Q: I have a 20 month old girl who is small for her age (5th percentile) and cannot tolerate cow milk (she drinks goat milk instead). I heard that Abies Pectinata helps with calcium absorption and bone strength, is this true? I also read that AbiesPectinata and Betula Verrucosa work together for the best outcome to help growth. Do you know if it is safe to give these to my 1 1/2 year old? Would they give her an upset stomach? If you have any other suggestions to help improve appetite and healthy growth please let me know.
A: Yes, Abies Pectinata and Betula Verrucosa are indicated for the bone mineralization and growth in young children, and do have a synergistic effect when used together.
The Abies Pectinata favors the fixation of calcium in the bones, and is indicated for delayed growth, and growing pains. And the Betula Verrucosa is for mineral deficiency, thus they are thought to work well in combination.
They are safe to give to your daughter at her age. I would recommend adding the drops to a small bit of purified water in a cup and have her drink the water. They should not upset her stomach. For her age, I would suggest giving her 5 drops of each, 3 x / day, then gradually increase to 10 drops, 3 x/ day within the next month or so.
It is good that you are giving her goats milk. How much is she drinking each day? You should increase the amount she is drinking up to 2 cups daily if she is not already doing so to increase her calories and minerals, and be sure the goats you are getting them milk from are pastured or grass-fed as this allows the milk to be much higher in important minerals and vitamins. Check out this information about goat’s milk: Cow-Milk-and-Goat-Milk-FAQs
Additionally, you may want to add some Life Start 2 Goat Milk Probiotics to her milk everyday to support her intestinal flora and immune system. These are wonderful for children who cannot tolerate dairy probiotics. If she suffers from food allergies/sensitivities, her intestinal tract may need to get better flora in there, and these can be helpful for that, thus it may help improve her appetite if she is feeling better.
Goats milk can be lower in B-12 and folic acid depending on if the goats are grass fed. So feed her some chicken liver (3 Tablespoons or more) from free roaming chickens on pasture. Give her liver 1-3 times per week since it is very high in B-vitamins, folic acid, and iron. It’s far better than any multivitamin! You can easily hide the chicken liver mixed into ground beef or beans. Most toddlers under 2 like it straight off the spoon since it’s tender and tasty. Small amounts are fine since it’s a powerful food for growth in children.
As for her growth, you may also include this to her day:
- Baby Vitamin D drops – one drop a day can also help further support her immune system and growth. Though you may want to get her vitamin D levels checked first by her doctor to determine if her levels are low and include this if they are.
Also, it is hugely important that she is able to play outside every day. This allows them to get sunshine needed for vitamin D to be make internally. It also burns calories so they will be hungry at meal time. If she’s not eating enough during meal times, cut out ALL snacking so she is hungry when her meals are served. Snacking is often a big problem leading to kids not eating enough of the “real food” for lunch or dinner.
