HeySolids
Choking risk
Milk is a thin liquid, so it is a low choking risk.
Once it becomes a drink at 12 months, offer it in an open or straw cup rather than a bottle. See how to serve for age-by-age prep.
Allergens
Cow's milk is a common food allergen, and milk allergy is one of the most common in babies.[1]
Introducing dairy early and keeping it in the diet helps lower the risk of an allergy. If your baby already has yogurt or cheese without trouble, milk in cooking is usually fine too. Watch for hives, vomiting, or swelling, and call 911 for any trouble breathing.[2][3]
Offer it on its own, start with a small amount, and watch for a reaction. Once your baby is comfortable with it, keep it in their regular diet.
Cow's milk is one of the nine most common food allergens, and milk allergy is one of the most common in babies.[1] There's no reason to delay it - offer dairy around 6 months and keep it in the diet regularly. Most children outgrow a milk allergy.
To introduce it, start with a plain dairy food rather than a drink - a little whole-milk yogurt, some cheese, or milk cooked into food. Offer a small amount on its own, earlier in the day and when you can watch baby, and watch for a reaction. If all's well, build up gradually.
If your baby has a cow's milk allergy, goat's and sheep's milk aren't safe swaps - the proteins are closely related and usually cross-react.
If your baby has a cow's milk allergy, goat's and sheep's milk aren't safe swaps - the proteins are closely related and usually cross-react.
Food safety
Use pasteurized cow's milk only - raw, unpasteurized milk isn't safe for babies, as it can carry bacteria that cause serious illness.[5]
Go for whole milk rather than low-fat or skim; babies and toddlers need the fat and the energy it gives them.
Milk cooked into food is fine from 6 months, but it shouldn't be your baby's main drink until they're one - before then, breast milk or formula is what they need.[4]
How to serve
6+ months old
Milk in food and cooking
Cooked into dishes, not as a main drink
From 6 months, cow's milk is fine used in food - stirred into oatmeal, mashed potato, or a sauce, mixed into cereal, or baked into things. Full-fat dairy foods like plain whole-milk yogurt and cheese are good ways in too.
It's also the way in for dairy as an allergen. Start with a little plain yogurt or cheese, earlier in the day when you can watch baby for a couple of hours, and watch for a reaction.
What to hold off on is cow's milk as a main drink - a bottle or cup of plain milk in place of a feed. Before 12 months, breast milk or formula is still what your baby needs to drink, since cow's milk is low in iron and would crowd out the milk feeds they rely on. A little in cooking is fine, a full drink of it isn't yet.
How to prepare
Use pasteurized, whole (full-fat) milk. Stir it into warm dishes, use it to loosen a mash or sauce, or cook it into food as you would any liquid. No need to water it down for cooking.
12+ months old
Whole milk as a main drink
Up to about 16 oz (2 cups) a day
From 12 months, whole cow's milk can become one of your child's main drinks. The switch works best gradually - swap one milk feed at a time over a week or two rather than all at once, and offer it in an open or straw cup rather than a bottle. If your toddler resists the taste at first, mix cow's milk with their usual milk and shift the ratio over a few days.
Keep it to around 16 oz - about 2 cups - a day. That covers the calcium they need, but much more can fill them up and crowd out iron-rich food, which is a common cause of low iron in toddlers. Stick with whole milk, not low-fat, until at least age 2.
How to prepare
Serve pasteurized whole milk cold or gently warmed, in a cup. From 12 months it no longer needs to be breast milk or formula, though you can carry on with those alongside cow's milk for as long as you like.
Tips
- You don't have to switch to a cup of milk at all. If your toddler isn't keen on drinking milk, the same calcium and fat come from yogurt, cheese, and milk cooked into food. Milk as a drink is one option, not a requirement - a child who eats dairy but won't drink milk is doing fine.
- Warm it slightly to bridge the change. Breast milk and formula are served warm, so cold cow's milk straight from the fridge can be a hard sell at first. Taking the chill off it, and mixing it with the usual milk to start, makes the switch easier before you move to it cold.
- Watch the milk-before-meals trap. A big drink of milk right before eating fills a small stomach fast, so a toddler who has milk first often eats less of the meal. Offer milk with or after food rather than before, and keep it to mealtimes and one before bed rather than sipping it all day
Sources
- Food Allergies (the 9 major US allergens) - FDA
- When to Introduce Egg, Peanut Butter & Other Common Food Allergens - AAP HealthyChildren
- Milk - FARE
- Cow's Milk and Milk Alternatives (whole milk as a drink at 12 mo) - CDC
- The Dangers of Raw Milk (unpasteurized) - FDA
- Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D (FDC 746782) - USDA FoodData Central