Feta Cheese - safe for babies/toddlers?

[bluebutterfly]

Hubby fed 13.5 DS (who has a bit of a cold) some spinach/feta cheese ravioli tonight. Is feta cheese safe for babies/toddlers?

[askew]

Of course. Why would you think otherwise?

Most feta in this country is pasteurized. Aside from that there is a large school of thought that believes that raw milk and dairy is the safest and healthiest form to consume. I only ate raw dairy while pregnant and give my DS almost exclusively raw dairy.

www.realmilk.com


Some think dairy is not good while sick, as it can be mucous forming. In this case, it might be best to limit while sick, but won't be horrible in one small dose.

[ErinBird]

Why wouldn't it be?

Its hard work to find raw/unpasteurized milk and cheeses in the US and even then, many people believe that raw animals milk is superior to pasteurized.

[seemfrog]

I'm assuming the question has to do with Feta being a "soft cheese" and is recommended to be avoided while pregnant or with babies:

"Some aged and soft cheeses — such as feta, brie, blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses like "queso blanco" or "queso fresco" — are off-limits to babies, says Tanner. Those cheeses are at a higher risk of being contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a form of bacteria that can cause fatal food-borne illness, especially in infants, pregnant women, and the elderly. While the risk is slight, avoiding aged or soft cheeses — especially unpasteurized varieties— is the best way to avoid this danger."

I think that the recommendation to avoid these is less when over 1yr.
I got this from http://www.babycenter.com/408_when-c...ese_1368504.bc (first place I could find it).

[AppleCrisp]

I had no idea some cheeses were off limits to babies. DS has been eating feta since 15 months or so. I doubt there's too much to worry about.

[lexbeach]

I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Lex

[heatherweh]

Wow, interesting. We use queso blanco or queso fresco for all our quesadillas and DS loves them. I hadn't considered that it might be dangerous, but I do notice that they have to be used relatively quickly as compared to say, Kraft cheddar or something... Good question...

[Past_VNE]

It's yet another case of US fear mongering, if you ask me. All foods have risks and some are slightly higher than others. I'll worry about the mercury in my tuna salad far sooner than I'd worry about the raw cheeses that I actively scope out for their myriad of health benefits.

[SevenVeils]

Originally Posted by Past_VNE

It's yet another case of US fear mongering, if you ask me.

:

I've never heard of feta being anything but, you know, cheese

My kids all love it, have all devoured it as one of their first foods. I'd be more concerned about whether the ravioli had white flour or any additives (like preservatives etc) than the feta, personally.