However you should avoid offering cows milk any earlier than this. Before this age it isnt suitable because it contains too much salt and not enough iron so stick to breast milk or formula.
Avoid feeding cows milk to any child younger than 12 months old.
What age can i put baby on cows milk. Avoid feeding cows milk to any child younger than 12 months old. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our.
By age 1 your baby should be eating a variety of other foods as well as drinking about 23 cups 480720 milliliters of milk each day. If your baby was put on a soy or hypoallergenic formula for a milk allergy talk to the doctor before introducing milk. Wait until your baby is a year old before giving her cows milk as a main drink.
Its fine to use a little cows milk in your babys food once shes started on solids. Yoghurt and cheese are also fine to feed your baby from six months. But offering cows milk as a main drink before shes one year old will leave her short of important nutrients.
By age 2 your child should get 18 ounces or 2 14 cups of cows milk or other milk products each day. However dont give your child more than 20 ounces 2 12 cups of milk a day or she may not have room for the other foods she needs to round out her diet. If your toddlers still thirsty offer water.
The NHS says that babies can drink cows milk as a main drink from 12 months old. Up to 12 months you should give your baby breast milk or formula milk. This is because cows milk doesnt contain enough iron and nutrients to meet your growing babys needs.
You should play it safe and wait another month until your baby turns 1. While it wasnt too long ago that 9 months or even 6 months was considered a safe age to start giving babies milk the. If your or your baby wean before they are 12 months you should give your baby infant formula.
After 12 months of age your baby can have whole cows milk instead of breast milk or formula. Once your babys weaning at six months old its fine to mix small amounts of cows milk with her food. However you should avoid offering cows milk any earlier than this.
From six months your baby could try foods made with milk such as pancakes homemade cheese sauce scrambled eggs or potatoes mashed with milk. Official guidelines recommend parents hold off until babies are between nine and 12 months old before introducing cows milk. Prior to that its not an appropriate substitute for breastmilk or.
If your child has an allergy to cows milk best to consult your babies doctor as to what product to introduce after 12 months of age. If your little one had cows milk based formula as a baby without any problems you can rest assured that theyll have no problems tolerating regular cows milk. So yes when your baby reaches 12 months old you can give him whole cows milk as a drink.
Before this age it isnt suitable because it contains too much salt and not enough iron so stick to breast milk or formula. Cows milk can however be used in cooking or on cereal from age 6 months. Until your baby is six months old you will need to carefully measure and add boiled water sugar and special micro-nutrients or multivitamin syrup to the fresh cows milk before giving it to your baby.
The table on the other page tells you how much water and sugar to add. Wait until your baby is a year old to give her cows milk as a main drink. The same goes for goats milk and other animal milks.
Its fine to use a little cows milk in your babys food once shes started on solids. Yoghurt and mild cheese are also fine to feed your baby from six months. But cows milk as her main drink will leave her short of important nutrients before shes one year old.
It is OK to give babies foods made with dairy products like yogurt ice cream and cheese as appropriate for their age starting after 6 months old as long as there is not a strong family or personal history of a cows milk allergy in which case you should discuss with your pediatrician before introducing. Breast milk or formula should be given until 12 months as opposed to cows milk or other alternatives such as almond or coconut milk. It is recommended that you wait until 12 months to start giving your baby cows milk as it isnt as easily digestible as breast milk or formula.
Following are the reasons why you should introduce the cows milk only after the child is 1 year old. Difficult to Digest Cows milk contains a very high concentration of minerals and proteins and so it doesnt get digested by babies as readily as mothers milk. It can also put undue pressure on the childs kidneys which are still developing.
All guidelines recommend not starting before 17 weeks and not delaying past 26 weeks. You can introduce standard cows milk and dairy products to your baby if. They are aged between 17 and 26 weeks or over 26 weeks they do not have an already diagnosed allergy to cows milk protein.
How Much Cows Milk Is Enough. A cup or two of milk each day is enough for most babies under the age of three. Between three and eight years of age your baby may consume up to three cups of milk per day healthfully.
Three or more cups of milk daily isnt recommended until your child is. By age 1 your baby should be eating a variety of other foods as well as drinking about 23 cups of milk each day. You may want to slowly work up to 2-3 cups a day.
Cow milk is recommended because the extra calories and fat are needed for healthy growth and development. Make sure to also include a variety of healthy foods as well.