Breast milk is the prefect food for your baby and contains all that he needs for the first six months. Continue to breastfeed until your baby is at least 12 months old or even longer, if you are able to.

If you can not, or choose not to breastfeed, your baby will need a suitable iron fortified infant formula - not cow's milk.

When Can Cow's Milk Be Introduced?

Cow's milk is not recommended as baby's main milk drink until 12 months, but cow's milk based foods can be given to your baby after six months as part of solid foods such as baby cereal with dry skim milk powder.

Why Cow's Milk as an Ingredient Only?

• If used as an alternative to breast milk or formula, cow's milk does not have the correct balance of nutrients to help your baby grow and develop.
• Cow's milk is too low in iron, which is essential for your baby's brain development and to prevent iron deficiency.
• Cow's milk has too little Vitamin A, C and E and the essential fatty acids necessary for your baby's growth.
• Cow's milk can cause bleeding from the bowel in some babies if their digestive system is not mature enough.

Cow's Milk and Allergies

Cow's milk allergy is not common but if it occurs it may cause a severe reaction. Some babies are intolerant to cow's milk but if your baby can tolerate cow's milk-based formula then you should have no problem giving him other dairy foods.

If you are breastfeeding, only offer 1/2 teaspoon of dairy food when offering it for the first time and then gradually increase the amount over a period of a few days. If your baby has any sort of reaction, like swelling, rash, vomiting, irritability or distress, call your healthcare professional immediately. Intolerance will show as weight loss, diarrhea and failure to thrive.

Low Fat Milk

Skim, 1% and 2% milk is not recommended as the main drink for children under two years of age and skim milk is not recommended for children under five. This is because fat in milk provides a significant proportion of your toddler's energy intake, and if reduced fat milk is used as the main drink it may be difficult to ensure that total energy intake (calories) is enough. This advice applies only to the milk which is used as the main drink for your toddler and does not apply to the small amounts of milk used in recipes.