Follow on milk

[azzia]

Hi,

I am looking to wean my 7 month old baby off the boob. Can you please recommend any non diary alternatives milk. I've had a look around and a high sugar content in them. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Dairy free would normally need to be prescribed. Does she have a dairy allergy?

Why do you want dairy free? Is it an allergy or do you want to avoid dairy for other reasons? And is it specifically cows' milk you want to avoid or all animal products? Your options would vary depending on the reasons so more info would help people to make suggestions.

Completely dairy free milk is expensive, about £30 a tin. My DS had a cows milk protein allergy as a baby and we got Neocate on prescription.

@MrsAvocet

Why do you want dairy free? Is it an allergy or do you want to avoid dairy for other reasons? And is it specifically cows' milk you want to avoid or all animal products? Your options would vary depending on the reasons so more info would help people to make suggestions.

She's not allergic to diary I don't think, we want to avoid animal products for now.

@dementedpixie

Dairy free would normally need to be prescribed. Does she have a dairy allergy?

As far as we are aware, she's not allergic. We just want to avoid animal products for now.

@DragonPie

Completely dairy free milk is expensive, about £30 a tin. My DS had a cows milk protein allergy as a baby and we got Neocate on prescription.

Thank you - Wow didn't realise how expensive they are.

If you want to avoid dairy formula you'd maybe be better continuing to breastfeed until age 1 at which point there are more dairy free options

This is a link to First Steps Nutrition (the only non industry funded organisation in the UK) on vegan/non animal diets.
You want page 11, about alternative formulas - unfortunately the gist is that there are no safe animal free alternatives for under 1s, because even if they aren't milk based, many of the additives are from animal sources (eg Vit D from sheep's lanolin)
After they are one, and have a broader range of foods, you have much more flexibility.

Obviously breast milk is animal free, so it's a case of whether you are happy to compromise on animal products, or wait to wean from the breast.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59f75004f09ca48694070f3b/t/5e56fa31f3d6f227ed61362c/1582758484838/EatingwellVegans-Feb2020forweb.pdf