When do i switch from whole milk to 2

Though your child needs less fat after age two, the requirements for bone-building calcium actually increase. To get enough calcium, toddlers ages should get two servings of lowfat or fat free dairy per day.

Children ages need two and half servings. All contain essential nutrients to support growth like vitamin D, Calcium, potassium, and protein.

All are non-GMO, gluten free, and contain no toxic, persistent pesticides. Giving your child low-fat milk can encourage healthy habits that will stay with them for the rest of their life. Kids who start drinking low-fat milk are more likely to choose it as teens and adults.

Soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, and other dairy milk alternatives are typically low in fat. These options might be a good choice for your child when they reach the two-year mark and are ready to switch—especially if they are allergic to cow's milk or are lactose intolerant.

Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood. American Academy of Pediatrics. Updated March 16, Whole milk compared with reduced-fat milk and childhood overweight: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Which Milk Is Best? Choosing Whole Milk. Choosing Low-Fat Milk. Making a Switch. American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations The AAP now advises parents that reduced-fat milk might be appropriate for some children who are between the ages of 12 months and 2 years old if: The child is already overweight The child has family members who are overweight, have high cholesterol, or other health risk factors.

Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. But now, Hoffman wonders, with the tide shifting in favor of fat in general, does the advice to give up whole milk still stand? While whole milk's nutrients are essential for developing bones and brains, this emphasis on lower-fat milk once a child hits the toddler years has to do with avoiding the extra calories and saturated fat of whole milk, says Gans.

Clearly, the advice has stuck. Whole-milk consumption has been declining since the s, according to the U. Department of Agriculture. Other experts say, and a growing amount of research shows, that whole milk—and fat—isn't as bad for us as we long have thought and been told, and might even be healthier. That's the fat phobia.

Walter Willett and Dr. David Ludwig argued kids are better off drinking whole milk. Because lower-fat milk is less satiating than whole milk, the doctors wrote, it's more likely a kid will make up for it by then eating more starchy, sugary, refined foods.