what kind of cheese to give to a 10 month old baby?

Question

my concern is that a baby under 1 year old cannot digest cow milk..

oh! and....plzzzzz!!!! no dumb answers like the first one...

for all of u saying no to cheese before one plz check all the baby websites and especially the baby center website: it says: 10 to 12: give cheese and dairy products.... i am not coming from anywhere asking this question, i know a little u c, but i wanna know exactly which kind!

Answer 1

After reading several answers I am quite confused...I have bought the book called "New Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner" by Annabel Karmel...this book is the number ONE BESTSELLER and over 600,000 copies have been sold...She uses ches es in lots of her recipes for nine to twelve month old babies....she says to start giving grated cheese or wafer thin slices. She also puts that Cheddar,Mozzarella, Edam Gouda, Emmenthal and Gruyere are v popular. She advises to keep away from strong cheeses such as blue cheese and brie etc....check it out on page 77! I think that the nutritionist who answered your question by saying you SHOULD not give babies cheese should have a word with Annabel who has sold all these books!! I think as long as you don't give you baby too much cheese in a week, its OK to give cheese...I hope this helps.

Answer 2

I am a nutritionist
Some experts consider yogurt and cheese to be okay for most babies after 6 months. Others prefer waiting until 9-12 months. Of course, if baby has a cow's milk allergy or there is a strong history of allergy to cow's milk in the family, yogurt, cheese and all other foods made with cow's milk should be avoided until 12 months or later. The main difference between yogurt and milk is that the lactose in yogurt has been converted into lactic acid. Cheese differs from milk in two ways: the whey proteins are drained off in the cheese-making process (so only casein proteins remain), and the curdling enzymes break down the casein proteins into smaller protein molecules. For babies and toddlers, try to find the whole milk yogurt (not low or no fat), and avoid the yogurt with artificial sweeteners lots of sugary fruits.

I did change my answer, but I still do not think any dairy before one year is a good idea because of the risk od gastrointestinal bleeding and iron deficiency. I know with out a doubt that you should not give any soft cheeses that are not pasteurized (blue cheese farmers cheese etc, they are the same ones you can't eat while pregnant because of the infection risk)

Answer 3

okay, so, there are guidelines out there for when to give certain foods for good reason. but like anything else involving a human being.. it really depends for everyone. i mean, at exactly the first birthday, does a baby all of a sudden POOF be able to digest cheese? i don't quite think so. the BEST way to determine if your ten month old can handle some thing or not is to give him/her a VERY SMALL taste of some. experiment with different cheeses, starting with mild. obviously, pepper jack wouldn't be the best.. and see how your baby react. the worst that will happen? a tummy ache and some constipation. give the baby some applejuice and some upset tummy drops, and you know the baby wasn't ready for that type of cheese. same thing goes for most foods.

Answer 4

I'm sorry to hear you think the first answer is dumb, because it is the correct one. Due to the bacteria found in most cheeses, baby's systems cannot handle and digest it like adults can. That's the same reason why we do not give straight cow's milk to infants either until after a year old. Really, human systems were not designed to consume so much cow by-product that our society deems appropriate. That aside, if you really want to give your child dairy, the bacteria is different in yogurts, and the manufacturers of infant yogurt actually call their yogurts "cheeses". A girlfriend of mine decided to give her daughter dye free cheeses like mozzarella and she seemed to be fine. Keep in mind whatever your decision, to watch your child closely for 3 days after you introduce dairy as most children are allergic to dairy, regardless if their system can digest it or not. Good luck!

Answer 5

It is safer not to give *any* dairy to a baby under a year old. Even cheese *can* be allergenic, although it is less allergenic than milk.

If you want to give cheese now, stick to hard cheeses--things like Swiss, cheddar, muenster, etc., as opposed to soft cheeses like cottage cheese. Those are the ones that are less likely to cause an allergic reaction because the bacteria that create the cheese start to digest the protein, rendering it less allergenic.

But I still say don't...

Answer 6

I think once you decide that you will allow your baby to eat cheese before 1 years old, it shouldn't matter (i.e. type of cheese). So if you still want to after all the answers "againist" it, I used to give my children a slice of cheese to walk around with and snack on. (reg. old Kraft american cheese) But for younger babies, i'd just do yogurt.

I am not a nutritionist or doctor, so id suggest you ask your doctor. Especially if your child is prone to allergies or digestive problems.

Answer 7

Stay away from soft cheeses, particularly brie and camembert. Any hard cheese will be ok for the baby, as long as it's cut into small pieces to avoid choking. Both of my boys LOVED cheese when they were this age, parciularly muenster and colby-jack. Cheddar is also fine, and mozzarella.

Answer 8

If you are so set on giving your baby cheese and don't believe what others are telling you, why don't you just call your baby's pediatrician and ask? And for the record, I say no cheese.

Answer 9

my child's doctor did advise me that under a yr old, babies cannot digest cows milk, but it is good to introduce them to cows milk to let their system know that there is diff stuff out there besides breast milk/formula. it also tells you if your child can digest milk products or not. i gave my child Kraft cheese slices with extra calcium. if they cannot get anything out of the cows milk, then atleast they will benefit from the calcium (growing teeth and bones!)

Answer 10

None until they are 1 years old. How is that a dumb answer if its correct? Or here is an idea...ask the doctor unless your baby's health means nothing to you.