So my sister recently contacted me as she has had to take my nephew off dairy. Since I am a vegan she is looking for some resources. I however do not have kids and my nutritional abilities stop with kids. So I am hoping some of you expert mothers out there can help me. She said they recommend 16 oz a day of whole milk. What is a safe alternative to this for a 1 1/2 year old boy to help him get his fats & calcium?

Almond milk tastes the best personally, my kids love it as well.  I think it's nutritionally equivalent to cows milk with the exception of protein.  My doc said it was best choice, soy is okay, just not the 8 glasses a day my kids would have drank.  Rice milk is not often fortified like almond is.  You can always add some hemp powder to almond milk, or try hemp milk?(I never have)  Fats shouldn't be too hard, avocados, nut butters, olive oil...  I'm a big smoothie fan, and use frozen fruit, almond milk, peanut/almond butter, I use honey, you can then add hemp protein powder, even some avocado.  Tell her good luck and there are lots of options!

Hi Katrinia,

I'm reading The China Study and there is a section that addresses infants/children and dairy. It's VERY enlightening and I think very important.  I would suggest everyone read this book and suggest it to anyone with questions and concerns about dairy. 

hi katrina,

i have a 15 mo old son, and i give him (from eden foods) the soy/rice blend....he loves it!  once in awhile, to switch things up,  i do give him some almond milk, which he likes as well.....angela is right -- the fats/calcium don't all have to come from liquid sources, and the ones she listed are all tasty and nutritious!  chickpeas are loaded with calcium and great in soups, stews, and even roasted as a crunchy snack.  same with kale and other leafy greens......your sister could disguise the veggies in a smoothie, or mince/blend it in with other things, such as veggie chili, for example, if he won't eat it on his own.  my guy happens to eat all things i put in front of him, with the exception of bananas......hates them.  spits them out.  yet he eats spicy tofu curry!  too funny. 

hope this helps!

Jill

My mom had to take me off of milk a little bit earlier and soy milk (which is naturally suplemented if bought off the shelves) filled the void. 

My son is almost 16 months old, and I give him a mix of fortified unsweetened almond milk and fortified unsweetened rice milk. Just like with most things, it took him a little while to like it, but he loves it now. Once in awhile I mix in some soy milk, but not often. The docs/dieticians also told me to give him soy because of the fat/protien content, but I honestly didn't think that was the right decision. My son eats plently of protein from other sources (beans, lentils, seitan, some soy/tofu, nuts, nut butters, hemp hearts, plus all the proteins you get in grains/veggies etc). Many of those are a great source of fat also, which I believe to be a better kind of fat than that found in dairy. Kids his age only need 13 grams of protein, and 2 cups of cow milk alone has 16 grams.... add all the other protein they have in a day, and I just think it adds up to too much personally.