The practice of separating dairy cows and calves shortly after birth is increasingly being questioned by a range of stakeholders. However, implementing dam rearing systems, in which cows nurse their own calves for several weeks or months, can be challenging under commercial conditions. For some farms, foster cow systems may provide a practical compromise. In these systems, one foster cow nurses two to four calves, often including her own calf, and is generally not milked. The benefits and risks of this system, as well as possible strategies for mitigating the challenges, are presented using practical examples.