Is my 10 month old baby ready for cow's milk?


Not as yet. Babies should not be fed cow's milk before they turn one. This is because cow's milk lack important nutrients such as iron and can negatively interfere with the iron absorption. Also, babies aged below one are not equipped to digest any other type of milk. After your little one turns one, it is safe to introduce whole milk and a sensible idea would be to offer your baby water for hydration purposes. It is important to not go overboard with milk as too much of cow milk can irritate the intestinal tract.


In some countries, milk is packaged according to the fat volume so there are 3%, 2% and 1% milk, with 3% being equivalent to whole milk. Due to obesity being on the rise, 2% milk can be given to younger babies but do not be tempted to give your baby reduced fat or skim milk. The reason being, these 'adult' milk formulas are intended for adults - they contain higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals which can be harmful to children below two years old and furthermore the fats and calories are reduced to amounts not suitable for young children this age. Babies after turning one may drink cow milk and whole milk is the best option.