How much milk do you give your toddler?
“Got milk?”
This is a common thought that frequently occupies your toddler’s mind! Isn’t that the truth? Today, we want to talk about a question we get often – how much milk do I give my toddler?
Milk is very important for growing children as it contains vitamin D and calcium for strong bones. But, toddlers can easily drink their calories, which has been linked to both childhood obesity and picky eating. Remember, the AAP recommends to continue breast-feeding till 1 year of age, with adequate vitamin D supplementation. As you introduce solid foods, try to limit your baby to no more than 28-32 oz of breast milk per day. Cow’s milk is NOT recommended BEFORE they hit 1 year.
So, what happens after your child turns 1?
After the age of 1, it’s recommended to limit your toddler’s intake of cow’s milk or milk substitute to 12-16 oz per day.
What kind of milk should you use? Cow’s milk or a milk substitute is fine. Just make sure it contains adequate protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Generally, whole milk is preferred until 2 years of age unless your child is overweight or has abnormal family history of high cholesterol, at which time you can switch to low fat/nonfat milk.
What about toddler formulas?
There are an overwhelming number of toddler formulas in the baby aisle that market added nutrients to make sure your child is getting everything they need to grow and make it seem these added ingredients are necessary for good growth. Pediatricians do NOT recommend the use of formulas or supplemented milks or drinks past the age of 1. The best beverages are cow’s milk or a milk substitute and water your toddler. Your toddler should be drinking no more than 16oz of milk a day and eating regular meals. This diet is generally sufficient for getting all the nutrients your child needs to grow.
Why do we discourage toddler formulas? These formulas contain lots of added sugars that causes your toddler to over drink their calories. These formulas have also been linked to increasing rates of childhood obesity.
How should you give the milk? One-year old’s can be transitioned to cup feedings and slowly weaned off the bottle. Also, encourage milk AT meal times and not BETWEEN meal times to make sure your child is adequately eating other foods and not just filling up on milk. This helps them develop a taste for regular foods and not be picky eaters!
What if your child doesn’t like the taste of cow’s milk? We have a GREAT tip for you to help with that! Mix breast milk or formula with cow’s milk (start 50-50) and slowly increase the cow’s milk portion until they’re off the breast milk/formula completely. They won’t even know what their missing this way!
When in doubt, stick to milk or water and ask your pediatrician if your child is growing well and hitting their milestones! As always, follow us @thepedipals, tune into our podcast, and let us know how we’re doing! Here’s to happy, healthy, and well-balanced children!
Your PediPals