Which kind of milk should i give my daughter once shes a yr old, the whole milk (red cap) or 2% fat (blue cap)

Question

I was told i have to give her the red cap because its healthier for brain development but i dont want to because my neices have always gotten real constipated and eventually turn to the blue cap, please give me some feedback and opinions

Answer 1

New Mommy, trust me when I say no child is the same. Because it happened with you nieces there is no guarantee it will happen with your little one. Yes, you have to give babies 1-3 whole milk. At 1, whole milk will still be her main source of food and nutrition. If you start giving 2% fat, your baby can suffer from malnutrition. I have never heard of constipation due to whole milk. Are you sure that it was not anything else in your nieces daily food intake. It could have been lack of water? At 1-3 your child needs the fat from whole milk. The blue cap is for later... way later. By the way the best milk for new starter is the horizon organic mil with added DHA. I don't know if you were previously nursing or formula feeding, but both mom's milk and some formula contain DHA. It promotes healthy rain and eye development.

Answer 2

You should ask your pediatrician.
Whole milk is recommended from 1-2 yrs, because of the extra fats it has. It really depends on your daughter though. My son was a chubby baby, and the doctor said 2% would be fine, because he was getting his fats from the foods he would eat. (He used eat almost constantly)
Because he had extra fat on his body already, he didn't require whole milk, but your daughter may.
As for constipation, I have no idea. My 2 year old is constipated 90% of the time. I think it has a lot more to do with the foods he eats than his milk though. Best of luck.

Answer 3

Of the two, whole milk is better especially if you get it from a health food store that sells minimally processed foods. The more they mess with foods like milk, the less nutritious they are. Your neices' constipation can be caused by other things than just milk. The issue with constipation has little to do with the type of milk and more to do with the balance of the diet as a whole. Anyone who is on a low fiber diet and who doesn't eat much vegetables and fruit can get constipated, especially if they don't exercise much.

Answer 4

The whole milk is healthier for children under 2. You may want to check with your doctor if you are just coming off of formula or breast milk. Some doctors suggest adding a few ounces at a time to adjust the child to a new food/drink. It also gives you a chance to make sure she doesn't have any dairy allergies. If she's been drinking milk based formula there shouldn't be to much of a problem.

Answer 5

Well My dr. told me to give my Daughter whole milk until age 2 because they need the extra fat from the milk then at age 2, I switched her to 2 %.. As far as the constipation problem I would give my daughter a little apple juice everyday and that relieves constipation.. But don't give her to much because.. it can cause Diarhea. I hope this helps.. Good luck!!

Answer 6

Our pediatrician told us to give our kids whole milk from 1 year to 3 years, then to switch to lower fat milk. I haven't ever heard of whole milk causing more constipation than low-fat, unless the child drinks an excessive amount (more than 36 oz per day), which would be far too many calories anyway.

If constipation is a problem, apple juice or applesauce will usually help take care of that.

Answer 7

I always used whole milk for my kids and in fact I still do. The whole milk does have more of the nutrients and such that are not there in 1% or 2% milk. You can always try it and if it is not working for you daughter then switch.

Another thought would be call her pediatrician and ask what they recomend.

Answer 8

Never thought of referring to milk by their cap color! Well, toddlers need fat for proper development just like you've already heard, so that is why they say whole milk until at least 2yrs of age. If your child is eating other high fat content foods such as avocado, eggs, yogurt, etc than perhaps it's ok if your child reacts poorly to it. I still give my toddler formula (specific for children 12mths - 36mths) which she loves.

Answer 9

i was told whole milk after formula. we did a weaning off of formula, we started with like 6 oz formula 2 oz whole milk. after a few days went to 4/4, and down to 2/4 and then all whole milk. i had premature twins (thankfully healthy). due to family genes they are long and lean and we are still on whole milk (they are 10 now). our pediatrician says for MY kids it is fine as they are very lean and the extra fat/nutrients are good for them. with a healthy diet there should be no problems with constipation (unless a medical reason or not enough fiber). my kids as toddlers would tell their aunt her milk was "bad" and they would not drink it. come to find out it was not that it was bad,,,it was 2% and tasted "funny" to them. i would speak to your dr/nurse but i have been told after formula it is off to whole milk. good luck and congrats

Answer 10

whole milk because she needs the fat and nutrients and then after she turns 2 you can switch to the 2 %