Babies start drinking cow’s milk
Babies can start drinking cow’s milk once they turn 12 months of age, as stated by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). However, introducing cow’s milk into your baby’s diet can be exciting and worrying.
You’re excited about the relief and extra time you’d get from substituting some breastfeeding time with cow’s milk. At the same time, you’re worried about what the milk’s reaction will be on your baby. Will my sunshine enjoy this new juice? Will it be rich enough for him? What if she has an allergy to milk protein? These and several other related questions are likely to creep into your mind.
It’s normal to be curious about this transition, but as long as you do not start giving your baby cow’s milk before they turn one, you’re unlikely to experience any serious challenge.
What happens when you’re too early?
Babies younger than 12 months of age cannot digest cow’s milk due to the large amounts of protein in them. Your baby’s digestive system tends to be highly sensitive within the first 12 months, so it’s healthier and safer to avoid introducing anything beyond breast milk or formula.
Also, certain nutrients such as vitamin E and zinc are required to keep your child healthy and to help them develop mentally and physically. Unfortunately, cow’s milk lacks some key nutrients that infants require to grow strong mentally and physically; thus, it’s best to allow your baby to get additional breast milk feeding or formula for at least the first year.
As babies develop, their digestive system becomes more complex and can accommodate a wider variety of food. As a result, they find it easier to digest more Iron-rich solid foods and different kinds of milk after year one. They can get many required nutrients from a well-rounded diet comprising solid food, fruits, lean protein, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains.
How to transition into cow’s milk successfully
Besides knowing when to start introducing solids to your baby, you also have to understand how to help them transition successfully. Because human breast milk and formula are sweeter than cow’s milk, a breastfed baby may not enjoy transitioning to the latter and may require extra help getting used to it.
Breastfeeding moms can transition their babies from breast milk to whole-fat cow’s milk by mixing human milk or formula with cow’s milk. For a start, add only a small percentage of cow’s milk so that the impact on the overall taste is minimal.
Gradually increase the quantity of cow’s milk in the meal as your baby gets used to the new taste.
It’s important to stress that when mixing baby formula with cow’s milk, ensure to mix with prepared formula, not powdered one.
When you are sure your kid can fully transition to cow’s milk, you may stop the milk formula or human milk and serve them cow’s milk with other recommended meals.
Additionally, you can help your baby transition to cow’s milk by sneaking some of it into their baby food during the day. Try pouring milk over their cereal, such as adding it to oatmeal or smoothies.
Also, you can try adding some to their soups or mac and cheese. When you’re confident they’re already used to the taste, you may start serving them cow’s milk alone.
Another thing that helps babies easily adopt cow’s milk and crave less milk formula or human milk is warming up the mixture before serving. Babies take breast milk at body temperature, and even the ones on formula take their food after it has been heated.
If your baby has gotten used to taking warm foods, giving them a cold one can be shocking. You need to present the cow’s milk at about the same temperature as their regular milk formula or human milk to help them enjoy their new delicacy almost the same way.
You may as well consider serving the cow’s milk in a sippy cup to help your baby transition away from the bottle.
Serving a different meal in their bottle may confuse as they feel the taste of their favorite has suddenly changed. Thus, it may make transitioning more challenging than it normally should be.
How much milk is ok for a toddler?
When your baby has successfully moved to cow’s milk, it’s time to monitor their milk consumption to ensure they don’t drink too much milk. Excess milk consumption can greatly reduce their craving for other iron-rich foods. This may lead to iron deficiency anemia since the amounts of iron in cow milk is very low. So, you might want to ensure you’re giving your child iron-fortified formula, iron supplement, or iron-rich foods alongside cow milk.
The amount of milk your toddler needs will vary as they grow. But generally, toddlers should drink around 2 to 3 cups (16 to 24 ounces) of cow’s milk per day, according to pediatric experts. For babies who are one year old, 2 to 3 cups of cow’s milk is enough each day. You also want to stick to the whole-fat cow’s milk variety unless your doctor says otherwise, as it contains the fat content that kids need to grow.
If your kid is above two years old, you should give them about 2 to 2.5 cups of cow’s milk a day. Children at this age can start moving gradually to low-fat or nonfat (skim) milk as their digestive system can now handle it.
Possible side effects on toddlers when switching to cow’s milk?
While attempting to transition into cow’s milk, it’s important to keep an eye on your baby for a period of time. This is especially important if your family has a history of milk allergies. Your baby may react to the milk and some of the signs you may notice include:
- irritability
- excess gas
- diarrhea
- vomiting
- skin rashes
Once you notice any unusual developments after introducing the cow’s milk, discontinue giving the milk and see your pediatrician for medical advice on a better alternative for your baby. One major alternative milk that pediatric experts recommend for babies with milk allergies is fortified soy milk. It’s very similar to cow’s milk, is rich in many helpful nutrients, and can help prevent iron deficiency anemia.
Common kinds of milk
Whole-fat cow’s milk
Pediatric experts recommend giving whole-fat cow’s milk (whole milk) to toddlers since it contains a higher fat content necessary to maintain weight gain during development. These kinds of milk also provide most of the nutrients to develop the brain.
Low-fat milk
If you have a family history of milk obesity or heart disease, pediatric experts recommend lower-fat milk for your toddler. Low-fat or nonfat milk can help prevent excessive weight gain that may lead to those life-threatening conditions.
Plant-based milk
If your baby has an allergy to milk proteins, the high amount of protein in cow milk may be unsafe. Consider feeding them with plant-based milk instead. These milk alternatives contain less protein. However, such options usually contain less vitamin D and calcium, so consider looking for an alternative milk fortified with these nutrients.
Rice milk
Although high in carbohydrates and calcium, Rice milk is generally not recommended for toddlers because rice products usually contain inorganic arsenic. The lower protein content can make it a good milk alternative.
Almond milk
Almond milk contains less protein and is generally less nutrient-dense than regular milk. Hence, it’s typically not recommended by pediatric experts. On the other hand, it is rich in vitamin A, iron, and calcium. So if you want to use these kinds of milk, ensure you are adequately supplementing your child’s diet with vitamin D supplements and other foods.
Unpasteurized milk
Unpasteurized milk is raw milk from the cow, which will likely contain bacteria harmful to your developing baby. These kinds of milk are generally not recommended for toddlers.
Pasteurized whole-fat cow’s milk
Pasteurized whole-fat cow’s milk has been heated to kill harmful bacteria. Hence, pasteurized whole-fat cow’s milk is safer than unpasteurized options. Despite going through heat, pasteurized whole-fat cow’s milk does not lose its nutritional value.
Ultra-pasteurized milk
Ultra-pasteurized milk has gone through an intensive pasteurization process. Therefore, it can stay in the fridge longer than regular milk after being opened. Ultra-pasteurized milk can last about 30-90 days. It’s not very common in the US, but you’d be lucky to find it in some stores.
Ultra-pasteurized milk doesn’t offer superior nutritional value to regular milk, but some claim it has a more cooked taste. So your toddler may not like it very much if they’re already used to milk formula or regular milk.
Nondairy milk
Nondairy milk is an alternative derived from other sources, such as plants. Rice milk is a non-dairy option. They are usually less protein-dense than dairy products.
Finally, kids above five years and with milk allergies may take non-dairy milk, often made with plant ingredients such as rice, coconuts, oats, almonds, and more. Kids below that age shouldn’t use this alternative because non-dairy milk is normally sweetened with added sugars, and kids under five shouldn’t be taking added sugar.
