At what age can a baby be given cow's milk?

In the days of our grandmothers, cow's milk helped to feed many babies when breastfeeding was impossible, but nowadays, formula milk does an excellent job. This causes controversy between young mothers and the older generation.

Is it worth giving milk from a cow to a young child instead of formula, or is it dangerous for his health? How to transfer a baby from breast milk to cow milk? What are the benefits and harms of this product for the child's body? At what age is it best to introduce children to him? Is it necessary to boil it or can it be given immediately from under the cow?

These and many other questions are of concern to almost every young mother. Let's try to understand them, and also find out why it is impossible to give it to young children, as modern pediatricians say.

How is it useful?

Acts as a source of healthy proteins, from which children get all the essential amino acids.
It gives the human body calcium and phosphorus - elements without which the formation of teeth and a strong skeleton is impossible.
Includes a large number of vitamin compounds, including vitamin D, which is important for children.
Helps to strengthen the immune system.

It should be noted that all these useful properties can be obtained only with the correct and timely introduction of such a product into the diet of babies.

At what age to give?

Cow's milk appears in the diet of breastfed babies at 9 months of age as an ingredient in milk porridge. An infant who is fed a formula can start cooking such porridge a little earlier - from 7-8 months. In this case, the daily dose of cow's milk is no more than 100-150 ml.

If we are talking about replacing breast milk or an adapted formula with cow's milk, then it is not advised to do this until 1 year. If it is impossible to breastfeed a baby, the best substitute for babies in the first year of life is milk formula. Although it is made from cow's milk, in the process of processing it is purified, and the composition is as close as possible to the female one.

For children over one year old, cow's milk can be given as a drink in small quantities (up to 200 ml).

It is possible to regularly give such a product in larger quantities to a child every day after 3 years.

Separately, we note that the child is offered a product with a fat content of 2.5-3.2%. If a mom is wondering when to start giving her baby skim milk, then she should know that a low-fat product is not recommended until 2 years of age.

What is harmful

The harm of cow's milk for infants is associated with significant differences in its composition from mother's.

Breast milk is the ideal food for newborns and for all babies up to at least 6 months of age. And the cow is inferior to him in a number of parameters:

There are too many proteins in it. The intolerance that occurs in some children when using this product is often associated precisely with the occurrence of protein allergy.
A large amount of casein in the composition makes it difficult to digest. Because of this, the child may become constipated.
Contains much more calcium and phosphorus than human milk. And if excess calcium is not absorbed in the children's intestines, since this process has a rather complex regulation in the human body, then excess phosphorus enters the bloodstream without hindrance. This increases the burden on the baby's kidneys, which are trying to remove unnecessary phosphorus. At the same time, the child's body also loses calcium. Because of such processes, the reception provokes the development of rickets in young children.
It also contains too much magnesium, potassium, chlorine and sodium. To remove these elements from the baby's body, the excretory system of the baby works with increased stress. One of the consequences of this situation can be dehydration.
Although there is almost the same amount of fat in breast milk as in cow's milk, the quality of these fats is different. The fatty acids that the baby receives during breastfeeding are better absorbed and have a positive effect on the nervous and digestive systems. The fats in cow's milk are saturated and therefore harder to digest. For this reason, milk with a fat content of more than 4% is not recommended for children in the first years of life.
The iron content in cow's milk is much lower than in breast milk, and its assimilation is worse, since cow's milk, unlike mother's milk, does not contain lactoferrin. Also, such a product contains little iodine, copper, zinc, ascorbic acid and vitamin E, and there is no folic acid and taurine in cow's milk at all.
If introduced too early into the children's menu, the mucous membrane of the digestive tract may be damaged, which sometimes can even lead to internal bleeding.
If cow's milk is given at the same time as continued breastfeeding, the product may adversely affect lactation. The child will satisfy his needs with the milk of a cow, refusing from his mother's, because it is harder to get food from the breast than drinking from a bottle.
Does not include immunoglobulins important for supporting immunity. When replacing breastfeeding with such a product, the defenses of the toddler's body may decrease.

Contraindications

Cow's milk should not be drunk in such cases:

If the child already has rickets symptoms.
For problems with mineral metabolism.
With individual intolerance.
If close relatives of the child have diabetes.

The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

A popular pediatrician is sure that whole cow's milk cannot be given to children under one year old. He emphasizes that the early introduction of such a product into the infant's diet instead of an adapted mixture provokes the development of rickets and negatively affects the child's intestines.

If the mother does not have the opportunity to breastfeed her baby after 3 months, or she wants to complete breastfeeding at the age of 5-6 months, Komarovsky advises buying and giving the baby an adapted formula.

The inclusion of milk in the children's diet after a year Komarovsky calls it permissible, but at the age of 1 to 3 years, a well-known doctor advises limiting the amount of drink per day to two glasses. He emphasizes that if it is possible for a child to purchase a special milk recommended for this age category, such a product will be much more preferable than the usual one from a cow.

As for cow's milk in the diet of three-year-olds and older children, Komarovsky believes that after 3 years, children can use this product without restrictions, if they like it and does not cause allergies.

Recommendations from Dr. Komarovsky on the introduction of cow's milk into the baby's diet, as well as goat's milk, listen in the next video.

Should it boil?

Safety is very important for baby food, therefore, in most cases, cow's milk that is offered to babies must be heat-treated. Boiling helps to avoid such a serious disease as brucellosis (carried by cows), which is a great danger to the child's body.

If mom is not sure about the quality, it must be boiled. Boiled milk retains all proteins, carbohydrates, fats and many other substances. It can only slightly decrease the content of vitamins, but this is not as dangerous as infection with dangerous infections. In unboiled form, it is permissible to give it to children only if it is obtained from a cow that is kept by your family or close friends (you are sure of her health).

How to introduce babies into the diet?

Due to the risk of allergies, acquaintance should be careful and gradual, and every mother should know how to dilute this product, since at first milk is given to children who are divorced. When the baby is 1 year old, you can take 1 part of cow's milk and combine it with 3 parts of boiled water.

The first serving that is given to the baby in the morning is 1 teaspoon. If there is no reaction to it, the dose can be increased to 200 ml. Next, start reducing the amount of water until you have completely removed it and give your baby whole milk. Usually, the undiluted product begins to be given from the age of 3. The recommended volume for a child over 3 years old is 500-700 ml per day.

How to choose for a child

If you are looking to buy milk for a 1-3 year old baby, the best option would be a product marked “for children”. It is produced in environmentally friendly areas and is more closely monitored and sold in more reliable packaging.

When buying regular milk for a child over 3 years old, you should opt for an ultra-pasteurized or sterilized product. It is carefully processed so that no dangerous bacteria remain in it. When purchasing it, carefully read the information on the package, specifying the fat content and shelf life.