As parents, there are many things to stress over. From juggling responsibilities to lack of personal time to concerns about your child’s health and well-being. Not to mention, the additional stress endured when any changes are thrown into your family’s routine.
One change that can cause stress is what to do if your child has a hard time transitioning to cow’s milk. I know that I am not alone and many parents have this same concern.
To put this into context, this comes up when children turn one: the age when they go from breast milk or formula to cow’s milk.
Why is this important? After a baby’s first birthday, dairy foods emerge as sources of calories, high-quality protein, and other nutrients to build healthy brains, bones, bodies and immune systems. This nutrient bundle makes dairy foods an easy safety net for picky eaters. Not only that, but dollar for dollar, dairy foods are an economical source of nutrition. (Source)
The good news is there are simple tips to try to make this transition easier.
Consider that it may not be about the milk, but the delivery method:
- It is a new drinking vessel. Experts recommend introducing a cup early, at around six months, and when they are secure in a high chair. Drinking from a cup is a new skill and one that takes practice. Try a sippy cup, and remove the spill-free valve (if your cup has one). The powerful suck required can often confuse young ones. Start with water to master the cup because it is likely there will be a mess! Then, move to whole milk at 12 months.
- Milk is cold. Warm it up! Warm the cow’s milk to the same temperature you fed breast milk or formula. Then, warm it less and less until they drink it cold, straight from the refrigerator. Don’t expect your child to like a cold beverage when they have grown accustomed to only warm drinks before.
- It is new and different. Mix part milk and part formula or breast milk and gradually increase the amount of milk until it is all cow’s milk.
Other ways to help grow lifelong milk drinkers include making it fun with a colorful cup or a fun straw, being patient and persistent, and setting an example by drinking from a cup with your child.
Soon you will have a daily milk drinker who will be drinking cold milk from a cup and benefitting from the 13 essential nutrients (add a link about 13 nutrients and benefits from BWD) cow’s milk provides!