I was just curious when it is ok to switch your child off of Vitamin D Milk to another type. My little girl is 21 months and was just curious how long they are supposed to have vitamin D/Whole milk.
We've been slowly switching her to 2% and she seems fine with it. We go to the Dr. next month so we'll see then how she is doing on her weight.
My doctor said to switch my son at the time when he was 3yrs. old to fat free, due to so much cholestrol in whole milk, but when I went to another doctor they said to stay on whole milk because my son was thin. He is 4 now and we are still drinking whole milk, but with carnation instant breakfast(cholocolate) for vitamins and weight gain. Good luck!
I have always been told that at the age of 2 is when you can cut down on the fat. I went to 2% and my kids don't mind even dring the skim fat free eithor. My youngest one just loves his milk. LOL
It all depends on your child. The reason for giving your toddler the whole milk is for the fat. Growing babies need that extra fat. Whole milk actually has fewer vitamins and other nutrients than skim milk per ounce. So if your toddler is doing just fine on the growth charts it is perfectly fine to give them the reduced fat milk.
This information was given to me by a nutritionist through the WIC program.
i would leave it up to your doctor to decide. whole milk has the fat content in it that a lot of little ones need. depending on the growth and development of your child is when your doctor will switch you.
Hi, M. my name is M., R. I have a two year old little boy. My pediatrician recommended to switch him at 24 months to 2%. Because it is not so high in fat. I would think as long as your baby is within normal limits on her growth chart you could start her early. Hope this helps :)
I have read that it is 24 months that you can drop it down to 2% and 3 or 4 down to skim milk. I have also read other sources that say you can start skim at 24 months. Either way you can switch your child off of Vit D milk when she turns 2.
Hope this helps,
R.
Our pediatrician said after they turn 2 it's okay to switch to whatever everyone else in the family is drinking (which is 1% in our house). But they need the fat content in whole milk to help with their brain and nervous system development which is rapidly occurring up to the age of 2.
You can switch it when she turns two.I would not give her less than 2% though.Usually the only time they want you to usr it past thier second birthday is if they are underweight.Otherwise all that fat is not good for them.
I have also been told that it is o.k. to switch at the age of two.
I still have my 3.5 and 2 year olds on whole milk because my 2 year old is so slim and they are the only ones in the house that drink milk. (I have to drink soy.) I have been thinking I might put my older one on 2%, but he is also slim and I don't want to buy 2 kinds of milk.
Good news, almost all milk now has vitamin D added. So any fat percentage you choose should be fine. Just check your label. They say the best is 1% or 2% and not skim because they need a certain percentage of that healthy fat to help them metabolize the milk (I think that's why). So make sure it says A & D added and she'll do just fine.
My girls are now 6 and 5 and I gave them whole milk until they were 2 maybe a little longer but I asked their ped. and she told me the purpose is mainly for the calories because they are so active and grow so much. I switched to 2% after that because that's what my husband and I used and now we all drink fat free skim milk, it's takes some getting used to. Hope this helps, it always is comforting to get your pediatricians advice on your questions too. Good luck.
M.,
My son is 17 months old and he would never drink the Vit D/Whole Milk. He has drank 2% milk since he was 12 months old. I would just ask your doctor what he/she thinks.
From different sources that I have spoken with, particularly my pediatrician; they say that around 2 you can switch to 2%. This is primarily because they don't need the fat content from the milk like they did before. Hope that helps!
Hi M.,
I switched my 3 y/o over to 2% milk when she turned 3. I don't think there is a specifoc age, though as a little girl I watch is 2 and she is onj 2% milk also. So I think when you and/or your ped agree.
I switched my 3 y/o when I thought is was the right time.
As long as your child is within the "normal" weight range for her height you should be able to switch to a lower fat. Just make sure she is still eating the heathly fats in her normal diet, i.e. yogurt, cheese, etc.
Hi
Formula or breast milk for the 1st year
whole milk for the 2nd year
and then skim (we use 2%) after that
Until they are 2 they need the fat in whole milk for brain development.
Hi M.,
My doctor said that it deppends on the childs needs, if it is slim, they can have whole for as long as they wantn (my 8 years old still likes that milk better but I normaly buy 2%), the fat content is not bad for the child's body. But you can switch to 2% any time, I wouldn't switch to anything lower than 2% unless the child is overweight.
I understand that all milks have vitamin D, the difference is in the fat content only.
Hope it helps,
Mariana Abadie
www.MyKidsFirst.com
Our Dr. actually said that since our boys didn't have a weight problem that they could switch from formula to 2 % so we did that. He said that whole milk is more likely to cause allergies.
So, our boys have only ever had 2 %.
They say to start giving whole milk at one year and you can go to lower fat milk after age 3, I believe. They need the extra fat in the whole milk until that age.
My doctor told me it was ok when I took my 2 year old for her 2 year visit. Since your little girl is so close to the age of 2 I'm sure it's fine. My doctor said that she doesn't need all the extra fat now; but it also wouldn't hurt her either.
