Quesillo (Oaxaca cheese)

Pasteurized quesillo with little sodium (up to 100 mg a serving) can be offered once baby is ready for solids, around 6 months.

Quesillo is also called queso Oaxaca, a nod to its popularity in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The cheese stretches and pulls apart into strands, which is why some call it queso de hebra. Rennet is added to rich cow's milk. The curds are strained and dipped in hot water. That bath gives the cheese its stringy texture. For sale the threads are wound together like a ball of yarn.

Nutrition

Whole milk quesillo gives plenty of protein and fat for baby's fast growth. It adds calcium for bones and some vitamin A for sight, immunity and skin. Pick whole milk over part-skim, since babies need a lot of energy and fat.

Quesillo can be made from pasteurized or raw milk. Raw milk cheeses carry a higher foodborne illness risk. These germs can make anyone sick, whatever the age or health.

Choose pasteurized quesillo. Serve thin shreds, thin slices or a little grated. At 9 months move to matchstick length. After 12 months wide thin slices are fine too.

Quesillo does not help constipation. It has a lot of fat and almost no fiber, and that slows digestion. A lot of cheese and milk can add to constipation.

Cheese often causes choking in babies and children. Quesillo is stringy and sticky.

Slice it thin or serve it in shreds. Do not give cubes, big chunks or melted globs. Show safe eating by tearing the cheese into slim threads while the child watches. Stay beside baby during meals.

Milk is a common allergen in young children. In the United States about one in five childhood food allergies comes from milk. The good news is that milk allergy often passes with time. Most children with cow's milk allergy outgrow it by age 6. Many babies with mild milk protein allergy symptoms can restart cow's milk around the first birthday, with a doctor's guidance. Sheep, goat and buffalo milk products may trigger a similar reaction to cow's milk.

FPIES

Cow's milk can set off food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). This allergy is a delayed one. Some hours after a meal, sudden and repeated vomiting and diarrhea set in, and without treatment the body loses a dangerous amount of fluid. When FPIES begins in infancy, children usually outgrow it between ages 3 and 5. How often it occurs is not known, but it is believed to be rare.

If you suspect baby has a milk allergy, talk to an allergist before giving cheese. Depending on risk, the allergist may suggest testing or a supervised trial in the office. Your doctor may say that home is fine for the first taste when the risk is low. Give a small amount at the first servings. If there is no reaction, raise it slowly.

Lactose intolerance is uncommon in babies. Some people handle aged cheeses better, whereas fresh cheeses such as quesillo hold more lactose than aged ones.