Raw Milk for 12 month old

[Haley Bixby]

My DS will turn 1 year old in January and I am planning on transitioning him to whole milk. Right now he is strictly on infant formula. I have found a reputible, local farm where I can buy raw milk and I would very much like to transition him right to that and not give him any pasturized milk. I have never had raw milk myself, however, and I am a little nervous about it. I would feel much better if I could drink it for a few weeks before putting him on it, but I am pregnant and don't feel comfortable drinking it while pregnant. Is there anyone who gives raw milk to their baby that young? If so, have you ever had any problems?

[mommy212]

The way I see it, people have always drank raw milk before very recently. Visit the farm and if the animals and conditions are clean, feel comfortable! I haven't fed my DS raw milk because of the cost, but I would feel great about doing it if I could.

[Megan73]

I wouldn't feed my one-year-old something I wouldn't eat myself, even while pregnant.
I can understand the reasons for drinking raw milk - pasteurization kills friendly bacteria, too - but I personally wouldn't do it, particularly with a baby because there are periodic outbreaks of illness.
Could you feed your babe organic pasteurized milk and make sure he eats cultured dairy foods like yogurt for the probiotics?

[cristeen]

Most children are not ready to be transitioned to cow's milk at 1 yo, IMO.  Unless he is eating a significant amount of solids to get his nutrients in, he still needs at least some formula.  I wouldn't hesitate to introduce milk at that age, but not to completely remove his main source of nutrition.  Most kids at 1 are not eating enough solids to justify that. 

That being said, raw milk does need to be introduced slowly anyway, because it takes the body some time to adjust to the bacteria load.  Moving too quickly can lead to diarrhea and stomach cramps.  For a LO, I'd probably start at about 1/4 c (2 oz) a day for a week or so, and then slowly increase it. 

I also wouldn't hesitate to drink it myself (in fact I do drink it myself, and I'm almost 17 weeks pg).  Following the same introduction guidelines (for an adult I'd start around 6-8 oz/day though), of course.  I would hesitate to give my LO something I wasn't willing to eat myself though (although I still do it sometimes, I've never actually tasted his formula for instance). 

Have you talked to any of the other people that get milk from this particular farm?  Can you ask the farmer for references?  I'd talk to some people who have gotten milk from this particular farm, which is going to be better information for you than from random people who get their milk from farmers scattered across the country/world.  Visit the farm, ask about cleanliness/safe handling practices.  Talk to other customers, preferably long-term ones about their experiences, both with the milk and with the farmer. 

To give you an idea: I've been getting raw milk from our cow share for almost a year now and have never had an issue with it (beyond learning the hard way not to introduce it too quickly).  My farmer has never had a reported health problem.  When Fukushima Daiichi went nuclear, he plowed under his fields, bought safe hay (at great personal expense), and tested his milk regularly (also at personal expense) until all signs of contamination had passed.  He shared those test results with his customers, both via email and by posting them at the pick up point, and allowed us to make the decisions on whether we were comfortable with the level of contamination (how many big dairies did that?).  He is at the pick-up point almost every week, and hosts farm days several times a year when they encourage everybody to come out and pitch in for a day (and have a picnic).  He's really open and honest about what's going on, and even lets us know when he's having supply issues with his cows (like people their milk supplies peak and wane). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone interested, except for the fact that he can't keep up with demand, so his wait list is about a year long (that's how long it took me to get a share). 

HTH

[~Amy~]

I haven't given my younger son straight cow's milk yet (he's had it in stuff, like oatmeal, smoothies, etc), but raw is all we drink here.  We've been drinking it for about a year (I started drinking it while pregnant...no issues, not even digestive ones).  When I do introduce milk in a cup, it will be raw.

[Mama505]

Goat milk is more easily digested than cow's milk, if you can find a source.  I agree with 'cristeen' about talking with the farmer and his/her customers and drinking it yourself.  I never really drink straight milk anymore, just use it in cereals and teas and for cheese and such.  But when I was pregnant, I could down a quart of milk still warm from milking!  Know your source and raw milk is the best!

[jolenegreen]

I tried it with 2 of my boys..transitioning them right over to organic USDA certified Raw milk and both of them broke out in terrible rashes wich looked like a burn and stayed with them for 6-8 months afterwards...the dr said it was the protien in the milk? IDK...

I tried again with my daughter when she was about 14 months old and she took it fine and still drinks it fine at 18 months...