It is good when the baby receives mother's milk from birth. But what about those who, for various reasons, cannot breast-feed a baby? Many parents believe that the best food for babies is cow or goat milk.
Which is better: cow or goat milk
Cons of goat milk
Goat milk has always been considered popularly a healing product. But is it so similar in composition to female breast milk, as they say? The qualitative composition of these products has significant differences both in fat content and in the content of proteins and fats. We list the negative aspects of goat milk, which doctors write about.
- It is much fatter;
- It lacks the lipase enzyme that promotes the breakdown of fats;
- Goat milk contains a lot of phosphorus, which creates additional work for the fragile kidneys of the newborn;
- In this type of milk there is no folic acid, this can trigger the development of anemia.
The benefits of goat milk
If the choice is between cow's milk (See article on cow's milk for a newborn) and goat milk, here the opinion of doctors is unambiguous - milk from a goat is much preferable to cow's. Why?
- Cow's milk contains a lot of casein. Casein turns into a tight clot in the baby’s ventricle and is processed long and hard. There is much less casein in goat milk, therefore it is absorbed much better and more fully;
- The composition of goats milk is richer in vitamins of different groups;
- It contains a lot of calcium, which is perfectly absorbed by the growing body of the child. Therefore, the teeth in infants receiving goat milk begin to grow earlier and stronger;
- Especially goat milk is indicated for children prone to regurgitation. After all, in it milk balls are contained in a homogenized form (i.e., finer), which means that they are better absorbed by the children's body;
- In the baby’s ventricle, the milk turns into small curdled balls, almost like a woman’s;
- Another useful property of goat milk is that it practically does not cause allergies. This quality is important for babies prone to allergic reactions, patients with atopic dermatitis.
When can I give goat milk to my baby?
Doctors recommend giving babies goat milk from 9 months, and before that, feed them with an adapted milk mixture. Now produced milk mixtures made on the basis of goat's milk. It is a pity that they do not possess useful properties like natural goat milk. If the mixture is not suitable for your baby, he often spits up, then you can drive goat milk almost from birth.
Read the article about mixtures (how to choose the right mixture)
How to enter the diet
If you still decide to feed the newborn goat milk from the first days, then some rules must be observed.
- Try to get milk from friends, neighbors.
- See how the goat is kept, do not be lazy to come to milking.
- If you are buying in the market, ask for a certificate from a veterinarian (is the goat healthy).
- When buying milk in a store, carefully study the date of manufacture and expiration date. It is impossible for kids to use products with an expiration date.
- Try the milk yourself - is there an unpleasant aftertaste.
- It is first necessary to breed goat milk with boiled water. For a newborn, one part of milk takes 3 parts of water. If this is not done, the baby can fix it from high fat content.
- The milk itself must be boiled. It is not recommended to use metal utensils for boiling.
- Store milk preferably in glass, enamel or ceramic containers.
- When the baby gets used to it, you can breed in the ratio 1: 2, after a month you can already give undiluted milk.
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As you can see, the benefits of goat milk far exceed its disadvantages. Of course, mother’s milk is optimal for an infant, but in the absence of it, goat’s milk may well become its replacement.
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I had enough of my milk for six months. Then I had to feed. The benefits of goat milk and its preference in comparison with cow milk have been known for a long time, so we already had an acquaintance with a grandmother who had a goat. They took milk every 3 days. First, they bred 1: 3, then 1: 2. When they began to give the undiluted, the body was already prepared and accepted it without any problems. By the way, I know the case when a child at 2 months old started giving undiluted right away. The reaction was not good - an ambulance took the child with constipation, colic and wild cries.
At the same time, one should not deprive a child who is on artificial feeding of infant formula and completely transfer the child to goat milk.
I began to give goat milk to my child from the 1st year. I give in its pure form, without breeding. He doesn’t like fresh milk, but he drinks it with pleasure for half an hour. Many problems left us. I find goat milk very useful. I’ve been drinking it from childhood and my stomach straightened it for myself.
Do you need to boil goat milk?
Boiling goat milk is a crime! 90% of the beneficial properties of milk disappears. If the goat is healthy, then you can simply strain it and immediately drink a pair. For babies, of course, you can’t give goat milk, but for babies from a year old, that’s it. By the way, cow’s milk in stores costs the same as goat’s on the market ...