diet for a 2 year old

[MrsBone]

Okay, so my DS is 23 mo old, and has had issues with dairy from the very first time I gave it to him at 12 months. I even gave him raw, organic unprocessed cows milk and he became gassy and constipated. That was the main reason I continued to breastfeed him. We just weaned about a month ago due to pregnancy. Anyway, he can eat butter and yogurt okay, but that's about it. Milk and cheese and ice cream still seem to bother him. I think it must be a lactose intolerance since he can handle butter and yogurt okay. I'm just wondering since he's not BFing anymore should I be supplementing his diet with anything else? He won't drink almond or coconut milk that often. He'd just rather have water or watered down juice. I do give him a gummy vitamin and let him drink san pellegrino occasionally (minerals) and give him blackstrap molasses and nutritional yeast for b vitamins. He eats plenty of protein in the form of nuts, meat and yogurt and is okay with veggies. He eats lots of fruit but very little grain since we are gluten intolerant as well. We usually eat beans, but since becoming pregnant, I've not been able to tolerate too many carb-y meals, like too much potato, beans and grains. We've been eating very meat/veggie based meals. I try to make sure he eats my homemade beef or chicken stock weekly to get in minerals and vitamins. Do you all think he's getting enough nutrition without milk?

[sapphire_chan]

Sounds more than fine to me. Might make a note of all the sources of calcium he's getting in case someone makes a fuss because some people seem to think that milk is the only food that has it, but you could probably also point out to those types that yogurt is made of milk.

As for coconut/almond milk, those have different nutrients than dairy, and it sounds like he's getting plenty of excellent fats from other sources.

[sosurreal09]

DD is still nursing but she loves unsweetened so delicious coconut milk. i use it mostly in her cereal and things since she nurses but she gulps it down if i have a glass too lol its really healthy and doesnt taste like coconut. what kind do you give him? i found the original and the vanilla to have an aftertaste. i personally dont like any other milks.

hes probably doing ok with his diet. i would maybe try and give him some more "milk" though...smoothie or something.

[Marissamom]

sounds fine to me! though I'm guessing it's an issue with dairy protein, not Lactose, because the sugar in breastmilk is lactose (the protein in yogurt is broken down, and there's basically no protein in butter, that's why even people with dairy allergies can often tolerate them)

[bella99]

I agree it's probably the dairy protein and not lactose.

If you want to add a "milk", have you tried goat's milk?  We just transitioned (successfully) back to cow's milk, but my daughter was on goat milk for almost a year.  It's pricey, but it doesn't sound like you'd be using it as a main staple of his diet anyway.

[MrsBone]

I tried raw, local goats milk and he had the same reaction. So yeah, not sure if it's casein or lactose. All I know is that he can eat yogurt and butter just fine, so I guess I'll just make sure he eats lots of yogurt! :)

[MrsBone]

Originally Posted by sosurreal09 

DD is still nursing but she loves unsweetened so delicious coconut milk. i use it mostly in her cereal and things since she nurses but she gulps it down if i have a glass too lol its really healthy and doesnt taste like coconut. what kind do you give him? i found the original and the vanilla to have an aftertaste. i personally dont like any other milks.

hes probably doing ok with his diet. i would maybe try and give him some more "milk" though...smoothie or something.

He's tried the unsweetened, and honestly he likes the coconut flavor better. I can't stand the unsweetened..it tastes like nothing! :) I like to buy cans of coconut milk though, and scrape the cream off the top and eat it, so I'm a bit of a coconut milk snob! :)

[sosurreal09]

lol that sure sounds yummy though!!

i wouldnt worry about it too much just try and give him the best balanced diet you can and go from there. you may want to supp vitamin D though.

[MrsBone]

I give him a gummy vitamin which has vitamin D in it..I'm wondering if I should give him more?

[sosurreal09]

probably not just read the label that hes getting an accurate amount based on weight.