Can I Give Goat’s Milk To Baby?

Once your little one makes his or her entry into this world, your life undergoes a total change and you will be sure that 24 hours are not enough to look after your little mite. You slowly begin getting used to breastfeeding your baby and gradually wonder when to introduce formula milk or cow’s milk to their diet.

Ideally, your child should be exclusively breastfed for at least six months before you introduce any kind of formula to them. Whether goat’s milk is safe for your infant is quite a debate these days. Even though goat’s milk is not extremely popular in the West, this is consumed widely internationally and is rich in all kinds of nutrients.

In This Article

• Can Babies Have Goat’s Milk?
• When Can You Start Giving Goat Milk to Your Baby?
• Benefits of Goat’s Milk For Infants
• What Precautions Should Be Taken When Feeding Goat’s Milk To Babies?
• What Are The Cons Of Goat’s Milk For Babies?
• Why Goat Milk May Not Be a Proper Substitute for Cow Milk?
• Top 5 Tips To Consider While Choosing Goat Milk For Your Infant
• FAQ’s

Can Babies Have Goat’s Milk?

Infants can be fed with raw goat milk that is pasteurized safely after the baby is at least 1 year old. However, it needs to be prepared in accordance with the time-tested and proven method for “homemade infant formula” to ensure your baby gets all the required quantities of fat, milk protein, water, and nutrients in the perfect ratio identical to breast milk.

You also get organic goat milk that can be fed to your baby. Because goat’s milk does not contain enough iron, it is suggested not to give goat’s milk to babies unless they celebrate their first birthday.

Goat’s milk is also protein dense, and your little one’s kidneys may actually not be able to process the same. The usual breast milk or formula milk or even goat formula milk are fortified with all the essential things your baby needs and so will suit him better.

When Can You Start Giving Goat Milk to Your Baby?

After the first year of age, you can offer your infant goat milk instead of cow’s milk. For infants aged 0 to 12 months, nothing compares to the health benefits of breast milk.

After the age of six months, you can introduce your child to goat products such as cheese, yogurt,  custard, and other similar foods. Just check to see that these goods are made with pasteurized goat’s milk before purchasing them.

Benefits of Goat’s Milk For Infants

Loaded with calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, zinc, magnesium, vitamins A, D, C, and B2, some medical professionals consider goat’s milk closer to cow’s milk and recommend goat’s milk for infants.

Their recommendation is based on the following grounds:

1. Goat’s Milk Is Easily Digestible

Whenever your baby has milk of any type, all the proteins group together to form curds in the baby’s tummy. Curds that are softer and smaller are easier to digest for the little mite. The fat content in both goat and cow’s milk is almost the same. But the globules of fat in goat’s milk are much tinier that making it easier to digest.

Goat’s milk also has a lower quantity of lactose than cow’s milk. This makes it ideal for infants who are lactose intolerant or allergic to breast milk.

2. Provides Relief From Colic Aches

Goat’s milk has been found to be extremely helpful in offering visible relief from colic pain and gastric issues (GERD) that the majority of infants experience from time to time when they are small.

3. Good For Constipation

Goat’s milk is also recommended for babies who are victims of constipation. It helps to cure this constipation issue to an extent in infants.

4. Cures Rashes And Eczema

Goat’s milk has been proven to be excellent for infants suffering from eczema and any kind of rashes on the infant’s skin.

5. Ideal For Infants Who Are Allergic To Cow’s Milk

Goat milk is the best option for your baby if he or she happens to be allergic to cow’s milk and is not very happy with infant formula too.

6. Contains A Lesser Quantity Of Allergenic Proteins

Allergenic proteins found in cow’s milk are comparatively much lesser in goat’s milk – alpha-S1 casein.

What Precautions Should Be Taken When Feeding Goat’s Milk To Babies?

The following are some of the precautions to be taken when feeding goat’s milk to babies.

1. Use Processed And Pasteurized

You need to use fresh milk that is milked from healthy goats that are healthy and fed on farm pasture and is then pasteurized. Unprocessed milk can cause serious infections like E-coli in your baby

2. Goat’s Milk Needs To Be Supplemented With Folic Acid

Goat’s milk does not contain sufficient amounts of folic acid and iron which is extremely important for your infant and can be found in cow’s milk. So in case you are buying ready-made goat’s milk, make sure you purchase a brand that also contains adequate quantities of folic acid for your baby

3. No BGH Hormone

One needs to ascertain you purchase goat’s milk that is “free of bovine growth hormone and antibiotics” as it can trigger anemia and irritate the baby’s intestine.

4. Ask Your Pediatrician

Most importantly, you need to ask your baby’s pediatrician whether you can begin goat milk for them as they know what is best for your little baby. Only if he gives you the safe signal, do you start on goat’s milk for your darling.

What Are The Cons Of Goat’s Milk For Babies?

The following are some of the cons of goat’s milk for babies.

1. The nutrients in goat’s milk are not balanced proportionally in comparison to formula milk and hence it is not recommended by many.
2. The protein content in goat’s milk is quite high and your baby may not be able to process it
3. Goat’s milk also lacks vitamins B, C, and D, and these have to be supplemented for the baby’s proper development.
4. Giving animal milk in place of breast milk can trigger grave problems for some babies, as human babies are different from them.
5. Goat’s milk can cause various allergies for your baby, though it is widely viewed as being hypoallergenic.

All the above-mentioned points make it quite clear that even though goat’s milk is rich in nutrients and highly beneficial for infants, it needs to be introduced to your baby only after getting your doctor’s permission and with great caution. Bear in mind the fact that there is no other substitute for breast milk that is beyond doubt the best food for your baby. Breast milk is the best milk for your baby.

Why Goat Milk May Not Be a Proper Substitute for Cow Milk?

When it comes to pricing, accessibility, and that familiar creamy flavor, cow milk comes out on top.  Besides, goat milk is more expensive and its availability can be an issue due to scarce supply. This may make goat milk less popular. Also, in cow milk, B12 and folic acid are found in greater amounts.

Therefore, goat milk alone is not advised for infants. The milk has a higher concentration of minerals and proteins than is required to meet a child’s nutritional needs. However, it is deficient in folate. Goat milk is also associated with high rates of anemia.

Top 5 Tips To Consider While Choosing Goat Milk For Your Infant

While feeding your baby goat’s milk, there are some considerations to bear in mind as there would be any foodstuff.

1. Folic acid levels in goat’s milk are low. The proper nourishment of a newborn depends on this. Go for goat’s milk that has folic acid added to it.
2. Because of the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt, you could think about feeding your baby goat milk yogurt.
3. Your infant’s diet should include vitamin B-12. If you’re feeding your newborn goat milk instead of cow milk, you need to complement his diet with vitamins.
4. Your baby has to be well-hydrated at all times, whether you’re feeding him goat milk or formula.
5. If your child has a bad reaction to cow’s milk, then it is also possible that goat’s milk may also cause the same reaction. Also, be cautious while giving goat milk to your child if he or she has any kind of food allergy.

Goat milk for baby may be healthy if you have a trusted supply source. Goat milk cannot be a complete substitute for cow milk. In terms of nutrition, goats milk lacks many components that are vital for the proper growth and development of the baby. Apart from this, goat milk is also expensive and difficult to procure. Despite these factors, if you still wish to give goats milk to your baby, do consult a pediatric

FAQ’s

1. Does Goat’s Milk Cause Constipation?

In fact, the concentration of prebiotic oligosaccharides in goat’s milk is six times that of conventional cow’s milk. A large dose of prebiotics aids in the prevention of constipation in infants. Therefore, unlike cow’s milk, goat’s milk will not cause constipation in infants.

2. Can I Mix Goat Milk With Formula?

No, despite its widespread use, goat’s milk should not be given to babies under a year old. Before the first year, we shall start feeding infant formula. Therefore, goat milk and formula cannot be combined.

3. Is Goat Milk Easier To Digest?

Goat milk is often simpler to digest than cow milk. Since the fat molecules in goat milk are shorter, the body can more easily absorb them.  Also, goat milk could be somewhat easier to digest than cow milk since it contains less lactose.

4. Is Goat Milk A Probiotic?

Yes. Goat milk is an excellent source of probiotics. Although goat milk has a less pleasant taste in certain products, its usage as a probiotic increased over the last decade.