The person who wrote:
>> I wish to make sure he [my son] is getting absorbable calcium, we
>>drink tropicana pure premium with calcium added. Does anyone know if the
>>form of calcium is absorbable for infants/toddlers? I was thinking about
>>giving him 8 ounces daily plus finding a supplement form to put in coconut
>>milk and/or almond drink, since he likes to take a bottle when he takes a
>>nap or goes to bed. Please help?

Just as a note of caution, the almond milk sold in health food stores is
high in carbohydrates (compared to nut milk you'd make at home) because it
has sugars added.  If you put any high carb beverage (juice, sweetened nut
milk, etc.) in a bottle and let a child fall asleep with it in the mouth,
you may unwittingly promote tooth decay.  The child's teeth will be bathed
in that sweet liquid.

Coconut milk (provided you buy unsweetened, such as Thai Kitchen brand), has
very few carbs--4 grams per cup; however, when chilled (or if the can is
opened in cool weather) will often be as thick as yogurt or sour cream and
would not pass through the nipple of a bottle.  You'd have to dilute it with
water (preferably purified rather than tap water).  However, bottles can
disturb the development of a child's palate---it's quite different from the
mouth, tongue motions required to extract milk from a human nipple.  It
might be better to wean your child from a bottle and start using one of
those cups with a straw attached for giving liquids while the child is awake
and sitting up.

Coconut milk contains less than half the fat of cream--360 calories per
cup--more per cup than cow milk or human mother's milk.  It's a great food,
but I'd be cautious about giving it great quantities if your child is eating
solids as there are other foods and nutrients you'd want a growing child to
have.  Coconut milk is very low in protein (4 grams per cup).

Rachel