The recommendation I was given by a paed dietician is from roughly 12 to 18mths, and roughly 600mls of milk or milk equivalants (so yoghurt, cheese etc and includes milk on cereal) but preferably a minimum of 400mls. She said it is still one of the most important parts of their diet up until about they age of 2 as the calcium is required for the growing/setting of the bones and joints and it actually is a major contributor to their weight gain.
As with everything its only a guide and each individual child will do it differently. I just went with what DD wanted (she hasnt had a night feed since 11mths), saw no point upsetting her over it, and she slowly dropped her bottles herself during the day. At 21mths she still demands about 400mls of warm milk in the evening while winding down watching tv with me, and has a cup with lunch, plus a tub of yoghurt and cheese. To much certainly isnt going to hurt.
Actually too much can hurt, which is why the recommendation is a maximum amount rather than a minimum amount But 600 mls is right at the upper end of the recommended amount so is ok. Dairy is not a particularly healthy food as such, but is an easy way to get calcium with an average diet. There are heaps of other sources of calcium though, and too much milk particularly can interfere with eating enough solids, which provide all the other nutrients babies need, especially iron and zinc.
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But 600 mls is right at the upper end of the recommended amount so is ok. Dairy is not a particularly healthy food as such, but is an easy way to get calcium with an average diet. There are heaps of other sources of calcium though, and too much milk particularly can interfere with eating enough solids, which provide all the other nutrients babies need, especially iron and zinc.
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