Milk Requirements for 15 Month Old
If you opt for an alternative to milk, you should consider the following: From the age of 2, you can switch to low-fat cow`s milk. It`s a good idea to offer your child only one cup of milk during meals or snacks. Drinking from a cup to swallow throughout the day can bathe a toddler`s teeth in sugary liquids, which can increase the risk of tooth decay. For children over 12 months, solid foods should become the main source of nutrition. This will allow your child to get used to a healthy and varied diet as the rest of the family eats. A toddler who eats from all food groups does not need to drink toddler milk. If your child has a milk allergy or can`t drink cow`s milk for other reasons, they may be able to drink a milk alternative like soy milk or eat dairy products like yogurt and cheese. Drinking too much milk can cause an imbalance in three ways: first, it is high in energy (calories); secondly, it contains a lot of calcium; and third, it contains little fiber. Breast milk contains a unique blend of fatty acids, lactose, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other important factors that combine to make the perfect infant formula. It has everything a baby needs for easy digestion, brain development and protection from diseases and infections. Breastfeeding is also healthy for the mother and reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and osteoporosis. In general, toddlers should drink about 2 to 3 cups (16 to 24 ounces) of cow`s milk each day.
Not only is milk a source of fat, but it also provides the nutrients – such as protein, zinc, and vitamins A and D – that your child needs to grow. For the first 6 months, breast milk is all your baby needs to meet his nutritional needs. If you wean your baby before the age of 12 months, be sure to give him an iron-fortified formula. Milk is an important part of a toddler`s diet because it provides calcium and vitamin D, which help build strong bones. Most children under the age of 2 should drink whole milk. If a toddler is overweight or has a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or heart problems, your doctor may recommend switching to low-fat milk (2%). Breastfeeding should continue until your baby is 12 months old (and after a period when the baby and mother want to continue). Don`t give cow`s milk to your baby until they`re at least 12 months old, as it doesn`t provide adequate nutrition for your baby. Twelve months is the minimum legal age for alcohol consumption – for cow`s milk.
Once your child is 1 year old, you can offer them whole (or in some cases, reduced-fat) milk to drink. Talk to your doctor if your child drinks a lot of cow`s milk, isn`t getting enough iron-rich foods, or if you`re considering giving them a multivitamin. To make the transition, you can offer your child low-fat milk (2 percent) for a few weeks between milks. Yes, there can be too many good things. Toddlers who replenish milk may not be hungry enough to eat as many solid foods as they need, which could cause them to miss important nutrients like iron. (Cow`s milk is not a source of iron.) Toddlers have little belly, so serve foods that contain the nutrients they need to become healthy and strong. Avoid sweets and empty calories. Don`t give your child sugary drinks like sodas, juice drinks, sports drinks, and flavored milk.
Limit 100% fruit juice to no more than 4 ounces per day and serve the juice in a cup, not a bottle. Raw milk and raw milk products from cows, goats and sheep can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make your child very sick and life-threatening. Raw milk can also be called unpasteurized milk. Do not give raw or unpasteurized milk to your child. The science and opinion on food allergies and prevention has changed in recent years. New studies show that delayed introduction of peanuts increases the risk of developing a peanut allergy. For most infants, it is now recommended to introduce peanut-containing foods with other types of solid foods between 4 and 11 months of age. If there is a strong family history of food allergies or if your baby has severe eczema or egg allergy, they should first be tested for a peanut allergy. Most other babies, even those with mild to moderate eczema, are encouraged to start with foods containing peanuts.
For proper nutrition, toddlers need at least 11/2 servings of dairy products per day. They also have specific requirements for calcium. One cup of whole milk (250 ml) contains 295 mg of calcium. Thus, just two cups of milk (500 ml) are more than enough to meet dietary recommendations for calcium in children aged one to three years. About 8 months is a good time to introduce appetizers – small, soft, bite-sized pieces of food. Let your baby touch, smell and taste many types of food. Be patient, however, as your baby may take longer to eat now that they are becoming more independent. In the meantime, here are some of the best calcium-rich foods for milk-averse toddlers: Some children don`t like cow`s milk at first because it`s different from the breast milk or formula they`re used to. If this is the case, you can mix whole milk with formula or breast milk and gradually adjust the mixture so that it eventually becomes 100% cow`s milk. If your child is not taking cow`s milk, you may need to resort to stealth tactics to help them taste it.
Here are some tips to try. Children this age do not need special toddler milk or infant formula with added sugar. Toddlers can get all the nutrients they need by drinking cow`s milk or fortified soy beverage and eating a variety of solid foods. Milk-free milk is made from plant-based ingredients such as rice, almonds, coconuts, oats and more. The amount of nutrients in these drinks can vary from milk to milk (and brand to brand) and many sweet varieties contain added sugars – something your toddler doesn`t need at this age. For this reason, experts do not recommend that children under 5 years of age drink milk substitutes. Cow`s milk or fortified soy beverages can be part of a child`s balanced and varied diet, but not the only one. Dietary guidelines for Americans recommend that children ages 12 to 23 months get 12/3 to 2 cups of dairy equivalents per day, including cow`s milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified soy beverages and soy-based yogurt.