Table of contents:
- When can children start drinking cow's milk?
- How to introduce cow's milk to children?
- How much cow's milk can your little one drink?
- What to do if your child doesn't want to drink cow's milk?
As children get older, children need additional nutrition to maximize their growth and development. Breast milk alone is not sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of children, especially after your little one turns one year of age. Well, one way you can do this is by giving your little one cow's milk intake. So, when can children start drinking cow's milk? Here's the explanation.
When can children start drinking cow's milk?
Milk is a good source of calcium for building strong bones and teeth in children. In addition, milk also contains protein and carbohydrates to support children's growth and energy during activities.
In babies under one year of age, breast milk is indeed the best food for the baby's growth and development. Apart from its nutritional content, breast milk is also the only food that can be digested properly by a baby's digestive system that is not yet optimal.
That is why babies are not encouraged to eat anything other than breast milk, even if it is cow's milk. The reason is, cow's milk contains a high concentration of protein and minerals. Instead of being healthy, this content can actually be a burden to the work of an immature baby's kidneys.
Therefore, You can only introduce cow's milk after your child is one year old. At this age, the child's digestive system begins to mature and is ready to accept other, more dense foods.
The age of one year and over is the peak of a child's brain growth and development. That's why children need additional cow's milk to get more calories and fat.
So, does breastfeeding just stop? In fact, not. You can still continue to breastfeed your little one. As long as you and your little one are still enjoying breastfeeding, you can actually provide the maximum benefits of breastfeeding to your little one until they are two years old.
How to introduce cow's milk to children?
According to dr. Ari Brown, an author of the book Baby 411 and Toddler 411, the best time to introduce children to drinking cow's milk is at dinner or snack time, as reported by Parents.
Remember, only give cow's milk at these times. If your little one starts to drink cow's milk and continues to crave it, ask him to wait until it is time for a snack or dinner.
Instead of using a baby bottle or glass (sippy cup), use a small cup when you give cow's milk to your little one. This is because the use of a cup can help children learn to drink as well as encourage the development of healthy cheeks, bones and jaws.
When a child drinks milk with a baby bottle or glass, the child will drink the most milk. If allowed to continue, this can make children fat faster and increase the risk of obesity as adults.
How much cow's milk can your little one drink?
As recommendedAmerican Academiy of Pediatrics (AAP), children aged one year should only drink milk as much as one to one and a half cups per day. After turning two years of age, then your little one can drink up to two cups of milk every day.
Remember, limit the amount of cow's milk intake for children not to exceed four cups of milk per day. The more children drink milk, the sooner the little one will be full and ultimately refuse to eat. So, if your little one is still thirsty, just offer water.
What to do if your child doesn't want to drink cow's milk?
Not all children can accept the texture and taste of cow's milk. There are those who can immediately enjoy cow's milk, some directly refuse and just want breast milk.
If this happens to your toddler, try mixing cow's milk with breast milk. The trick, use a ratio of 1: 3 for cow's milk with breast milk. Gradually increase the number of doses of cow's milk while seeing the child's body response.
If the child's body shows no symptoms of digestive problems, this means that he is not allergic to cow's milk. Conversely, if your child has a stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting, or a red and itchy rash appears, your child may be allergic to cow's milk.
Immediately take the child to the doctor if your little one has symptoms of a cow's milk allergy. Apart from avoiding cow's milk, you should also avoid other cow's milk products such as cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or butter to prevent the symptoms of cow's milk allergy from getting worse.
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