The dairy aisle at your grocery store is full of choices. They offer milk with different percentages. Growing in popularity are milk alternatives like almond, soy, oat and others. There are also now powdered drink mixes being promoted as “toddler milks.”
Dr. Gigi Chawla, chief of general pediatrics at Children’s Minnesota, is here to help families decide what’s best for their kids when it comes to milk.
What milk do pediatricians recommend for young kids?
Milk provides a lot of different elements that are essential for healthy growth and development like calcium, vitamin D, protein, vitamin A and zinc. The best choice for young kids is simple: It is pasteurized, plain whole cow’s milk.Why is pasteurized, plain whole cow’s milk the best?
Whole milk
It is important for young children to get fat in their diet for healthy growth and development. But, if your child has excessive weight gain or other health risk factors, talk to your child’s doctor about the type of cow’s milk to give.Pasteurized milk
Pasteurization is necessary to prevent bacterial illness such as salmonella, that can be dangerous, especially for young kids.Tips for giving milk to kids:
- You can introduce milk at 1 year old.
- Kids ages 1-2 years old should have 16 ounces a day.
- Kids ages 2-5 years old should have 16-24 ounces a day.
- Kids should drink at least 13 ounces of whole vitamin D milk a day if they are not getting vitamin D from other foods.