Coconut milk suitable for 6mo?

[ToonLass]

Hello, I'm almost ready to start weaning my 24wo DD.

She has a suspected dairy/cmp intolerance and so I have cut that out of my diet.

Weetabix for breakfast seems a popular choice, and so I'm wondering if I could use coconut milk instead of cows milk to make it mushy? It obviously wouldn't be much.

Thanks

You could use expressed breast milk if she's BF. I think all those dairy substitutes are fine but they're all quite heavily processed, so it depends how much that bothers you.

I asked a health visitor and couldn't get a straight answer!!

I think like any food you're introducing, do it slow, one food at a time , perhaps rub a little on their hand if they already have a sensitivity?

If this is your first dd - I well remember pushing solids (as a last ditch desperate effort to get some solid sleep), it didn't work, I just had a messy baby!

Wheetabix isn't great as a first weaning food ( too high in salt and too textured) have you tried baby rice mixed with their feed milk?

My DS (9mo) has severe cmpa and we've tried various milk replacers. The dietician didn't recommend the coconut milk - not dangerous or anything, but is very low calorie. We use either soya or Oatly (make sure you get the fortified version).

Coconut milk is really nice though, I use that in my coffee and it also works well for making custard. But for everyday use for a baby I'd go for one of the others.

However, are you attending a clinic or something? You should be getting proper dietary advice if you're restricting the baby's diet (and your own) as well as getting advice about the allergy.

Coconut mllk isn't dairy - or indeed anything much like it - so it shouldn't affect her cmp intolerance, do ok in that respect. But, it won't have the same nutritional density/profile/variety as BM or formula, so she would stillneec plenty of that.

Sorry I didn't read your OP very well... Do you mean for a very first food? If so I wouldn't be going for weetabix, weaning guidelines are to start with fruit and veg.

Personally I'd avoid baby rice. It has virtually no nutritional value, tastes horrible and I've read some stuff about higher than desirable arsenic levels.

I'd use whatever baby normally drinks, so breastmilk or special formula or whatever.

I disagree about weetabix - at 24 weeks you don't need to start with something super smooth and purée like, but something like Ready Brek might be better. I certainly wouldn't start on baby rice - there's no nutritional value to it at all.

A chunk of banana (if you push on the tip a banana will split into thirds which are easy to hold) or an over-steamed chunky carrot baton might be better again.

Thanks for your replies

I would use ebm but I can only ever get 2oz (from both boobs combined!!!) and currently doing that every night to build up a store for DH ton give her when I'm away for a Hen Do later this month.

As she's going to be 6 months when I wean her I don't see the point in pureeing her food down to mush, I would much rather give her different textures/consistencies right from the word go.

I appreciate the high salt/sugar comment and will defiantly look into that. Was just looking for an alternative to baby porridge which has milk powder added in?

Obviously bm will be very much her main source of nutrition. Just a bit lost in this whole weaning malarkey!

Nothing wrong with coconut milk as such but it's not a substitute for milk in a child's nutrition requirements, hardly any protein, fat or calcium.

Why not use oats and make porridge? No need for branded baby products.

Thanks Fish,

So do you think using a bit of that to mush down some cereal would be ok?

As I said, I am not intending to replace bm with coconut milk. It's just that my HV originally said that cows milk could be given after 6months in cooking (so in cereal, sauce etc) so just looking for an alternative until I know for sure if my DD has an allergy to it or not.

Ordinary ready brek is milk free and much lower in salt than weetabix. Some brands of porridge oats are pretty fine, too and might be OK, well cooked - Scots comes to mind.

As you're breastfeeding, you can use anything your baby is OK with to provide the wetness for any cereal you give, so it may be best to test any "milks" on their own before mixing them in.

There is a baby porridge with no milk powder- think it's the Cow and Gate Banana one.

You could also just make normal porridge using water or coconut milk.

I have a bag of oats actually, but it says to use milk. I have tried to use coconut milk instead with it, for myself, but it was a big gloopy mess.

Maybe the measurements are different if not using cows milk?

Have you considered goats milk? Ask your HV about that. I know its dairy but it is much easier to digest. Read the following and you'll understand why:
www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/feeding-infants-toddlers/goat-milk

Also there is goat milk based formula.

Goats' milk contains proteins similar to cows' milk and is not automatically suitable where allergies are concerned.

Coconut milk isn't low calorie (sadly).

Soy milk often has a huge amount of sugar. Make sure you check the ingredients before choosing any of the milk substitutes.

I usually make my own porridge with alpro. The proportions are no different from the once in a while I make it with lactofree. I tend to make it 1 part oats to 3-4 parts "milk" and cook it long and slow, though.

Thanks patho. I have tried it for myself to help with eczema and found it positively disgusting. It tasted of goat iykwim!!

Mind you, bubs doesn't know what a goat is so she may not protest as much! X

Don't try goats milk, the proteins are very similar to cow's milk and most who have issues with cow's milk have similar problems with goat's milk.

Coconut milk should be fine as long as it's not used as a replacement for breastmilk or formula as main source of nutrition.

Ready Brek may contain traces of milk so isn't suitable for babies with dairy allergy. We were also told to avoid goat or sheeps milk by allergy clinic as the proteins are too similar. Although this may be an option for an older child.

If you're not using cows milk, the recommended alternatives for food preparation are soya or oat, which are fortified with calcium and vitamin D, contain some calories and fat. And they work just fine in porridge.

I used oatly with dd2. as the formula stunk.

If your going to make it with water then why not use the koko? removing less nutrition and replacing with no nutrition seems pointless.

as long as the food isn't detracting from the milk it's fine.

like cows milk isn't suitable for a main drink under a yr but fine for cooking.

Coconut is low calorie. Not the sort you get in tins, but the cartons of drink like Koko, intended as dairy alternative.

soya isn't really recommended anyway as 40 + % of cmpi/a also react to soya.

Dd wasn't in that percentage luckily

Ah I never thought of ready brek - used to love it as a child!

Think a trip to the supermarket is in order to check out all my options.

It's really only to get her used to the idea of solids and swallowing things other than milk before I can give her more BLW things like omelettes, toast etc

www.ulula.co.uk/

I used this site when my oldest was a baby as she was lactose intolerant. I used soya milk with the cereals.