Milk & Milk Products

From two years of age it is recommended that we give young children 2-3 servings of milk and milk products a day. A serving is equivalent to:

• 1 cup of reduced or low fat milk
• 2 slices of lower fat cheese, such as edam
• 1 pottle of yoghurt or dairy food
• 2 small scoops ice-cream
• ½ cup custard

Children under the age of one should not be given cow's milk as a drink and be given breast milk or infant formula. From the age of one year, whole cow's milk can be introduced. Reduced-fat milk or low-fat milk can be introduced from about two years of age.

Allergies & Milk Types

Milk Allergies

It is very important to get cow's milk allergies diagnosed by a doctor before it is excluded from a young child's diet. It is also important to replace cow's milk with nutritionally equivalent foods (see above).

What about Soy Milks

Soy milks come from processed soybeans and sometimes have calcium added to provide a similar level of calcium to cow's milk.
Soy-based formulas are not recommended for infant feeding unless there are medical reasons to support this.  It is only appropriate for vegan infants who are not breastfed.

Dairy Food or Yogurt

Dairy food and yoghurt are great choices as they are both low in fat and a good source of calcium. Dairy food is made from milk thickened with starch and vegetable gums while yoghurt is made from milk thickened by a yoghurt culture. Flavoured yoghurt and dairy food have added sugar