Una’moo’sed asks:
Hey Plant Trainers, My child is two years old… What can I replace her milk with?
Thanks for your question, Una’moo’sed.
We are so happy that you are looking for an alternative to regular cow’s milk. Understanding that cow’s milk comes with so many unwanted side effects is becoming more and more known. Parents are ‘moo’ving away from dairy and adopting more plant-based food sources.
Once a child stops breastfeeding (especially if they’re closer to the age of two) there is really no need for milk anymore. So if you are looking for something for your child to drink, we strongly recommend water. If your child is already drinking from a sippy cup or a regular cup and enjoys water, offer it more often.
Some parents choose to simply replace the milk in the cup with a plant-based option. Some children will enjoy this, while some children will not. If they don’t enjoy it, no problem, keep offering water. If they do enjoy it, well… great. Maybe offer it less often as we do not want the milk to take up the space that they could be using for a variety of nutritious foods. We often find that children that drink so much of it throughout the day become pickier with their food. This is because they just don’t have enough space in their diet for everything. So they only choose the things that they love the most.
If you really want your child to continue drinking milk from a cup, you can begin to just add a little bit less dairy. Add a little bit more plant-based milk and keep switching the ratios as you go. But keep in mind the only thing that they need to be drinking at that age is water for most healthy children.
For a healthy child almost any of the plant-based milk out there is a good option for cereals or cooking.
For more details on the dirty-dirty of the dairy industry or to share some of those facts with your friends and family check out these podcasts – The Truth About Dairy with Dr. Jennifer Singh and How Not To Die with Michael Greger M.D.
~ Plant Trainers
