My mother has been nagging me to introduce cow’s milk, but I have reservations about it. What are the guidelines?

Once a baby has turned one year old, it is safe to introduce full cream cow’s milk. Milk provides baby with much of the nutrition required at this age. Babies’ brains and nervous systems are growing fast and need the fat and cholesterol that milk provides. Just make sure that the milk is pasteurised, for safety’s sake.

Many parents worry about the lack of measuring at this age. When you are feeding a baby formula it is easy to know how much milk baby actually consumes. But if baby is having milk in food and drinking some, it can be hard to tell what the real amount is. Try to measure out 600ml and see how easily it is used up during the day in drinks and cereal, and other foods. This should give you some reassurance. If your baby is averse to foods like milk that provide calcium, then you will have to work hard to make sure that baby gets enough calcium from other sources. Remember that cheese and yoghurt are equally good calcium sources if your baby does not like milk.

At the other extreme are the babies who just love milk. 600-700ml of milk is plenty for your baby, and it is worth checking how much is being consumed by measuring it out in the morning and feeding baby from this source. While milk is nutritious and provides many of the requirements of a growing baby, it does not have all the vitamins and minerals. If baby is filling up mainly on milk at this age, then baby may be missing out on other nutritional sources. Make sure that there is some balance in the diet.

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