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Ask
Our Experts: Drinka Pinta Milka Day?
Is milk an essential part of a healthy diet? No, but calcium is a vital
component says Raisingkids.co.uk's paediatric dietitian, David Swain.
Raisingkids member's problem
My 12 month-old daughter is very petite
- height 69cm (25.5 inches) weight 7.7kg (17lbs). I am still breastfeeding
her but I would like to get her to take milk.
I’ve tried follow on milks and cows’
milk, even incorporating different flavours like banana, but she has two
or three sips then spits it out. How can I encourage a milk intake of
a pint a day? I give her cheese and yogurt but I feel she needs milk as
well.
David's advice
Refusing cows' milk isn't an uncommon problem. Indeed, it may be that
you'll have to start reducing her breastfeeds before she'll take any additional
milk. The advice about stopping breastfeeding is to drop breastfeeds one
at a time, leaving at least a few days between each change. This should
be less stressful for your baby.
Although milk continues to be an important source of calcium (needed for
bone and tooth development) it's encouraging to see your daughter takes
both cheese and yogurt (both excellent sources of calcium). In addition,
although your daughter's petite, she is the appropriate weight for her
height and appears to be thriving well. My advice would be to start reducing
her breastfeeds and continue encouraging her with full-fat cows' milk.
If she doesn't like taking it as a drink, try adding it to other foods
such as cereal, custards, sauces and soups.
Also, continue encouraging her with other dairy products. Children between
the ages of one and three years require approximately 350mg of calcium
per day. The following foods each contain approximately 200mg of calcium:
A quarter-pint of milk, a small piece of cheese (28g), a small carton
of yoghurt (150mls) and half a large can of creamed rice-pudding. If she
continues to refuse to take any milk at all and you feel she's not meeting
her calcium requirements, you could give her a calcium supplement. A supplement
called Calcium Sandoz syrup can be prescribed by your GP and provides
324mg calcium per 15mls.
To conclude, your daughter doesn't need to take
a whole pint of milk per day now she is one. An intake of two-thirds of
a pint would be ideal but if this isn't possible then aim for at least
2 servings of yogurt or cheese per day to cover her calcium requirements.
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