Milk
Breast Milk
Milk whether breast milk or formula milk is important for a baby’s balanced diet.
- Breast milk is naturally nutrient rich and has anti bodies that help the child’s immune system
- Formula milk for the first six months is base don cow’s milk, after siz months the formula changes to contain different nutrients.
Cow’s milk
- Cow’s milk can be used in dishes for children aged over 6 months.
- It should not be given to children to drink if the child is under 1 years old
- Milk given to toddlers aged under two to drink needs to be full fat milk The fat is an important source of energy.
- Milk given to toddlers aged two to four is normally semi skimmed as toddlers are normally eatting a wide range of food and are less reliant the cow’s milk
- Cow’s milk contains all the essential nutrients, although the concentration will differ from breast milk and formula, cow’s milk has less iron and less vitamin D
Organic Milk
Organic milk is one of the biggest selling organic products in supermarkets. This is because the cow’s feed on organic pastures, hay and silage. Organic milk is free from antibiotics and in some people’s opinion tastes better!
Milk intolerance
- A small number of children show an intolerance for cow’s milk caused by a) an intolerance to the lactose in the cow’s milk or b) being allergic to the protein in cow’s milk
Milk alternatives
Breast milk is best, but if this and cow’s milk is not an option, then soya products enriched with calcium can be tried. If the child cannot tolerate soya, another alternative may be pasteurised goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. However, both of these are low in iron and vitamin . Vitamin drops might need to be added. |
