Do babies need cow's milk while breastfeeding?

[freddie]

Ok so I know that the advice is that once babies turn 1 they need a certain amount of cow's milk for calcium and vitamin D (and maybe other stuff?) I think I read that it's about 2 cups a day. I've just been wondering if they get these vitamins/ nutrients from breast milk? So, if LO is still breastfeeding at a year/ 18 months/ 2 years, would he need cow's milk in addition to this?

 

[TigerLady]

No. They never need cow's milk if they are BF AND on a multi vit with vit D.

 

[Berri]

Still breastfeeding my nearly 16mth old (though recently he's cut this back to once a day). Anyway, he's not big on drinking milk so maybe has 3/4 cup a day in the afternoon but he LOVES to eat his dairy (cheese, yoghurt etc.). We make sure he gets lots of outside time when the weather's good for vit d and do mutli-vitamin during the winter months.

 

[freddie]

Thanks for the replies... I currently take a multi vitamin with vitamin D which I think he gets some of through my milk? When is this not enough and therefore when will I need to give him his own vitamin D supplement? Being out in the sun would be good if we had much lol plus I have SUPER sensitive skin in the sun and frazzle within minutes so he'll probably be kept out of it a lot!

What about the calcium? Can he get that from breast milk/ food?

It does seem weird that as humans we'd have to drink milk from another animal to get all the nutrients we require

 

[Dragonfly]

No humans never need cows milk.

 

[summer rain]

UK cows' milk doesn't contain measurable levels of vitamin D anyway-it has to be added in to cows' milk in the US for this reason but isn't routinely added here. Cows' milk (and other animal milks) are also one of the worst ways to get calcium, because of the high protein content of cows' milk and it being slightly acidic the body has to work hard to extract calcium from it, losing calcium from the bones in the process. Some recent research has shown that magnesium probably plays a more important role in building strong bones than calcium anyway xx

 

[freddie]

No humans never need cows milk.

Well that's what I kinda thought was logical! Just wondering about the vitamin D/ calcium needed by LO but seems it's added to milk anyway so a multivitamin would do that job... Why don't they just recommend a multi vitamin rather than saying they have to drink cow's milk?!

 

[Dragonfly]

I dont know they make it sound like its vital yet people like me cant take milk and arnt dead yet. You can get all the vits elsewhere as you said. Mine take milk in cereal but have exema from it I am sure. Which is something I get from milk too. So we dont have to much of it I have none.

 

[freddie]

Yeah I am actually a little lactose intolerant so I find if I have a lot of milk/ cheese I end up feeling sick etc... Seems like it might be better to find an alternative!

 

[Dragonfly]

I have the allergic reactions, my eyes swell out and I get allergic conjunctives. I had it for years and my doc blamed my cats. Eventually worked out once the exema started and really bad asthma it was milk. My eyes are great now , to think all that for years was over my milk I was drinking. I see loads of people with the same in my family that wont stop milk and babies too. I feel for them as it really wasnt a good thing.

 

[summer rain]

Majority of the world's population older than toddler age are lactose intolerant, yet the dairy industry makes it appear that calcium from dairy products is essential to health. If this was the case most humans would be suffering myriad health problems Xx