How important is milk after the 1st Year?

tanyaspid · August 2012

My DD is 9 months old and if I never gave her a bottle again she would be completely fine with it. It is a struggle sometimes to get her to drink her formula, and I always said I would put up with it until she turns 1 and after that I don't care if she doesn't want it anymore. I'm just wondering how important milk is for them after they turn 1 or is it ok if they stop drinking it.

Anyone else's baby not really care for their bottle? I've also tried other methods of delivery, sippy cup, etc. Nothing seems to work.

Chargersgrl33 · August 2012

I would probably talk to your Pedi about this. I'm pretty sure that they are still getting nutriance from the bottle before a year, and it's pretty important. After a year I just don't know...but I would try the sippy route. I think that's what our plan is when we make the transition.

PurpleDrewbie5 · August 2012

Would she take formula in a sippy? My daughter loves her sippy with a straw. She never really cared for the standard tip and sip cup but she loves the straw. I found a few for around $2 each at walmart. She is BF and has never used a bottle (I tried on several occasions but she just never cared for it) but drinks out of her sippy frequently.

Milk is important after they turn 1. It has calcium, vitamin d, needed calories, etc. That's why after babies are done with formula or breast milk they need to switch to whole milk.

JenWhite123 · August 2012

By 10 mos, DD pretty much weaned herself from the bottle. By that time, she was down to 2 bottles a day, and I was lucky if I could gt her to drink 10 oz. she prefers real food. I just make sure he's eating a balanced diet and don't worry about it. She drinks plenty of water during he day from her sippy.

Tink112011 · August 2012

My DS is like yours. I always feel like I'm forcing the bottle on him. I BF until 7 months and he took bottles fine at daycare, but now they're having struggles too.

I recently asked my pedi about how many oz of formula he should be drinking in a day. They said 28-32 oz and I was like "whoa, there's no way he has EVER drank that much". But since I just weaned from nursing, I now know for the first time ever how much he is actually consuming in a day. When I think about that, I'm not sure being able to keep tabs on every oz is a good thing. He was perfectly happy and content before, why should I be stressed out because he is only drinking 20 ounces?

But from what I've read and been told, formula and whole cow's milk is a very important part of their diet. I would still push milk after 1 year.

smilelari · August 2012

LalaMama81:
Milk is not important for babies who are past the age of weaning. The issue is that 1 year is not the age that most babies would wean if left to do so on their own. That being said, I don't think even for a 1 year old, that milk from a cow is as important as we (as a country) make it to be.
I BF past the age of one, hopefully until almost 2. So we may give WCM or soy or almond or other milks, but it is as a food and for the experience as opposed to a drink that they need calories & other vitamins for.
I would "fight" so to speak to get a baby to nurse or take bottles until age 1. At that point I would relax some and give them a varied diet and plenty of water. If you are replacing that milk with yogurts, cheeses, good leafy greens, etc. I would be comfortable.

This.

It's important that toddlers get a varied diet of healthy foods, but WCM doesn't need to be a big part of it. There are lots of other good sources of vitamin D and calcium.

My pediatrician always seemed to be more concerned with over consumption of dairy rather than under consumption. After 1 year it starts to be more important that their calories come from food rather than liquid.

GibsonGirl620 · August 2012

LalaMama81:
Milk is not important for babies who are past the age of weaning. The issue is that 1 year is not the age that most babies would wean if left to do so on their own. That being said, I don't think even for a 1 year old, that milk from a cow is as important as we (as a country) make it to be.

Agreed. It's so nice to see someone else feels this way.

fairy_diva · August 2012

Whole milk is very important after 1 year. It support both brain & nerve developement as they grow.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents not to restrict dietary fat or calories in children under two. Healthy fats like those found in whole milk are critical for brain development.

?Whole milk supports neuron formation and other major brain growth and development,? said Deborah Goldman, M.D., assistant professor in the University of Minnesota?s Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. ?Compromising on good fats in a toddler?s diet can have long term impacts on their development.?

Goldman offers some basic guidelines for parents of toddlers:

Begin offering milk at 12 months. Milk is a great part of a healthy, balanced diet and offering it at a young age will encourage children to continue to be life-long milk drinkers. Doctors recommend about two cups (16 oz.) of milk a day at this age.

Whole milk, which is 3% milk fat, or 2% are the best option for a toddler. The saturated fats in this percentage of milk encourage overall brain health. At this age, the AAP recommends healthy fats make up half the diet of a toddler.

Concerned about weight gain? Instead of cutting healthy fats like milk, reassess dietary elements full of empty calories, like juice or some snack foods.

Don?t panic about lactose intolerance. It is rare for children under five to be truly lactose intolerant. ?Generally, lactose intolerance in young children is tied to something else, like a recent bacterial infection or Celiac Disease. When the initial concern is addressed, the intolerance fades,? says Goldman.

Before making the switch to soy or almond milk, check with a doctor. Milk substitutes don?t stack up in calcium or vitamin D benefits, and may need to be supplemented with other dietary changes.

As children get older, it is a good idea to start shifting to low fat milk, as recommended by the USDA. By the time a child starts kindergarten, only a third of their diet should be coming from healthy fats. Still, when it comes to toddlers, Goldman says the old standard is still the best.

?This isn?t the time to compromise on good fats,? she said. ?They not only help set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating, but are so important to development.?

GibsonGirl620 · August 2012

fairy_diva:
Whole milk is very important after 1 year. It support both brain & nerve developement as they grow.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents not to restrict dietary fat or calories in children under two. Healthy fats like those found in whole milk are critical for brain development.

?Whole milk supports neuron formation and other major brain growth and development,? said Deborah Goldman, M.D., assistant professor in the University of Minnesota?s Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. ?Compromising on good fats in a toddler?s diet can have long term impacts on their development.?

Goldman offers some basic guidelines for parents of toddlers:

Begin offering milk at 12 months. Milk is a great part of a healthy, balanced diet and offering it at a young age will encourage children to continue to be life-long milk drinkers. Doctors recommend about two cups (16 oz.) of milk a day at this age.

Whole milk, which is 3% milk fat, or 2% are the best option for a toddler. The saturated fats in this percentage of milk encourage overall brain health. At this age, the AAP recommends healthy fats make up half the diet of a toddler.

Concerned about weight gain? Instead of cutting healthy fats like milk, reassess dietary elements full of empty calories, like juice or some snack foods.

Don?t panic about lactose intolerance. It is rare for children under five to be truly lactose intolerant. ?Generally, lactose intolerance in young children is tied to something else, like a recent bacterial infection or Celiac Disease. When the initial concern is addressed, the intolerance fades,? says Goldman.

Before making the switch to soy or almond milk, check with a doctor. Milk substitutes don?t stack up in calcium or vitamin D benefits, and may need to be supplemented with other dietary changes.

As children get older, it is a good idea to start shifting to low fat milk, as recommended by the USDA. By the time a child starts kindergarten, only a third of their diet should be coming from healthy fats. Still, when it comes to toddlers, Goldman says the old standard is still the best.

?This isn?t the time to compromise on good fats,? she said. ?They not only help set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating, but are so important to development.?

Just to clarify- Yes, your LO does need fat, calcium, vit D, etc. No, it does not *need* to be from cows' milk. In fact, it is possible to consume too much dairy.

Also, soymilk and other dairy substitutes are fortified with the same amount, sometimes more, of calcium and vitamin D.

https://kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/milk-supplements/

https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/toddler-foods/

OP, I would suggest doing some research. Look carefully at the source of your info, too- Most likely if it's very pro-dairy, it's sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of America. Interesting, isn't it?

adamsps · August 2012

Whole cows milk is a cheap and easy way to give your child a lot of the fats and nutrients he/she needs. But there are certainly other ways too! Agree the cows milk was designed for cows, not humans, so the idea that it is a required part of our diet at any age is a little silly.

babyAutumn · August 2012

There are a variety of foods that can be consumed to meet calcium and vitamin D requirements without the need to drink WCM. I found this site a while back with a good list of different foods and the amount of calcium each contained. Though I agree that WCM shouldn't play the biggest role in our children's calcium and vitamin D intake, it is, IMHO, one of the easiest ways to ensure that they are intaking the required amount. It's much faster to ask my child to drink a 1/2 C of milk before school than to eat 2 C of broccoli...which no one would obviously do;) Calcium fortified juices are also a good source but intaking too much juice can lead to other problems. Soy and almond based milks are also great sources but also are a lot more costly for the average household. On a whole, do what you think is right for your growing family but I would definitely consult your pedi and a dieticia/nurtitionist before making any changes. The internet is a wonderful source of information but as PP have mentioned, there is a wide variety of info and conflicting info that make it much more difficult to make decisions about our children's health.

tanyaspid · August 2012

Ladies, thank you for all your responses.......a lot of great information here.

ERINPETERSON · August 2012

I am going to be completely honest here... I will never serve my child cows milk after finding out what they "allow" to be in the milk. We will only be consuming almond milk in this house. I nursed for 11 months and have been formula feeding for the past few weeks which has been kind of nice but sad that a chapter of nursing has ended.

My son also has a milk, soy protein intolerance which has led me to the truth about milk and my new take on why I will never give him cows milk even if he grows out of the allergy.

I would talk to your pedi with all of that said. They will give you sound information to base your decision on.

fairy_diva · August 2012

While I'm not here to argue and will gladly bow out after this, I am a registered nurse so I tend to see the matter differently. You're right you can always use other foods for fat that's your choice. That's the best thing about being the parent, its ultimately your choice. I choose not to feed my child juice or anyhting to drink except formula until he's one and water in a sippy cup. He gets his fruit servings in natural fruits. I also agree no matter what you choose you should pratice moderation, too much of any of the above can be unhealthy.
Almond milk is advised by pediatricians to be avoided until 2 due to the potential for nut allergies. Research has shown that it is a good alternative to breast milk. Almond milk has nearly four times the nutrition of cow's milk except for vitamin B6. If you choose to use a substitute almond milk then supplement the B6. You can do this by adding a couplt tablespoons of coconut milk. Just watch for any allergic reactions.

That being said, I have seen parents give their 1 year old skim milk and nothing else becasue they are worried about their weight & fat intake. Calories & fat can be removed from their diet in other ways.

smilelari · August 2012

LalaMama81:
GibsonGirl620:
fairy_diva:
Whole milk is very important after 1 year. It support both brain & nerve developement as they grow.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents not to restrict dietary fat or calories in children under two. Healthy fats like those found in whole milk are critical for brain development.

?Whole milk supports neuron formation and other major brain growth and development,? said Deborah Goldman, M.D., assistant professor in the University of Minnesota?s Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. ?Compromising on good fats in a toddler?s diet can have long term impacts on their development.?

Goldman offers some basic guidelines for parents of toddlers:

Begin offering milk at 12 months. Milk is a great part of a healthy, balanced diet and offering it at a young age will encourage children to continue to be life-long milk drinkers. Doctors recommend about two cups (16 oz.) of milk a day at this age.

Whole milk, which is 3% milk fat, or 2% are the best option for a toddler. The saturated fats in this percentage of milk encourage overall brain health. At this age, the AAP recommends healthy fats make up half the diet of a toddler.

Concerned about weight gain? Instead of cutting healthy fats like milk, reassess dietary elements full of empty calories, like juice or some snack foods.

Don?t panic about lactose intolerance. It is rare for children under five to be truly lactose intolerant. ?Generally, lactose intolerance in young children is tied to something else, like a recent bacterial infection or Celiac Disease. When the initial concern is addressed, the intolerance fades,? says Goldman.

Before making the switch to soy or almond milk, check with a doctor. Milk substitutes don?t stack up in calcium or vitamin D benefits, and may need to be supplemented with other dietary changes.

As children get older, it is a good idea to start shifting to low fat milk, as recommended by the USDA. By the time a child starts kindergarten, only a third of their diet should be coming from healthy fats. Still, when it comes to toddlers, Goldman says the old standard is still the best.

?This isn?t the time to compromise on good fats,? she said. ?They not only help set a child up for a lifetime of healthy eating, but are so important to development.?
Just to clarify- Yes, your LO does need fat, calcium, vit D, etc. No, it does not *need* to be from cows' milk. In fact, it is possible to consume too much dairy.
Also, soymilk and other dairy substitutes are fortified with the same amount, sometimes more, of calcium and vitamin D.
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/milk-supplements/
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/starting-solids/toddler-foods/
OP, I would suggest doing some research. Look carefully at the source of your info, too- Most likely if it's very pro-dairy, it's sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of America. Interesting, isn't it?
Yep, all of this. Our country is obsessed w/ cow's milk. I don't get it. Sure, I like a bowel of cereal or some ice cream or cheese. But to say a human infant or toddler NEEDS milk from another mammal is just wrong. If you really step back and think about it, it makes zero sense. The norm in the US is...wean your child at age one from mother's milk (i.e. the milk that a human mother makes specifically for her child) to milk from a cow (that a mother cow makes specifically for her calf). Now, I am not trying to get into a discussion about BF vs. FF or what have you, just a simple point that weaning children to milk from another animal doesn't make much sense.
We do drink cow's milk, but we treat it like any other beverage - as a food, a cup here and there. The only beverage anyone needs is water.

Yes

There's increasing evidence that cows milk isn't healthy for human consumption and really, if the AAP thinks that toddlers should be drinking milk, they should be encouraging extended breast feeding rather than pushing cows milk

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