Hello,
I have two boys, ages 14 and 10. They have been vegetarian/mostly vegan their whole lives. Both of my boys were also breastfed beyond 1 year (18mo & 32mo) Neither of them had dairy during the first 5 years of their lives because of an intolerance to milk - eczema, severe diaper rash, skin eruptions when I ate dairy while breast feeding. I was vegetarian at the time and my midwife suggested I stop eating dairy. As soon as I stopped, the rashes and skin problems went away immediately. I have been vegan ever since -- I realized how much better I felt (no more constipation or acne). Both of my boys are tall, thin (within normal weight range), very active and excelling academically. Now they eat cheese occasionally - mostly at school/social events. If they eat too much, skin problems appear, so they know not to eat too much.
When they were little, I would buy a different alternative milk every week (oat, soy, almond, rice, etc) just to switch it up. I just mashed up whatever my husband and I were eating and that's what the kids ate. Lots of fruit, sweet potatoes, rice, other root veggies, beans and smoothies. They loved smoothies - still do.
I have never felt they needed cows milk, especially after seeing how much it was harming them. I had a hard time finding a pediatrician in Dallas, who was okay with us being vegetarian. Fortunately, I don' t live in Dallas any more. I am also a Registered Nurse and board certified lactation nurse, so I did a ton of research and truly believe that children, of any age, do not need dairy, meat or eggs. Most people have a hard time arguing with me about it because my kids look so healthy and energetic.
Here's an article written by McDougall -
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2012nl ... ildren.htmHope that helps some.
Regina