How much milk should your kids be drinking?

Milk is such an important component of a baby’s diet. But it is also so much more than that a comforter, part of their routine, gets them to sleep. And we all love a sleeping baby!

But when is it too much? Or when do you stop breastfeeding, how much milk should they be drinking after they are around one year of age? And which type?

Children over the age of one are now able to drink cow’s milk – and the best choice is full fat as little people are still growing rapidly and require the additional energy that full-fat milk provides.

The advice to not drink cow’s milk before the age of one is for many reasons, but one of them is the higher sodium or salt levels in cow’s milk which is difficult to process in little ones with immature kidney functioning.

If your child does not like cow’s milk, is intolerant or allergic to some of the components in it or you would prefer they do not drink it, there are many different options on the market. Lactose-free, goat’s, coconut, oats, almond, soy, endless options really.

The only recommendation when choosing one of these options is that little people have higher calcium requirements and, as they are not eating a comprehensive diet yet, calcium is easily accessed through milk. So try and choose an option of 100mg of calcium per 100ml serve. This information will be on the nutritional information panel.

How much milk should kids be drinking?

The recommendation after one year of age for dairy is 1.5 serves which is 375ml or 1 ½ cups.

If they don’t like milk and would prefer to eat yoghurt and cheese, then that is fine as well! So don’t fret if your child doesn’t like milk, the concern is more for the overconsumption.

One reason is that it stops the child from eating other foods – they fill up on milk! It also has a link to a less varied diet and perhaps lower iron levels. This has been seen with a consumption of over 600ml of milk each day.

If your child doesn’t like milk and doesn’t like dairy foods like cheese and yoghurt and isn’t breastfeeding, talk to your GP or dietician about calcium-rich foods and potentially about calcium supplementation.

*A note on breastfeeding – Breastfeed to your heart’s content. The WHO recommendation for breastfeeding is until at least two years of age, but it is a personal choice and one you should take, well, personally.

*A note on formula – Assuming your child is a healthy and thriving possum, there is no need to continue formula into the toddler years (over one year of age). Adequate nutrition can be obtained through regular kinds of milk and foods. It is important for your child to be eating foods to obtain nutrition, and develop healthy eating habits, rather than relying on formula for their nutrients.

Try our Healthy Kids Smoothie!

• The Healthy Mummy Kids Smoothie is rich in carbohydrates and protein and is a natural energy packed smoothie made for kids.
• It contains 16 essential vitamins and minerals and when combined with milk, provides children with 50% of their Calcium RDI. 
• It also contains probiotics needed for healthy guts and is free from fructose.

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