dairy:how much is too much for toddler?

[Janelovesmax]

Warning: I had to wean, HAD to wean at 5mo, so please no comments such as: animal milk is for baby animals.

I'm worried that my son is drinking/eating too much dairy and not enough of other things. Like yesterday he ate:

Morning - Stonyfield "yo-baby" yogurt
Mid-morning - 5 1/2oz of raw goat's milk
Afternoon - raw cottage cheese from pastured cows mixed with fruit
Lunch - Beet soup (Ukrainian borsch) with cabbage and carrots (all organic). And 2 grass-fed beef meatbals.
At around 5pm he has another fruit such as bananas or peaches, or apples
Dinner - oatmeal with raw goat's milk
Right before bed another 6oz of goat's milk.

Yes, he is eating all healthy organic foods, and it seems as it's a lot, but he is lean and long and is not gaining that well. Also, seems like he is eating way too much dairy!

What do you all think? He is 14mo.

[twins10705]

It doesn't really sound like too much dairy to me -- although I would include some raw free-range egg(you can blend it up in his goat milk kind of like egg nog) each day for extra nourishment. I don't use the yo-baby yogurt because of all the sugar, I just use regular whole milk yogurt and add some banana or even use it as a savory sauce for meat.

[AJP]

That doesn't sound like too much dairy to me, since it's good quality. His body needs the things in milk, and what you describe sounds healthy to me. I'd be trying to get eggs into him, too, though, and looking for an alternative to the Yo-baby (like plain yogurt mixed with fruit, maple syrup or whole sugar so I could control the amount of sweetening).

[Sweetiemommy]

I think that sounds fine. Even the mainstream books will tell you to serve your toddler at least 3 cups of dairy per day. I'm sure it is higher for a younger baby (I didn't notice how old your baby is). My son drinks about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of raw cow milk, breastfeeds several times a day and eats yogurt and cottage cheese daily. He also snacks on cheese once or twice a day. He still eats other foods, so I feel that he is getting adequate nutrition.

[Janelovesmax]

Yes, I tried different types of yogurt with fruit: greek yogurt plain, raw cow's yogurt plain, but he really loves yo-baby, more then any other! And I just try to feed him what he likes since he is on the slimmer side.

I did forget to mention that that was just one day I described, he eats a lot of avocado, at least 3-4times a week, sweet potato, spinach and he eats few egg yolks a week from pastured chickens. I am not sure about raw egg. Is it safe?

Also, I give him about 1 teaspoon of raw butter a day.

[twins10705]

Originally Posted by Janelovesmax

Yes, I tried different types of yogurt with fruit: greek yogurt plain, raw cow's yogurt plain, but he really loves yo-baby, more then any other! And I just try to feed him what he likes since he is on the slimmer side.

I did forget to mention that that was just one day I described, he eats a lot of avocado, at least 3-4times a week, sweet potato, spinach and he eats few egg yolks a week from pastured chickens. I am not sure about raw egg. Is it safe?

Also, I give him about 1 teaspoon of raw butter a day.

Raw pastured eggs are even safer than raw milk as there is really no processing involved -- if the shell looks clean and your source is clean there should be no problem. I've eaten raw egg yolks since I was a young child(the nasty commercial ones for most of my life) and I have never been sick from them.

[provocativa]

I agree with the egg recommendation, you could even add it to the cottage cheese. . . it seems like his diet is awesome. One of the things I do is to figure out what I'm fixing her. . . then think of the highest fat way to do that. It was hard for me to overcome conditioning, but once you get going, it's fun. Like, I float heavy cream (easier when they start with more bovine dairy) on top of chocolate milk, oatmeal, and load good fats on vegetables. Finish every sauce with butter and cream. My daughter will tell you about the difference between nurse milk and cow milk, and cow cream. Since she could ask for it she has had many many pats of butter, whenever she wants them.

[Janelovesmax]

Originally Posted by twins10705

Raw pastured eggs are even safer than raw milk as there is really no processing involved -- if the shell looks clean and your source is clean there should be no problem. I've eaten raw egg yolks since I was a young child(the nasty commercial ones for most of my life) and I have never been sick from them.

Thank you! But what do you mean "clean shell". How can you tell the egg is good from the shell?

[Janelovesmax]

Originally Posted by provocativa

I agree with the egg recommendation, you could even add it to the cottage cheese. . . it seems like his diet is awesome. One of the things I do is to figure out what I'm fixing her. . . then think of the highest fat way to do that. It was hard for me to overcome conditioning, but once you get going, it's fun. Like, I float heavy cream (easier when they start with more bovine dairy) on top of chocolate milk, oatmeal, and load good fats on vegetables. Finish every sauce with butter and cream. My daughter will tell you about the difference between nurse milk and cow milk, and cow cream. Since she could ask for it she has had many many pats of butter, whenever she wants them.

Thank you. I drive myself nuts with this. I always try to find the best things to feed him and worry about it way too much.