Milk Intake For 2 Year Old

Limit your child s milk intake to about 16 24 ounces a day 2 to 3 cups.

Milk intake for 2 year old.

Whole milk contains approximately 4 milk fat. It may help to gradually switch your child from whole milk to a lower fat milk. However if your 1 or 2 year old won t eat and only drinks milk you may need to proceed a little differently more on that in a bit. For kids between 12 and 24 months the recommendations for 2 year olds can serve as a guide.

To ease the transition for your child try going from whole milk to 2 milk first then transitioning them to 1 milk. The amounts provided are based on the myplate food guide for the average 2 and 3 year old. As you start solids your baby s milk intake should not decrease much if at all until 10 months old when he or she is eating 3 solid meals per day plus one snack. Therefore many pediatricians recommend that children get reduced fat 2 milk for a few weeks before switching them to low fat 1 or no fat skim milk.

Chocolate strawberry and other flavored milks contain added sugars. Starting the process early can help ease the transition to low fat milk. On the other side of the coin sometimes toddlers have a hard time drinking that full 2 cups in a day especially when they are transitioning from bottles or breastfeeding. A 2 year old who really likes to drink milk might be more accepting of low fat milk than a school age child would be.

Serve more iron rich foods meat poultry fish enriched grains beans tofu. Milk products are a very important part of your child s diet give him one or two cups of milk a day. Cow s milk or other dairy products should not be given until at least one year of age. Continue serving iron fortified cereal until your child is eating a variety of iron rich foods at around 18 24 months old.

At 1 year about the time he s starting to walk your child s feeding schedule should include four to five meals a day plus two healthy snacks. For the first year solid food is a lot about practice and introducing a variety of flavors and textures. Your baby s kidneys cannot handle the high protein and mineral content well until that age. Breast milk or infant formula.

Children aged 2 5 also should avoid flavored milk to minimize added sugars intake and avoid developing a preference for sweet tastes. Added sugars should be avoided in children less than 2 years of age. Include iron rich foods in your child s diet like meat poultry fish beans and iron fortified foods.