How old were your kids when you switched from whole to 2% or less milk?

Answer 1

You should keep your kids on whole milk until they are atleast 2. than after that it is ok to switch them over
Question of the Week
Q. Is it recommended for a child under the age of 5 years old to drink skim milk instead of whole or 2%? I have a friend who has a 3 year old and they are having him drink skim milk. Denise, Iowa
A. Yes. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that parents begin low fat milk after age two years. Before that age, toddlers should be either breastfeeding or drinking whole milk, but after age two you can start giving him 2%, 1%, or skim milk. And of course they should be either breastfeeding or drinking an iron fortified infant formula before age 12 months.


Why switch to low fat milk?
Mostly because your child will likely be getting plenty of fat from other things that he is eating. And starting early can help to develop preferences for low fat foods that he will hopefully keep for a lifetime of healthy eating.
If your child has a poor diet and doesn't get enough fat from other areas of his diet, then you may want to keep him on whole milk.

Keep in mind that by the time they are 4 to 5 years old, children should be getting about one third of their calories from fat. If your child isn't, then staying on whole milk may be a way to boost his intake of fat. But remember that isn't a problem for most children, especially with the current epidemic of obesity we are facing.
And of course if your child is already overweight, a change to low fat milk can be very important to reduce the amount of fat and calories that he is getting. Milk is still an important part of a healthy diet for these children though.


What if your kids won't drink low fat milk?
It can be a big change to go from whole milk to skim milk, so it is better to make a more gradual change. You might try to go first to 2% milk and then 1% milk, etc.
Starting early can also help to ease this transition to low fat milk. A two year old who really likes to drink milk will probably be more accepting of low fat milk than a school age child might.

Answer 2

After the age of 1 a child should be on whole milk until they turn 2. Then you should switch to 2% or a less fatty milk.

Answer 3

I still give my little boy vitamin D and he's 2 years old....he's a picky eater and so I still give it to him because it has a lot more vitamins and fat in it....if your child is in good health I would say about a year after you get them off formula or breast milk would be good to switch....actually I took a breastfeeding class and the instructor advised that when breastfeeding, if possible you should breastfeed until your child is two....sounds hard to believe but that's what she said....you can always keep your kids on vitamin D milk especially if they are under weight, but switching them to 2 % milk is probably up to the parent it tastes the same and your kids wouldn't even know the difference.....I gave my little boy 2% once when I was at my sister's house and he didn't even know the difference...i only keep him on it for the nutritional value it has over 2 %....other than that I would switch him now.....hope this helps

Answer 4

According to the County Health Department where I took my child for Well Baby checkups, I was told by the nutritionist that up to age 5 let your child drink whole milk, so they get all the strong bone building nutrients that they need during that development in their life. After 5 it is ok to switch to 2%, which is what I did with our child. When in doubt, contact your local Health Department...

Answer 5

My daughter is 3 1/2 and I just switched to 2% last week.

Answer 6

I'm a nutritionist

you never have to give children milk at all but when you do it must be whole milk until they are at least 5 years of age (that includes all low fat products not just milk)

Answer 7

I switched at about 3 or 4 years old when they were consuming enough other things to take up for the fat loss.

Answer 8

Both my kids were a healthy weight (and still are at 19 and 9), so I never saw any reason to limit their butterfat content. They both have generally healthy diets and are neither under or overweight. Unless your child has a weight problem, I see no reason to put them on low-fat or diet ANYTHING. I believe the obsession with weight in America is causing way more problems than it is solving. If your child is truly overweight, see a pediatrician for advice.

Answer 9

I don't have kids... but I would suggest rather young. Before they get used to the taste of whole. Most people can tell the difference and it just took me 10 months to get used to 2%... and I am 19! I now like it... but Like I said... would suggest a young age for the transition to go smoothly.

Answer 10

Fat is necessary for brain growth so, at the recommendation of my pediatrician I didn't switch to 2% until they were 3 years old.