When I counseled parents of pre-schoolers, I couldn’t tell you how many times milk was the main concern about their child’s nutrition. There were questions about allergies, lactose intolerance, organic, how much they should drink, and if it caused congestion. I won’t be able to get all that information in this short post, but here is some basic information about milk.

Whole Milk. The fat content is 3.25%. This should be given to your child while they are one. It is recommended to give your one year old whole milk, so that they will receive a higher fat content in their diet to help support their growing brains. When they celebrate their 2nd birthday, it is time to switch to low fat milk.

All milks have the same vitamins and minerals. The only difference in the percentages of milk is the fat content. Once your child is two, it is recommended for them to drink low fat milk, or skim milk.  If you think your child will have a difficult time with this switch, gradually introduce the change.  Give them 2% milk for a couple of weeks, then introduce 1% milk, and then skim milk.  Some parents will even mix the two milks in one cup so their child won’t notice the change.

How Much?
2-3 year olds should have 2 cups of dairy per day.
4-5 year olds should have 2-3 cups of dairy per day.
Older than five should have 3 cups of dairy per day.

Don’t forget that cheese, yogurt, and pudding count as part of their dairy as well.   Yogurt and pudding are the same serving size as milk – 1 cup.  Cheese is a little trickier.   A serving is considered 1.5 ounces, about the size of 4 dice or one pre-sliced cheese.

Flavored Milk.  I personally don’t think that you should flavor your child’s milk if they are good milk drinkers.  If you are having a difficult time getting your child to drink milk, then you should give it a try.  There is lots of supporting research showing that the added sugar in flavored milk is worth the extra calcium that your child receives.  If you want more information check out the National Dairy Council.

Organic Milk. “In terms of quality, safety and nutrition, there’s no difference between organic and regular milk.  Both contain the same combination of nutrients that make dairy foods an important part of a healthy diet,” according to the National Dairy Council.  The difference of organic milk is the farm management, not the milk itself.  I buy organic milk for my toddler and regular milk for my hubby and me. (We are second rate citizens these days. :))  Once my son turns two and starts drinking skim milk with us, then we will all drink the regular milk.  I won’t buy organic anymore.  Why? I don’t really have a sound reason except as a mom it makes me feel better to give my baby organic milk. 🙂 I know scientifically organic milk is not any better.

Hopefully, this will help give you some guidance about giving milk to your children. Let me know, do you think your kids are getting enough dairy in their diet’s? Do you give them flavored milk or organic milk?