Differences between goat's milk and cow's milk

Goat's milk for the baby is an alternative when the mother cannot breastfeed and in some cases when the baby is allergic to cow's milk. That's because goat's milk lacks the Alpha S1 casein protein, which is primarily responsible for the development of cow's milk allergies.

Goat's milk is similar to cow's milk and has lactose, but is more easily digested and has less fat. However, goat's milk is low in folic acid, as well as vitamin C, B12 and B6 deficiency. So it may be vitamin supplementation, which should be recommended by the pediatrician.

To give goat's milk you need to take some precautions, such as boiling the milk for at least 5 minutes and mixing the milk with a little mineral water or boiled water. The quantities are:

30 ml of goat milk for the newborn baby in the 1st month + 60 ml of water, Half a glass of goat milk for 2 months baby + half a glass of water, From 3 to 6 months: 2/3 of goat milk + 1/3 of water, With more than 7 months: can give pure goat milk, but always boiled.

Goat's milk for baby with reflux is not indicated when the baby's reflux is due to the consumption of cow's milk proteins, because although goat's milk has better digestion, they are similar and this milk can also cause reflux.

It is important to remember that goat's milk is not the ideal substitute for breast milk, and before making any dietary changes to the baby, counseling by a pediatrician or nutritionist is important.

Goat milk nutritional information

The following table provides a comparison of 100 g of goat's milk, cow's milk and breast milk.

Components	Goat milk	Cow milk	Breast milk
Energy	92 kcal	70 kcal	70 kcal
Proteins	3.9 g	3.2 g	1, g
Fats	6.2 g	3.4 g	4.4 g
Carbohydrates (Lactose)	4.4 g	4.7 g	6.9 g