What Is Toddler Milk, And Should You Be Using It? Here’s What We Know.
Every parent knows that for the first year of baby’s life, you are supposed to feed him/her breast milk or formula.
Sure, after about 6 months old, you can start serving baby soft finger foods, but NO dairy milk until after their first birthday — all pediatricians will tell you about the same thing.
After that first birthday the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends whole cow’s milk — of course, follow whatever guidelines your child’s doctor sets to supplement with breast milk or formula.
Now, you might have noticed something called “toddler milk” in the grocery store.
It can be rather confusing, because you want to do what’s best for your toddler, and you wonder, “Should I be giving my child this toddler milk?”
What is toddler milk?
Toddler milk is being billed as the next best step when it comes to transitioning from formula to whole milk.
Parents can choose to use this powder drink mix for children ages 9 months to 3 years old, and it is supposed to give them “probiotics, Vitamins A, C & D, iron and zinc to help support their immune system, and iron and DHA to help support brain development.”
But, is this “toddler milk” too good to be true?
Companies out there are doing a heck-of-a-job at marketing and campaigning towards the parents of toddlers.
Formula companies quadrupled their advertising of toddler milk products between 2006 and 2015. And parents seem to be buying it.
HuffPost
However, Toddler formulas, including toddler milk formulas, do not require supervision, testing, or approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). *Shocked Emoji*
These powders are usually chalk full of more sugars, more sodium, and less protein than if the child were to just drink plain ol’ whole milk.
Toddler milks, on the other hand, consist primarily of powdered low-fat milk, corn syrup solids or other sweeteners, and vegetable oils,
HuffPost
Kinda reminds me of making chocolate milk for the kids — it seems like a good idea, but may not be the healthiest alternative when it comes to making sound nutrition decisions for the children
There is no reason for toddler milks to exist other than to increase companies’ profit. These are sweetened, milk-based drinks with added nutrients that are not scientifically proven to benefit young children’s development, and cost three-to-five times as much as plain milk.
Yoon Choi, Jennifer Harris, with the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut to HuffPost
So, bottom line, your baby can probably do without the toddler milk, unless directed by the pediatrician.
