Delaying dairy?

Hi everyone,

My daughter is almost 8 months old now, and I've been giving her solids since she was about 6 months old (and still breastfeeding). I know there is some evidence to suggest that early introduction of cow's milk carries a higher risk of type 1 diabetes. The current recommendation (what I've heard anyway) is to start yogurt at 9 months and milk at 12 months (not sure about cheese).

I'm wondering if any of you are considering delaying dairy for longer, or not giving it at all? There's probably no evidence to support doing that, but I'm just curious what other people are doing.

Thanks!

I tend to eat a vegan diet and have also read about the connection between cows milk and type 1 diabetes. My daughter is also almost 8 months old and she has been on infant soy formula since birth. She has been doing very well with it. I don't plan on introducing her to cow's milk. I'll start her on soy milk when she's one years old.

We introduced cheese and yoghurt around 9 months. Our son has just turned one year old and I will gradually introduce cow's milk in addition to breastfeeding (which we will continue for now...). So pretty much the recommended schedule. I love that he LOVES cheese and know that he is getting good amounts of calcium and fat from there.

I guess that I am skeptical about the connection between type 1 diabetes and cow's milk, as I was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 21. I doubt that cow's milk from 20 years earlier was the trigger.

Thanks for your thoughts. I too am a bit skeptical of the link between cow's milk and type 1 (I was 14 at diagnosis). However, I was given cow's milk fairly early (around 7 months, I think) and drank quite a bit of milk growing up. Who knows if that has anything to do with my diabetes.

Anyway... I think I'll probably wait a little longer than 9 months to give any dairy, and longer than 1 year to give milk, as long as I'm still breastfeeding, just to be on the safe side. If my daughter decides she she wants to stop nursing sooner, I may change my tune! :)

I introduced some solids when she got her teeth. She got two teeth at 5 months. She is a few weeks shy of one year old now and has 8 teeth total. We give her a mostly all natural diet. Lots of veggies & fruits. No high fructose corn syrup or added sugar. No sugar substitutes either.

She was on formula (I read somewhere a while ago that using soy for long periods of time will mess up your digestive track even in adults, so I've been skeptical about using it for her) after breastfeeding for under two months. At 9 months, she refused to drink any more formula. If you've ever smelled the formula, you might understand why she'd start refusing it- it smells like vomit!! So, I switched her to cow's milk 2% a little after 9 months. I just couldn't get her to drink any more formula, so cow's milk was pretty much our only option.

The pediatrician said the only reason they ask people to delay until after 12 months is to ensure they get all the fats and vitamins they need while still so young. Cow's milk doesn't have nearly as many nutrients as breast milk or formula, so they worry the kids won't get the fats they need for their brains and bodies to continue growing. I've never heard of any links between cow's milk and type 1.

Like others have stated, I doubt there's a solid connection. We did 1% milk in my house growing up, and I'm the only one in my entire bloodline to have type 1- diagnosed at age 14. There are many theories, but nothing is solid. There is another study out since 2011 linking c section births with increased type 1. Unfortunately, my baby was delivered via emergency c section because both her and me were in danger of dying due to pre eclampsia. So, regardless, I didn't have a choice. I didn't put much merit in that study anyway. Just mentioning that there are many many theories about where type 1 comes from, but nothing is certain. I'm not going to change my parenting tactics unless there is substantial proof or evidence to suggest a theory is accurate.

So far, I haven't found any theories that I believe caused type 1- besides a sickness that the child overcame recently before diagnosis. Then again, what teenager's growing body riddled with hormonal changes ISN"T going to have some sort of sickness? So, that theory only works if someone is pre-disposed to having a lowered immune system and type 1 diabetes somewhere in the genes?

I'm trying not to let the immense fear of my kids getting type 1 rule my life.

Marps, totally agreed about not letting fear dictate my choices as a parent. I was just curious if others knew more than I did about this, since I haven't actually read the research.

my son is a year and a half old and he got a slight rash from his infant formula i switched him to soy and hes better i been trying to build his milk tolerance up i started him on cheese at 7-8 months old (possibly why hes showing signs of being t1 like his dad(im not diabetic)and even with all my efforts to make him get Lil bits of milk and build up an immunity to it hes still getting rashes from milk (now on soy mild almond milk or rice milk hope you have better luck then i had

my feancee got diagnosed at 18 and the dr then said he had it all his life and that some how when he went in for normal appts he wasnt having signs so he wasnt getting checked for it he was just being missed and hes t1 so its possible to have it all your life and just be missed in the system my son how ever is showing signs of being t1 and i did start him on milk early

Hi,
I was reading some of the research on the effect of dairy on the developement of type1 diabetes.
From what I understand, the results of this study will only be conculded in 2014...
I tried to delay the exposure of my younger daughter (now 1 year + 4 months) to dairy (milk, cheese... the whole caboos)
about 4 months ago, she saw her older sister eating ice cream, and I couldn't depriver her from tasting it...
she is either breastfed by me, or drinks soy baby formula
I allow her to eat foods that have dairy in them, but try not to give her actual dairy foods - like cheeses or straight milk.

I hope I'm making a good decision, and she doesn't end up being diabetic because of these tastes !!!!