Maybe the kid was lactose intolerant or something like that - I couldn’t imagine regular milk causing a normal child to starve, and if he was really doing better on it than on formula, I can’t blame the parents for feeding him that instead of formula (although breastfeeding would have been the best option, and it wasn’t like it wasn’t an option). Kids spend more time than that on breast milk, and while regular milk isn’t the best substitute, I don’t think it would be so bad as to starve a child. However, I totally agree with you on the point that the parents should have said “Oh, my child is really sick and not getting better” and taken him to a doctor or the ER or something.
It’s hard to imagine regular milk causing a normal child to starve. OK, I’ll concede that. But this baby was premature. Preemies are under-developed. Formula is specially formulated for babies. These two gave another mammal’s milk to this baby whose alimentary system was probably not as developed as those of other babies. How could anybody not know that a preemie is a little different, has special needs, however nominally ‘special’ they be?
I’m an aunt to a little boy who is the first grandchild to 2 families. He is much adored. He was born 3 weeks early - not really preemie, but he was 5lbs. 11oz. at birth. Then he had a lot of ear-infections, gas, etc.. He didn’t eat a lot and missed the growth spurts. His parents were investigated by the state. Drs. tested him for renal tubular acidosis and thyroid dysfunction. He was -ve for both. The point is, his parents cared enough to take him to a dr.. Ultimately, the dr. said, “He’s small, but he seems happy” and the state backed off. Now he’s 2 and in the 0th percentile for both height and weight. But he’s always monitored, always given choices, always encouraged to eat.
This poor baby might have liked the taste of their whole or 2% or skim milk better, but if he couldn’t digest it, he was starving, and these stupid buffoons let him die.