From an early age, everyone knows the song that the use of cow's milk by children has a positive effect on health. However, no one has ever thought about the age at which it can be introduced into the infant's diet. Modern medicine has its own categorical opinion on this matter.
Baby with a bottle
Is cow's milk good for a baby?
The World Health Organization recognizes only breast milk as the best food for babies. In cases where the mother has insufficient lactation, it is possible to supplement or completely replace breast milk only with an adapted milk formula. Cow's milk is not suitable for supplementary feeding or full replacement of the mother's milk.
Composition and nutritional value
Compared to breast milk, cow's milk contains almost 5 times more calcium and 7 times more phosphorus.
Whole Cow Milk Composition
| Name | Maternal, in 100 ml | Cow in 100 ml |
|---|---|---|
| Proteins, mg | <1,3 | <3,2 |
| Fats, mg | <4,5 | <3,5 |
| Carbohydrates, mg | <7,2 | <4,8 |
| Calorie content, Kcal | from 70 to 75 | from 62 to 67 |
| Calcium, mg | 25,5 | 120 |
| Phosphorus, mg | 13 | 95 |
| Iron, mg | 0,07 | 0,03 |
| Vitamin D, mg | 0,1 | 0,05 |
| Lactoferrin, essential for iron absorption | there is | No |
The most popular question parents ask when buying cow's milk for a baby is at what age it can be introduced into the diet of a newborn and in what quantity.
Medicine does not recommend introducing cow's milk into the infant's diet in order to exclude the development of calcium and vitamin D deficiency in the child's body. This is due to immaturity of the kidneys and excess phosphorus in the blood after consuming this product. Carrying the function of filtration, the kidney notices an excess amount of phosphorus and seeks to remove it from the body, but due to its immaturity, it cannot separate calcium and leave it in the body. Therefore, together with phosphorus, everything useful that the baby has drunk, including calcium and vitamin D, is washed out.
Rickets
Attention! Eating cow's milk by children under one year old causes rickets.
How to choose the right one
Whole cow's milk can be fed to children from one to three years of age. The fat content of the product should not exceed 3%, otherwise the digestive organs will receive an additional load. To give preference to a product from a domestic cow or buy in a store is a private matter for each family, but you should pay attention to the following points:
- a village cow may not be vaccinated against dangerous diseases;
- no one will say for sure whether the unknown seller of milk washed his hands and udder before milking or not, as well as in what dish it was going;
- a cow from a private yard can be a carrier of helminths.
Attention! The store version is obtained using machine milking. The cows of industrial farms undergo regular health checks and are vaccinated against dangerous diseases.
If the family knows the owner of the domestic cow well, is sure that the animal is not sick, and does not doubt the cleanliness of the milkmaid, such milk, especially in the first two hours after milking, is useful and safe for children over one year old.
Age for introducing milk into complementary foods
Based on the fact that the kidney of a one-year-old child can remove excess phosphorus from the body without affecting calcium and vitamin D, you can start drinking whole milk after the baby is one year old. Up to this age, we allow fermented milk feed. The best product to start feeding is kefir.
How to give cow's milk to a child
Fermented milk products are recognized as a safe alternative to cow's milk, including:
- kefir;
- cottage cheese;
- cheese;
- fermented baked milk;
- curdled milk.
Interesting! Mom can prepare a safe fermented milk dish herself, which the baby will eat with pleasure and without harm to health.
How to cook properly
To prepare kefir, you will need 1 liter of milk and 3 tablespoons of sourdough or fresh ready-made kefir:
- Bring homemade milk to a boil;
- Cool to 38˚C;
- Add starter culture or ready-made daily kefir;
- While stirring, bring to a homogeneous state;
- Close the container, wrap it with a towel and put it in a warm place overnight (for 12 hours);
- Transfer the future kefir to the refrigerator for 3 hours.
If the family has a kefir mushroom, you can cook kefir based on it. The use of sour cream or ready-made kefir as a starter does not make the end result worse.
Norms of use by children under one year old
The famous pediatrician Komarovsky, relying on data from the World Health Organization, claims that it is allowed to introduce a child to new products no earlier than 6 months of age.
Introduction of fermented milk products
| Product | 6 months | 7 months | 8 months | 9-12 months | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 3 week | Week 1 | 3 week | Week 1 | 3 week | ||
| Kefir, ml | 5 | 30 | 50 | 70 | 90 | 100 | 100 |
| Cottage cheese, g. | 5 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 50 | |
| Milk-based porridge, ml | 5 | 50 | 70 | 120 |
Attention! The introduction of a new product into complementary foods is allowed only against the background of an undisturbed general condition of the child. At the first occurrence of allergic reactions or indigestion, the question of complementary feeding should be postponed.
Allowable rate - glass
Children from one to three years old can drink cow's milk. The daily allowance for this age is limited to 200 grams. A product with a fat content of more than 3% must be diluted with water.
Possible problems from drinking milk
If the mother decides to replace her milk with cow's milk, the child risks her health. Medical statistics show that before the appearance on the market of adapted milk formulas almost a quarter of children suffered from rickets, which manifests itself:
- curvature of the legs;
- uneven head shape;
- fragile bones.
Even for children over one year old, it is wiser and safer to buy formula milk. It contains the required amount of minerals that are fully absorbed and do not put additional stress on the liver and kidneys.
Signs of allergies
If, after drinking milk, the baby has bloating, pain in the intestines, frequent and frothy stools, this suggests that the child's liver is producing an insufficient amount of a special enzyme - lactase, which is responsible for the breakdown of milk sugar. You can only feed such babies with a lactose-free version of the mixture or milk. Today you can purchase:
- soy;
- almond;
- oatmeal;
- buckwheat.
Mixture
Modern parents should understand that cow's milk was chosen by the older generation for feeding babies only because there was no better alternative. With the advent of infant formula, the issue of the use of farm animals by infants should be closed before they reach 3 years of age.
