Cow Milk and Buffalo Milk for Babies: All You Need to Know

Thinking of cow milk and buffalo milk for babies? The richest sources of milk production in the world are cows, buffaloes, goats, camels, and sheep. While cows are the most consumed source of milk, buffalo milk follows its lead. Both cow and buffalo milk boasts high nutritional riches and is instrumental in the production of dairy products such as butter, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt.

Cow milk, as we have pointed out earlier, is a nutritious liquid food derived from the mammary glands of cows. It is often the first source of nutrition for infants until they are grown enough to eat solid foods.

Buffalo milk is rich in protein and fat, creamy in texture, and especially excellent when it comes to producing butter, yogurt, and cream.

However, there is more to know about these two outstanding milks. And this article contains the details that you need to know. Happy reading.

Can a Six-Month-Old Baby Take Buffalo Milk?

The World Health Organization rightly recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. And this makes sense, because breast milk contains all the essential nutrients your baby requires to thrive.

You should not give your baby buffalo milk until she clocks one year of age. This is because buffalo milk comes with a pronounced amount of vitamin A, and is quite rich in protein value. Compared to cow’s milk, buffalo milk comes with more iron, calcium, and phosphorus. Asides this, it also contains more fat, and may expose your baby to an increased risk of obesity. The cons are even higher if your baby is already too weighty for their age.

If it is compulsory that you give your baby buffalo milk, then a counteracting approach will be to boil the milk first, leave it to cool, and separate the cream layer from the milk. This way, the milk is at least safe for your baby.

Babies don’t handle change well. So the ideal thing will be to introduce the milk to your baby steadily. It is okay to start with little amounts, and from there, you can shoot up.

Does Buffalo Milk Cause Constipation in Babies?

Buffalo milk has fat and casein, which are both hard to digest. This causes constipation. If your baby is constipated, you will notice that the frequency of her stools is declining. When she passes stools, you may find that she does so painfully, and the stools are dry, compact, and hard.

How to Dilute Buffalo Milk for Babies

The first thing to know is that, you should not try to give your baby buffalo milk, whether diluted or concentrated, if she is less than a year of age. Your breast milk is everything she needs pre one year old and going beyond this can expose your little one to health risks you didn’t bargain for.

But if your baby is over a year old, here is how you can go about diluting the buffalo milk.

Buffalo milk, as much as it is healthy, is quite heavy. So in diluting it, the first thing you want to ensure is that the utensils in which you are preparing it, are clean. Then the next thing is to mix it with water. Water dilutes the milk, and makes it easily digestible by your baby’s growing digestive system.

Which Milk is Good for Babies: Cow Milk or Buffalo Milk?

Buffalo and cow’s milk are both amazing milks, in that they are rich in nutrition, and offer a prominent quantity of minerals and vitamins. In terms of more lactose, protein and fat, buffalo milk trumps cow’s milk.

So if you want milk that keeps your baby filled for a relatively longer period, buffalo milk, being high in protein content, makes sense. It also helps you keep your baby’s weight in check. Conversely, if your baby has lactose intolerance, and wants a reduction in their intake of fat, then cow milk it is.

Unlike cow milk which is easier to digest, buffalo milk is hard to digest. And if you want your baby hydrated, then you want to subscribe to cow’s milk, as it contains water for its most part. In terms of cholesterol, buffalo milk comes with a little quantity of it, which is what makes it ideal for infants who are suffering from obesity.

For the calories, a cup of buffalo milk has 237 calories, while one cup of cow milk has 148 calories. This number tells you which of the duo is more filling, once more.

If your baby has issues sleeping, buffalo milk is a sleep-inducer, and can help you restore things to default.

However, cow milk remains the healthy option for your baby. It not only offers them essential nutrients, it also helps them develop strong and healthy bones. Your baby’s tiny body system requires minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and Vitamin A, which can be richly sourced from cow milk. Hence, we would advise you to go for cow milk.

Ultimately, though, the choice remains yours to make. So, whatever will work for you and your baby- please do that.

How to Identify Cow Milk and Buffalo Milk at Home

You can differentiate cow milk from buffalo milk for babies in a number of ways. The primary way is through color. While cow milk has a yellowish color, buffalo milk has a whitish color.

Another way to identify both kinds of milk is through their consistency. Cow milk lags in fat content, while buffalo milk leads. Hence, cow milk is visibly lighter than buffalo milk – which is often referred to as heavy milk.

Conclusion

Milk is an important part of an infant’s diet, as it comes with a diverse range of nutrients that are instrumental to healthy growth and development. Cow milk and Buffalo milk for babies are two chief sources of milk in the world today. Both have their pros and cons, and ultimately help babies grow well.

In this content, we have provided answers to all the questions you could have about these two types of milk. We hope the information helps you.