Cow’s Milk

Why do pediatricians always recommend cow’s milk starting at 1 year?  I mean does a kiddo need milk of any sort to survive after the age of 1? No. There are lots of kids around the world who don’t have access to cows and they do just fine. As long as they are staying hydrated with water and eating a healthy diet full of good protein, vegetables, and healthy fats, that kiddo is going to do great. Now how many kids over the age of 1 do you know that eat a perfect healthy diet with no picky eating tendencies? Yeah, me neither. Cow’s milk is a great backstop for kids, basically. As a pediatrician, I know if you are getting whole cow’s milk from the grocery store, it has a certain amount of healthy fats, a certain amount of healthy protein, and a certain amount of vitamins and mineral fortification. If a kid of average height and weight drinks 16-ish ounces of it a day, they are pretty much getting 100% of the daily value of mostly everything they would get from solid food otherwise.

But what about fake milks? Those too are great if your family does not do dairy. The closest fake/alternative milk to cow’s milk is going to be pea-protein milk, followed by oat, and then the rest sort of bunched up at the bottom (almond, hemp, rice, etc.). If you are thinking of using a fake milk, each one comes with its own little vitamin and protein intricacies, so let your pediatrician know so they can come up with a plan just in case we need to add a multivitamin or extra protein somewhere in the diet.   

So like I said before, if a kiddo gets 16-ish ounces of cow’s milk a day they are pretty much A-OK in nutrition for the day, and the kiddos know that. So don’t be surprised if your over-1-year-old who gets 24 or even 36 ounces of total dairy a day doesn’t feel like eating good square meals. Their tummies are full all day if they are taking this much dairy in.  

When do we switch to 2% or low-fat milk? You don’t really ever have to.

Nutrition reports support that whole milk has a better fat and protein ratio than those watered-down milks. The only time I recommend switching to a non-whole milk is if the kiddo is consistently getting more than 16 ounces of total dairy a day, and we can’t wean down easily. Then going lower on the fat will help to keep them a bit more hungry when breakfast, lunch, and dinner come around.