Organic Milk means more baby poop?

November 3, 2007 6:25 PM

Could switching to organic (cow's) milk be giving my toddler the poops?

My 16 month-old still breastfeeds a few times a day, but eats a lot of food and drinks about a pint of cow's milk a day. I recently switched to organic whole milk, and he's been pooping like every two hours--not usual for him. Though he's happy as a clam, his tush is getting irritated. It's the only dietary change I can think of--could this be something to do with organic milk or would that even make sense?

posted by Beckminster to health (10 comments total)

By organic do you also mean unpasteurized?
posted by 517 at 6:52 PM on November 3, 2007

Oh no, not unpasteurized or raw milk or anything. Just the organic milk that says it's grown without pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, etc.
posted by Beckminster at 7:10 PM on November 3, 2007

IANAD, but I doubt it. The things that can cause poopiness in a toddler are numerous. As long as he's happy and it's not diarrhea I wouldn't worry. A toddler's poop schedule can vary significantly for no apparent reason.
posted by missuswayne at 7:19 PM on November 3, 2007

I would switch back to whole milk, don't go 2% or skim on him (not until after 2 yrs old). There could be something that he's not used to that you get w/the regular milk (or not enough of) that's causing this. I would definitely switch back and then give the pediatrician a call monday (if it gets so bad to where he starts acting funny, feeling different, etc--get to ER b/c he could get dehydrated by using the bathroom that much! Don't hesitate if you suspect something, his health/safety is the most important thing!)
posted by uncballzer at 7:19 PM on November 3, 2007

Both of my kids went through a poopy, hurt tummy phase that cleared up when we switched from cow milk (which happened to be organic) to soy milk, soy yogurt, cheese, etc. We did it for about a year or so, from 3-4 for each kid. Afterwards, they went back to dairy (organic again) no problem.
posted by mabelstreet at 7:39 PM on November 3, 2007

You could try him with a bit of acidophilus yoghurt, too. Couldn't hurt, may help.
posted by flabdablet at 8:05 PM on November 3, 2007

Try the non-organic milk and see if anything changes. If it does change, wait a couple of weeks and then try a different brand of organic milk, if you want. Perhaps the organic milk comes from grass-fed cows or something and the taste is upsetting your toddler's stomach. (When I moved away from my home town, I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the taste and feel of milk. 15 years later, I am thrilled that a specialty store here in the City stocks that same milk from my island! I am drinking milk again.)

(You may want to use Pedialyte to rehydrate your child, if he's been having diarrhea. My doctor spent a lot of time drawing chains of molecules to show me why Pedialyte may be more easily tolerated for rehydration.)
posted by acoutu at 8:10 PM on November 3, 2007

My experience has been that different brands of organic milk have different effects. For example, Organic Valley - so yummy and easy on the tummy. Horizon and Trader Joe's organic, not so easy on the tummy, at least on mine. Maybe try different brands and see if one is more or a problem than others?
posted by walla at 7:16 AM on November 4, 2007

Thanks, folks. I never considered that different brands of organic milk could be more or less tolerated. It's also possible that I've increased his dairy intake at the same time and that's what's causing the problem. I'm going to switch back to regular for a bit and then try a different organic brand. Thanks!
posted by Beckminster at 1:25 PM on November 4, 2007

Is this organic milk UHT pasteurized? Did you purchase it in the cold dairy case or is it stable at room temperature and found out in the regular shelves? UHT pasteurizing will denature proteins and enzymes and cause some carmelization of the lactose.
posted by catseatcheese at 4:48 AM on November 6, 2007