Suggestions for introducting dairy products

  • Tuesday, June 28, 2011 11:59 AM
    Message # 633608

    My son is 11 months and I am starting to think of introducing dairy products including milk.  Any suggestions for what worked for you would be appreciated.  Did you use a bottle? Sippy cup? Did you substitute milk for formula/ nursing?  I would also like to introduce yogourt and cheese.  Any suggestions for brands/ types? Thanks in advance!  

  • Tuesday, June 28, 2011 3:37 PM
    Reply # 633719 on 633608
    Audrey wrote:

    My son is 11 months and I am starting to think of introducing dairy products including milk.  Any suggestions for what worked for you would be appreciated.  Did you use a bottle? Sippy cup? Did you substitute milk for formula/ nursing?  I would also like to introduce yogourt and cheese.  Any suggestions for brands/ types? Thanks in advance!  


    Hi Audrey!

    Yoghurt and Cheese can be started around 8 months actually.  Check out this link it explains why:

    http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/dairy.htm

    My son started by eating grated cheese first....cheddar and mozzarella.

    As for milk...my son still won't drink it so can't help you there.  :)

     

  • Thursday, June 30, 2011 8:59 PM
    Reply # 637205 on 633608

    I think my daughter was around 7 1/2 months when she started yoghurt (after we'd tried cereal, veggies, fruits from 6 months).  We still buy Astro Balkan Style plain yoghurt and she still loves it at 15 months.   I started weaning her from breastfeeding at 10 1/2 months to get ready to go back to work and started introducing a sippy cup of Homo milk around the time of each feed I was trying to go down, each week I dropped 1 feed and substituted milk.   I think I started cheese around 8 or 9 months in some recipes I got from a Sick Kids Baby Recipe book.   

    Hope that helps.  You will notice a big change in their stool when you start milk !

  • Monday, July 04, 2011 1:55 PM
    Reply # 643666 on 633608
    Start slowly - milk and milk products can be hard to digest.
    We waited until our son was 1 yr old and it took us a few months of trying then backing off, then trying again before he'd tolerate it well. Watch his stools, watch for gas or rashes and you'll know if an allergy or sensitivity may be present. Most kids grow out of it, but it can be quite uncomfortable, so that's why I say take it slow and small amounts to start.

    We used organic only also so that we knew it was not the hormones or chemicals present in some processed milk. Organic milk can be easier to digest and isn't typically processed at high heat that kills a lot of the good bacteria. We also chose Stoney Creek yogurt since they are organic and full fat which is good for babies of that age. My son still loves them both!

    This was a helpful website in general as you switch from baby to toddler years --
    http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/index.htm

    Good luck!
  • Monday, July 04, 2011 2:43 PM
    Reply # 643700 on 633608

    My nearly 18 month old daughter had yogurt (plain, balkan style) with fruit or fruit puree mixed in from around 9 months and shredded cheese before that.   She won't drink cow's milk at all so I can't help there.  My daughter will eat yogurt with her fingers or a spoon, and yes, it is VERY messy! (but fun for her).

    While organic is great, it is good to know that Canadian milk does not contain hormones or antibiotics as this is much more strictly controlled than in the US.  If you are reading US info, keep this is mind as the regulations here and there are different.

  • Tuesday, July 05, 2011 6:28 AM
    Reply # 644009 on 633608

    We really like the brand of yogurt called L'il Ones.  You can get it at most grocery stores.  It has natural fruit and fruit juices rather than sugar as sweetners.

    When we started milk, I just started substituting a little bit of milk instead of formula/breast milk in a bottle for my daughter.  My son (twins) would never take a bottle, so we just gave him a little bit of milk in a sippy cup to try it out and he loved it right from the start.

    good luck!

  • Saturday, July 09, 2011 7:44 PM
    Reply # 649565 on 633608
    Thanks so much for all your comments.  I appreciate it.  We started yogurt last week and my son loves it.  I'll be starting milk in the next couple of weeks.  Thanks again! 
  • Tuesday, April 03, 2012 8:40 PM
    Reply # 881276 on 633608
    I followed the mediterranean diet on introducing solids. We were in Italy for 3 months during my mat leave which was the exact time to start feeding solid food. I went to a pediatrician there who gave me the diet that all parents followed, and it included full-fat yogurt, ricotta and cottage cheese and parmesan...from 6 months!! I think our food regimen is too strict and overly specific in North America. This is how they feed babies in Italy and their rate of food related allergies is significantly lower than it is here!!! Hope that helps! 
  • Tuesday, April 03, 2012 8:41 PM
    Reply # 881277 on 633608
    Almost forgot! I have a blog called www.bitesforbabies.com. There is a specific blog where I give details on this diet called "When in Rome do as the Romans do"...you might find this helpful! ;-)

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