Infants: Formula vs. Raw Milk

[wohneli]

My wife and I have drank raw cow milk for several years and have loved it. We have never been sick from it.
We have a 3 month old whom the pediatritian says is gaining weight slowly. We are considering a home-made raw milk based formula for her.
Does anyone have any experience with infants and non-traditional formulas?
Thanks

 

[hennypenny9]

Hi, I just googled "cows milk for infants" and got tons of info. Here's a quote I found.

Whole cows' Milk can be introduced after nine months of age. For infants under six months, cows' milk protein is hard to digest, the fat is poorly absorbed, and the mineral content is too high. For infants under nine months, reliance on cows' milk as the main source of energy may not provide enough iron.

By nine months, the infant's intestinal tract has matured, and whole cows' milk may be introduced. At this stage, the infant should be consuming iron-rich foods such as iron fortified cereals, and vegetables and fruit containing vitamin C. Iron deficiency anemia should be less of a concern at this point.

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/cowsmilk.html Or this site. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002448.htm

Hope that helps.​

 

[wohneli]

The recipe we have includes whey and lactose in small amounts which is meant to help the digestive process. It also has Cod Liver Oil(yuck), yeast, and other nutritional supplements.

 

[lisahaschickens]

I believe that raw milk is supposed to be avoided by infants, the very old, and those with compromised immune systems. This is because it contains naturally-occurring bacteria that can be too much for a not-perfect immune system. I would google "raw milk for infants" or something and read up. I could be totally wrong about it. I love the idea of your diet for your baby, so I would hope it's OK. I would just be very careful. Good luck to you.

 

[hennypenny9]

I did some more looking, and assume that your recipe is based off of Sally Fallon's? Very interesting stuff. I remember my mom saying that I didn't get cows milk until I was a toddler, but of course she was talking about pasteurized cows milk, which she says is hard of a baby's stomach. (I also didn't get high fructose corn syrup until I was 6) I think a main issue would be that the milk is untainted.

I'm sorry I have no experience with this, but I did learn something today! There's another older thread somewhere regarding raw milk that I followed. I've never had it, and more and more I want to!

 

[cassie]

I wouldn't feed raw milk to an infant. I also would never feed an infant commercial formula. It is essentially milk replacer with a fancy name. I find that baby calves and baby goats do a whole lot better on milk than they do on milk replacer. I can't believe the same wouldn't be true for baby people. If your baby is having trouble, I would put it on goat milk. If you can find a book on baby care put out in the '40's and maybe '50's, there should be some baby formulas using canned milk. Or write Carnation. They should have something in their archives. I would use the canned goat milk instead of canned cow milk. Or even pasteurized goat milk. You might see if you can contact Jackson-Mitchell. They sell goat milk nationwide. See if they have an infant formula. You can google them. If you have a neighbor who will sell you goat milk, it isn't that hard to pasteurize it yourself. You can just heat it to 165 degrees.

 

[Chirpy]

If you decide to use raw milk.... I'd suggest you use goats milk, not cows milk. It's much easier on the stomach and better for your baby. When babies can't drink formulas Doctors here often prescribe raw goats milk.

I personally don't have experience with this though... just passing along what I've been told. I do LOVE raw goats milk and all our children drink it but the youngest was four when we started with milk goats.

 

[briteday]

I would instead find the underlying reason why your baby is below the growth curve for weight.

 

[jambunny]

Definantly try goat milk but I am not sure about raw for an infant but there is less chance of allergy, the globuals are smaller and easier to digest. We use raw goats milk at our house but we have no infants. ALSO your baby might have a health problem that needs a more serious solution that just a change in milk.

 

[wohneli]

Quote:
Mom is not producing enough to make her gain the recommended 4oz per week. She is gaining only 2-3oz per week.
We are working with a pediatrician and a lactation counselor. There is no health problem other than slow weight gain.