The field of pediatric nutrition is so exciting for us to work in! It is a constantly evolving discipline, with new information coming from cutting-edge research at a fast pace. KINDNESS has taught an infant nutrition class in Kodiak for almost 20 years now, and we think we’ve substantially changed the content based on new recommendations half a dozen times. The way we fed my kids 20 years ago is NOT how we teach parents to feed their babies today, (and it is certainly not the way our parents fed us!!). Here’s the latest on when and how to introduce your child to cow’s milk and/or cow’s milk alternatives (which we refer to as “toddler milk”).
WHEN: The main reason why it is generally not advised to introduce cow’s milk before age one is that some babies’ digestive tracts are not quite ready for the higher casein protein content, and cow’s milk is inadequate in iron for human infants. However, if your baby is getting close to one year of age, doing well with solids in general, i.e. eating a wide variety of foods from all the food groups, including cheese, yogurt and other foods containing dairy, still breastfeeding and/or drinking some infant formula, nutritionally there is no reason why you can’t give your baby small amounts of whole cow’s milk or other toddler milk (soy, almond, or other dairy alternative).
HOW: Always put milk, water, diluted juice (basically, any liquid other than breastmilk or formula) in a cup. This helps your baby progress with cup drinking skills (review our post on cups for more info) and help reduce dependency on the bottle (review our post on weaning from breast or bottle).
WHAT KIND OF MILK: If you choose to offer your baby cow’s milk, start them on whole milk. Their baby brains still thrive on high fat nutrition for all those neural connections they are making in the first three years of life. Cow’s milk does indeed have the highest protein content compared to other toddler milks, but that doesn’t mean your child has to drink cow’s milk, if it’s not in your family food culture. Soy and nut-based toddler milks are nutritionally sound for babies as long as they are eating a wide variety of foods overall to meet their protein and fat needs for consistent growth. Take a bit of extra time when you shop to compare the labels and choose a milk with relatively high protein and fat.
HOW MUCH: If you’ve read through our post on starting solids, visited Ellyn Satter’s website, or attended our infant nutrition class, you’ve already heard it’s best to allow your baby to self-regulate their intake and decide for themselves how much to eat or drink based on their internal signals of hunger and fullness. Milk is a bit of an exception. Because babies spend the first year of their lives subsisting on milk (breast milk or formula), they generally form a strong preference for drinking their nutrition. Around age one, we really want to see the balance of their nutrition come more from solid foods than from milk. Milk should become part of their overall healthy diet, but rather than the mainstay, milk should take a back-seat to healthy foods. Keep an eye on how much cow’s milk or toddler milk your child drinks on an average day; it should be 16 – 20 oz or so. More than that can cut into a child’s appetite for healthy meals and snacks, and can cause iron-deficiency anemia. We see many parents worried about their toddlers being “picky” and not interested in eating much food. After a bit of detective work, it often turns out their babies are not picky, they are just full of milk! Offer milk at mealtimes and consider it part of their meal. Offer water between meals so they learn to drink water when they are thirsty.
You can read more on the CDC’s website about introducing cow’s milk or toddler milk to your baby.
DISCLAIMER: We know when you surf the web for information, you can get conflicting results, and it’s not easy to know whether you are finding evidence-based, high quality recommendations. That’s part of our job here at Kodiak KINDNESS; we are here to support your informed decisions about infant feeding through your baby’s first year. We’ve done some background work, and to the best of our knowledge, this post reflects current best practices. However, the information contained in this post and any links contained herein is for your informational use only; it is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Furthermore, Kodiak KINDNESS is not responsible for the accuracy of any information contained in this post or links contained herein; it is for you to review at your own risk and discuss, as needed, with your health care professional in order to make a plan that suits your individual circumstances.