Organic Dairy Foods for Babies
Disclaimer: This blog post was sponsored by Stonyfield Organic. Stonyfield Organic hosted an Organic Dairy Farm Tour for influencers that I attended in August 2022. I received compensation for this post and the farm tour and I was gifted product from the brand that is featured in this post. The thoughts and ideas contained within this post are my own.
Which Dairy Foods are Best for Babies?
“Wait…babies can have milk foods?! I thought you don’t do milk until after the baby turns 1?!”
Parents are often confused about offering babies dairy foods. While we don’t substitute fluid cow’s milk in place of infant milk (breastmilk and/or infant formula), it is perfectly fine - and actually quite a good idea - to include the right types of dairy foods in the baby-led weaning diet, beginning at 6 months of age.
Cow’s milk protein is one of the BIG 9 allergenic foods: those are the 9 foods that account for about 90% of food allergies - and we want to introduce cow’s milk early and often as a way to help prevent a cow’s milk allergy down the road.
This isn’t particularly important for formula-fed babies, as they have already had exposure to cow’s milk protein (it’s the base of commercial infant formula). But for exclusively breastfed babies, we want to get that cow’s milk protein in, starting right when the baby begins eating solid foods.
You can learn more about introducing babies to dairy foods in this episode of my BABY-LED WEANING MADE EASY podcast called “Milk Protein: How to Introduce Your Baby to this Potentially Allergenic Food”.
Yogurt
Yogurt is one of my favorite ways to introduce babies to cow’s milk protein: by using the pre-loaded spoon approach, you can offer your baby smooth, puree-like foods while still honoring the self-feeding principles of baby-led weaning.
When choosing yogurt for your baby, make sure the yogurt is:
Whole milk (full fat) yogurt - we don’t do any reduced-fat, non-fat or low-fat dairy foods for babies until after they turn 2. Babies need that fat in full fat dairy for their still developing brains
Plain (unsweetened) yogurt - the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding added sugars up until age 2. When you’re reading yogurt labels look for “0g” added sugar.
The Stonyfield Organic yogurt I choose for baby-led weaning is their Whole Milk Smooth & Creamy Plain Yogurt.
This is one of my favorites because if you look at the label, the only ingredients are cultured pasteurized organic whole milk, pectin, Vitamin D3, and the good probiotics that make yogurt so beneficial for your baby.
Low Sodium Cheese
Another option for introducing cow’s milk protein is with cheese. The problem with cheese is that it tends to be too high in sodium for babies; I generally look for less than 100 mg sodium per serving of a packaged or processed food product I offer to a baby.
There are some lower sodium cheeses out there - ricotta and mozzarella are two good ones - but I prefer yogurt because it has 0mg added sodium.
Fluid Cow’s Milk
We don’t offer baby fluid cow’s milk in place of infant milk (breastmilk and/or infant formula) until after age 1. At age 1 you can make the transition to whole milk.
You can definitely cook with fluid milk as an ingredient in other baby-led weaning foods you might be making for your baby. If you’re choosing fluid milk, look for whole milk, and if you’re stuck on how to make that transition, check out this podcast episode called “Transitioning to Cow's Milk: How Do I Do This?”
I like Whole Milk from Stonyfield for making BLW recipes like soups, stews and casseroles. If you don’t drink a lot of milk, they also have a shelf-stable boxed milk product that doesn’t take up room in your refrigerator and that you can use from time to time.
The reason this milk is shelf-stable has to do with the higher pasteurization temperature and process called UHT (Ultra High Temperature). This is similar to the European method and why you see milk in cartons on the shelf in Europe (but it’s just as safe to drink as pasteurized refrigerated milk is!)
Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to kill any potentially harmful pathogens. Pasteurization does not change the nutrition quality of milk, and all Stonyfield Organic products are pasteurized and therefore safe for your baby to eat.
When Can Babies Start Eating Dairy Foods?
Babies can start eating dairy foods like yogurt, milk and low sodium cheese when they are 6 months of age (or 6 months adjusted age) and when showing the other reliable signs of readiness to eat. This includes sitting up on their own, showing interest in food, and beginning to reach and grab for food.
Starting solid food too early (prior to 6 months of age) is unnecessary and can even be dangerous. Breastmilk and/or infant formula is sufficient to meet baby’s nutrition needs for the first 6 months of life. Babies who cannot sit up on their own do not have the core strength to facilitate a safe swallow and may be at increased risk of choking.
Organic vs. Conventional Milk: Nutrition Differences
Whether or not to “buy organic” can be confusing for parents and caregivers. In the United States “Organic” is the only label claim that is federally certified to always be non-GMO and produced without harmful pesticides, chemical preservatives, or antibiotics.
As a mom of 7 small children, we drink a lot of milk in our house. I have always chosen organic milk because of concerns about hormone levels that may be present in conventional (non-organic) dairy products.
In many foods, the nutrient content or quality of organic vs. conventional foods is similar. But with milk, one thing I was surprised to learn is that USDA Organic Milk is richer in iron, vitamin E and carotenoids. There are actually 56% higher levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acid in organic milk than conventional. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for baby’s brain development and another reason organic milk makes sense when starting solid foods.
Stonyfield Organic Farm Tour
I recently spent two days touring Stonyfield Organic organic dairy farm operations on a farm tour outside of Burlington, VT. As a guest of Stonyfield, we toured two different organic dairy farms that supply milk to Stonyfield.
One thing I was surprised to learn is the difference in the milk that comes from Jersey cows (brown cows) vs. Holsteins (black and white cows):
Jersey cows - the brown ones - make less milk but it has more butterfat and protein
Holstein cows - the black and white ones - make more milk but with lower butterfat and protein
As a dietitian, mom and consumer I find dairy choices for children to be overwhelming. But what I learned on the tour helped clarify some of the differences between organic and conventional dairy operations.
Health
With organic farming systems:
Antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones are prohibited
Cows are treated with vaccines, herbal treatments, homeopathy and acupuncture
Feed
USDA Organic standard for feed in dairy requires that:
100% organic feed that contains no GMOs, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers used in feed or pasture
Most organic cows are given some grain in addition to grazing and harvested forages
Pasture
The most striking part of the tour was seeing the cows grazing freely in the Vermont fields. USDA Organic standard for pasture says that:
Cows must have at least 120 days of grazing annually with outdoor access everyday. This differs dramatically from conventional operations where cows are never outdoors and stnading on concrete for the entirety of their lives.
30% of the cow’s dry matter intake must be from the pasture - which is equivalent to getting 50% of their diet from grazing. This is what accounts for the superior nutritional content of the organic milk product!
Environmental Impact
As a leading brand in the organic space, Stonyfield is committed to environmental responsibility and sustainability. Using the Toxins Calculator developed by the Organic Center, it is estimated that each year Stonyfield avoids the use of:
7.9 million pounds of synthetic fertilizer
131,000 pounds of pesticides
178,000 drug treatments
One of the farms we visited, Molly Brook Farm had just won the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year. There are over 600 dairy farms in Vermont, and Rhonda and Myles’ farm took the prize. Stonyfield has 36 organic farms in their direct supply with an additional 200 farms they source from as part of the Organic Valley Farms Co-Op.
Stonyfield Organic Foods Babies Can Eat
As a dietitian and advocate for baby-led weaning, I know the importance of selecting safe, quality foods for babies. And as a mom, it’s particularly important for me to avoid pesticides, hormones and antibiotics in the foods I feed my family - and those of the families I work with.
My 3 favorite Stonyfield Organic products for safely introducing cow’s milk protein are:
Stonyfield Organic shelf stable milk (whole milk)
When selecting dairy foods I encourage parents to prioritize full fat, whole milk dairy products that have been organically sourced and contain no added sugars.
A special thank you to Stonyfield Organic for sponsoring the farm tour and this opportunity to learn more about its organic farming operation and commitment to improving health for the planet, people, animals and businesses.
