 months if they are eating a healthy diet, unless they are under there weight %.

[playfelt]

Ask her what her plan is to supplement the calcium for the bones and teeth. I know some have posted that humans are the only ones that drink the milk of other animals but we are also the only ones that don't chew the bones of our meat kills to get the marrow and calcium from them - hence the need for an alternate source and milk - cow, goat, whatever fills that gap cheaper than other sources.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I am another one who feels as long as their diet is rich in other sources of calcium no need for 'cows milk' .... is she saying no DAIRY at all or just no milk in cup?

These are good alternatives for dairy free sources of calcium ... switching out wheat flour for an almond flour in baking can 'hid' calcium too in things like muffins.

• Salmon
• Tofu
• Flax Seed
• Rhubarb
• Collard greens / Kale
• Spinach
• Okra
• White beans
• Baked beans
• Broccoli
• Peas
• Brussel sprouts
• Sesame seeds
• Bok choy
• Almonds / Brazil nuts
• Figs

[apples and bananas]

good suggestions. I don't think she's cutting out dairy, I think she read an article on cows milk and it's scared her out of feeding it to him at all. LOL To each their own I guess.

He get's lots of other dairy and calcium rich foods here, so, it's just less milk I have to buy I guess.

[Momof4]

Reggio, thanks for the list of calcium rich products, but the only thing on that entire list that my daycare children would eat is broccoli and 2 out of 5 of them won't even eat broccoli!

Why do parents read an article and go overboard? I bet her doctor will have a thing or two to say to her about cutting her child off dairy.

[Inspired by Reggio]

LOL - gotta train em up young ... I will admit I do not serve brussel sprouts cause they STINK so nasty I myself have never acquired the taste and am trying to figure out how to make the Kale chips so that they are indeed 'chips' for them to try but have been hiding some cut up tiny in our 'baby greens' salad with the spinach and romaine ... but the rest I serve regularly cause I myself do not drink milk or eat a lot of dairy outside of 'hard cheese' so need to get calcium in my own diet.

Rhubarb is easy to hide in 'applesauce' BTW and in muffins with another fruit like Strawberry or something so they do not know they are getting it ...and it freezes nice over the winter and is often FREE if you have a friend who grows any they are always looking to get rid of it cause it is a weed that takes over everywhere - my MIL provides me with tubs full.

Other things I admit I 'hide' in pureed veggie sauces in stews and pasta sauces or I make salad dressings from scratch and hide 'pureed veggies' in with the seasoning and oil ...

Please things like tofu have no 'flavor' itself and if you get the 'soft' stuff it will blend into a cheese sauce for noodles....just gotta be careful with too much tofu as a replacement cause it is high in natural estrogen and well too much of that is not a good thing in a diet either

Salmon & cream cheese wraps are yummy - chill them and cut them 'bite size' and serve with toothpicks with other bite size items like cherry tomatoes or diced peppers, cubed fruit to make em fun to eat. Also hide it in casserole like 'tuna casserole' only with salmon. Also can make nice 'fish sticks' with them - salmon patties on a bun.

Grind up the nuts in the coffee grinder to make 'flour' out of them and swap out a cup of regular flour for nut flour...add in some flax seeds or sesame seeds too and they cannot tell the difference between the texture of the 'nuts' and the seeds.

When someone picks that the menu serve 'chicken nuggets' or 'fish sticks' because I cook from scratch I also add sesame seeds to the 'breading' for them to sneak some in there too .... gives them a nice flavor when they brown and the kids just get 'used' to them being in there cause they want 'chicken nuggets' or 'fish sticks' and well that is how those are served here so I can eat them too

I have been lucky - while I tend to always have 'one picky eater' on enrollment at one time or another the others have all be strong eaters who bring the picky one around ... however they either eat what is served or they go hungry until the next snack or meal

[Spixie33]

My son became allergic to cow milk at about 13 months old. I have had a few doctors tell me that they don't believe kids need cow milk and they don't think it is healthy.

They said salmon bones, broccoli, etc were all great sources.

I now give my son Almond milk and he loves it and he gets Omega 3s from it. They also have orange juice that has calcium in it. Tropicana and Simply Orange have it.

There is life without cow milk. In a way you are drinking the breast milk of another animal which really doesn't make much sense.

One of the doctors was from a children's Hospital and the other was a Cardiologist. It also made me stop and wonder but I believe that cow's milk shouldn't be the be all and end all of calcium.

[Momof4]

I also buy the orange juice with calcium in it because my little weirdos do NOT like yogurt! So cheese and milk are the only dairy products I serve to them. They also don't like cottage cheese. I have picky eaters here, one won't eat veggies so I double her fruit, you just serve as balanced and healthy a diet as possible and if they are growing and thriving you are doing a good job. The parents are responsible for giving them nutrition too don't forget.