How long should babies be given whole milk?

Question

I have a baby who is 15 months old. We recently switched him from formula to whole milk. Does anyone know how long he should stay on whole milk before we transition him to low-fat milk? There is serious morbid obesity that runs on both sides of our family, and we're concerned that he does not get too much fat in his diet.

We would love him at whatever size he is, but we want to help him wherever we can to have a healthy lifestyle, without robbing him of essential fat that he needs to grow and develop normally. Thanks for all your help!

Answer 1

I have a set of twins and was told by the health department that no human over the age of 2 should have whole milk except for special situations. Switch your baby to skim if you can or 1%. All four of my kids love skim milk. they digest it better and there is no fat ( they get their fat other places).

Answer 2

I think children should have whole milk until they are 5. At the same time, they shouldn't be getting any fast food except as a treat a few times a year. Some peds are recommending low fat milk at 2 and I think they are SO wrong to generalize like that. Children's brains are growing new cells faster than at any other time of their lives and they need good fat to do so. It appears that peds want to experiment on children without the benefit of a real study and I wouldn't buy into that. They have NO TRAINING AT ALL in nutrition.

The biggest thing to watch is how much bread/sweets/fast food your child is eating and amount of exercise. That is really what is behind most overweight children.

Answer 3

Until the age of two because the whole milk has essential fats that are important in the development of the brain.

Answer 4

He needs the fat in the whole milk until he's at least 2 years old. At his two year old checkup, ask the doctor about going to 2% milk - if your son is growing and developing properly, he'll probably advoate the change.

Answer 5

Until they are 2 they should get whole milk. Then they can get 2% or even 1%. I chose to keep my daughter on whole milk because she is so skinny, but if we run out then she happily drinks the 1% I have.

Answer 6

The whole milk should be used until his second birthday and even up until the 3rd birthday if he's of normal or below normal size and weight.

Small children don't eat enough to continue brain development and that what's the fats in whole milk do. So don't take him off just yet.

It's the added sugars in todays " conveinience" foods that add unhealthy fats to our bodies. Give him natural foods, meats, fruits, veggies, cheeses, yougarts, whole grain cereals and breads and keep him active and you shouldn't have to worry.

Kids will go through likes and dislikes, but keep offereing these foods and maybe one day he likes them and one day doesn't. But always have fruits and veggies in his meals.

Answer 7

It would be best to only take advice from your doctor pediatrician! bcause at the same time babies need the whole milk till age 3 for the tissue around the brain & for growth of it's brain

Answer 8

I would switch to low fat milk when his pediatrician says to- talk with him he may (with the history in your family) say to switch now but usually its when the child is three.

Answer 9

im guessing you are from america or somewere else, im from australia and here you do not put kids on skim milk as it is bad for them full cream/ whole milk is the best thing to give children and adult as skim has nothing in it, and thats from the doctor and child health nurse i go to

Answer 10

they say on the bottle that it shouldn't be given to children under 2 yrs of age but my children have had it from around your sons age my child has a heart condition so we also have to watch is health Also they have done a study that show that there is not diffrence in the vitmans and mineral etc level from whole to skim only the fat level