Best milk for 1 year plus- confused?!

[butterybiscuitbass]

Ok I admit this is perhaps a bit of a middle class dilemma! I'm soon moving my baby son on from formula, as he's coming up for one. From various "expert" sources I have gleaned that cow's milk is not all it's cracked up to be nutritionally but that you can maximise the nutritional value you get from it by buying organic, that goats milk is less allergenic and more digestible but hard to find in organic form, and that homogenisation of either is not great. soya milk is not good for boys as it is an oestrogen imitator and potentially gender bending (!??). Do we even need milk at all, really, when we could use better sources of nutrition like fresh vegetable juices (disguised as fruit juice)?- don't worry I'm not going to do this, just thought I'd throw it in to the mix. But i am genuinely confused about the best milk for my baby, and not to mention my 4 year old. Anyone else share my concerns or do I need to get out more?

I don't like the idea of yet more powdered formula. My friend uses it though and he says it's cheaper than milk, though he can't have done the maths properly I don't think.

Fresh vegetable juices are not better sources of nutrition than milk. That's simply wrong, you may indeed not need milk, but vegetable juice is not an appropriate substitute.

Vegetables are often over-talked up for babies, they need Fat and Protein, and vitamin A etc. and digestible iron as much as they need the common vegetable nutrients (which are also often fat soluable so are not very digestible in a vegetable juice without fat) So while yes vegetables are important, the actual things babies and young children tend to be deficient in are not the ones that come from vegetables.

Milk is a good source of many of the things babies need, and there is very little difference in the way it's prepared (homogonised etc.) In any case with a varied diet and an active child who needs to eat a lot, actual deficiencies of anything are rare.

So yes, you're over thinking. Animal milk products (and natural yogurt generally has more easily digested nutrition than milk) are good sources of various things and can make a good contribution to a babies diet.

kckidsdoc.com/the-alterna-milks-cow%E2%80%99s-milk-alternatives-for-toddlers.html

has a good run-down of the alternative milks, and comparisons with cow's milk.

If a child was still eating few solids at 12mo I would stick with formula for a while longer.

fredfredgeorge thank you! But you can relax, I wouldn't actually subject my precious boy to drinking vegetable juices, not least because social services would soon come knocking I'm sure. It was just a whimsical question. But I do think"why milk?"- as you say, fat, but are there better sources of protein out there, which are less industrialised? I know they have to be in a digestible form. Milk alternatives may be just as industrialised I supposed. These thoughts arise from the concept of breast milk being pure, perfect food for bubs, then as soon as they're one we shove them on processed foods, cows milk being the most important example. I'm sure that's what my son shall drink, but I feel the need for discussion first :)

Thanks thenewstatesman, i've checked out your link, and it does indeed give a point of view which suggests that milk is fine but inessential for toddlers, though cow's milk comes out more favourably than the alternatives.