You can give regular milk to your baby. Is it possible to give cow's milk to a child. When to start teaching him to children. Why not

Cow's milk is a valuable food product, an indispensable source of calcium, minerals and vitamins. However, not all people get it the same way. Drinking milk sometimes causes indigestion and allergies, even in adults. Cow's milk is very different in composition from women's milk, and the digestive organs and kidneys of the child are not so developed as to cope with the full processing of all its components (proteins, fats, minerals). It is necessary to accustom a child to a new product carefully, taking into account the peculiarities of physiological development.

1. The content of calcium in cow's milk is 4 times, and phosphorus - 3 times more than in women's milk. These elements are necessary for the development of bone tissue, teeth, and the formation of nerve cells, but their excess is just as harmful as their deficiency. In order to remove excess from the body, the child's kidneys must work in an enhanced mode.
2. The proteins contained in the drink are absorbed worse than the proteins of mother's milk. There is an accumulation of them in the body, irritation of the intestinal mucosa. The child has abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. An allergic reaction occurs.
3. When drinking cow's milk, young children may develop anemia (anemia, lack of hemoglobin in the blood). This also applies to older children (up to 2 years). The occurrence of anemia contributes to the poor absorption of cow's milk by the child's body. Gastrointestinal bleeding often occurs due to damage to small vessels by undigested food. At the same time, the level of hemoglobin and the concentration of red blood cells in the blood decreases. To eliminate bleeding, you must stop taking the product completely. The child needs treatment with iron preparations.
4. In the body of some children, insufficient production of lactase (a special enzyme that breaks down milk sugar - lactose) occurs. When using cow's milk, due to the impossibility of its full assimilation in a child, food may be poorly digested, which leads to the appearance of various kinds of dermatoses, as well as bad smell from mouth.

It is impossible to give a whole product to children under 1 year old, even in a diluted form. If breast-feeding is not produced, then you can use special infant formulas, the composition of which is close to the composition of human milk (the content of phosphorus and calcium is normal, the content of iron, zinc, iodine and other trace elements is increased).

Video: Dairy nutrition. Benefits and harms for children, says Dr. Komarovsky

Types of milk

• fat milk (contains from 3.2 to 4% fat);
• fat free (2%);
• filmed.

giving cow's milk the child can be when he is 1 year old. Up to 2 years, it must be necessarily fatty, since it contains a lot of amino acids that affect the development of nervous tissue and the brain. After 2 years, you can use a low-fat product, yogurt, kefir.

What is the need of the child's body for milk

After 1 year, it is one of the main suppliers of calcium to the child's body. Kidneys and digestive system already developed enough to cope with the processing of cow's milk. At the age of 1-1.5 years, the child should consume 400-450 ml of drink per day, and from 1.5 to 3 years, you can give up to 600 ml (considering adding it to porridge, eating fermented milk products).

What kind of milk can be given to children

Do not give raw and fresh milk to children. It contains microorganisms that cause such serious diseases as tuberculosis, brucellosis. Raw, it can cause dysentery and other intestinal infections. At the same time, when boiling, the value of the product is significantly reduced, since many vitamins are destroyed. Therefore, the most useful and safe for children is pasteurized cow's milk.

For children with a lack of lactase in the body, a special drink is produced in which this enzyme is added. You can make this product yourself. To do this, add lactase in the form of tablets or drops. In the presence of allergies, children are recommended to give substitutes (soy, rice milk) that contain enough vitamins and proteins. However, their calorie content is low.

Disadvantages and advantages of goat milk

According to its nutritional properties, goat's milk is not inferior to cow's. The percentage of essential fatty acids that a person needs, but is not found in the body, is higher in it. The fats contained here are easier to digest. It does not cause allergic reactions. Therefore, the product is recommended for children suffering from allergies to cow's milk.

The disadvantage of goat's milk is that it contains too little folic acid, which is necessary for the absorption of vitamins, as well as for the formation of red blood cells. This is fraught with the appearance of anemia. Store-bought products are usually labeled "fortified with folic acid". If there is no inscription, then when drinking this drink, folic acid should be given to the child separately.

Video: Goat milk for allergies in children

Many parents believe that milk is incredibly healthy for children. It contains both calcium and bacteria useful for digestion. Naturally, from an early age, a child begins to be taught to drink and eat dairy products, even if the little one desperately resists and shows with all his appearance that he does not like them. Is it necessary to insist and is milk as useful as it is commonly believed, says the well-known pediatrician Evgeny Komarovsky.

Good for kids, bad for adults

In order for milk sugar (lactose) to be absorbed in the body, a special enzyme is produced - lactase. In newborns, the level of lactase is very high, it is produced a lot, since breast milk is the only food for crumbs. As you grow older, the amount of lactase produced decreases, and in an adult this enzyme is practically absent in the body, since biologically he no longer needs dairy food. But the adult body quite normally accepts and digests dairy products.

A decrease in lactase levels in some people begins at the age of 3, in others from the age of 10, in others later. This is an individual feature of the body and there are no norms in this matter in principle.

If nature has provided for the child the opportunity to eat milk, this does not mean that you need to eat the milk of farm animals. Nature has made sure that the baby absorbs mother's milk well, and not goat's or cow's.

Benefit and harm

The milk of cows and goats for children of the first year of life is not just harmful, but dangerous, says Yevgeny Komarovsky. But this fact is rather difficult to explain to parents who, from their own childhood, remembered sayings that milk is a source of health and energy for a growing organism. It is very difficult to explain to parents that due to the lack or lack of breast milk in a nursing mother, it is best to choose an adapted milk formula.

First, it is important in terms of composition. The mixture contains vitamin D, which prevents the development of rickets. But if you give your child cow's milk and give vitamin D supplements separately, then rickets develops very often. And this can be explained by the processes that take place in the body after the child has consumed cow's milk.

Contains more cow's milk calcium, than in breast milk, almost 4 times. The content of phosphorus exceeds the similar parameter of breast milk by 3 times. Calves need such amounts of phosphorus and calcium so that their bones grow faster. However fast growth bones for a human baby is not the most preferred development option.

In addition, excess amounts of calcium and phosphorus that enter the intestines of the child cannot be fully absorbed. The body will take only the amount it needs, the rest will come out with feces.

with phosphorus other story. His body takes not as much as it needs for normal life, but about one third of the amount received. Thus, the consumption of cow's milk leads to an overdose of phosphorus. The kidneys of the child react to the increased content of this substance, which begin to quickly remove excess phosphorus from the body. Unfortunately, it leaves along with the received calcium, which is so important for the harmonious development of the crumbs.

The kidneys mature closer to the age of one, at about the same time you can start giving milk to the child, gradually introducing it into the diet.

No need to drink liters of crumbs, it is enough to give one year old baby about half a glass of milk a day, a two-year-old - 1 glass, and a two-year-old toddler - no more than 2 glasses a day. By the age of 3, all restrictions lose their relevance, and children can be given this product, even cow or goat, in any amount that he is able and willing to "master".

Another not the most “useful” aspect is cow protein intolerance, which happens quite often in children of the first years of life. It manifests itself in the impossibility of assimilation of protein, which the body of the crumb regards as foreign. The immune system is activated, an allergic reaction begins. If you have such a child, you should not give him any milk. Only adapted mixtures are suitable, preferably hypoallergenic, in which milk protein processed in a special way and neutralized.

Cows and goats in last years they also eat little natural food, and many of the foods that the owners give them contain hormones and antibiotics. Naturally, this entire set passes in certain quantities into milk. This is another reason not to give this product to children under one year of age, although the final decision rests with the parents. After all, it is quite difficult to dispute the fact that it is rather difficult to provide a varied diet for a child without milk.

Blend or milk?

If after 12 months a decision is made to introduce whole milk into complementary foods, Evgeny Komarovsky advises making an informed decision. This product in dosed quantities will no longer cause harm, but it will still be more useful for an adapted infant formula, in which the amount of phosphorus is reduced, and calcium and vitamin D are increased.

The amount of iron in cow's milk is insufficient and its regular consumption will lead to anemia. In adapted mixtures, this composition parameter is provided, and the child will receive the amount of iron he needs.

If the family budget allows, it is better to choose a mixture that is appropriate for age - from 12 months. Typically, such mixtures are indicated by manufacturers with the number "3".

Fatty or low fat?

Today, the food industry offers a plethora of skim milk options. It is considered preferred by adults and children who are intolerant to full-fat cow's milk. However, in the very concept of “fat-free”, according to Yevgeny Komarovsky, there is a catch.

Baby milk differs from regular milk by ultra-pasteurization. The percentage of fat in it is reduced, but is not at the minimum mark. The box usually indicates at what age the manufacturers recommend the product. Most often it is 8 months. Komarovsky urges to give such milk, if the mother really wants to do it, no more than once a day and in small quantities.

Children after a year can dilute regular milk with a fat content of 3% with ordinary water by about one third of the volume.

Dairy products

It is very good if a mother learns how to make homemade fermented milk products for her child. For them, you can use ordinary store-bought cow's milk with a fat content of not more than 1.5%.

Complementary foods in the form of fermented milk products are not very desirable for children with impaired mineral metabolism, with signs of rickets. Therefore, before introducing such complementary foods, it is advisable to consult a pediatrician.

Do you boil milk?

Pasteurized milk, which is sold in any store, does not need additional boiling, says Yevgeny Komarovsky. But if the product is bought on the market, from grandmothers who keep cows or goats in their household, then it is necessary to boil.

If you buy a product from a neighbor you know well, and you know her cow almost personally, then milk that was milked no more than 2 hours ago does not need to be boiled. It has a large number of beneficial bacteria, the content of which already after a couple of hours after milking noticeably decreases.

When can you give cow's milk to a baby? This question is asked by many mothers who, for various reasons, want to enter this product livestock into your baby's diet. Natural food, after all, and useful composition pleases. In addition, for our mothers and grandmothers, feeding a child with cow's milk was a normal, natural process. And they knew what to do.

Composition of cow's milk

Indeed, the composition of cow's milk is very valuable. What is contained in 100 grams of the product?

• Proteins - 4.3 g.
• Fats - 1.0 g.
• Carbohydrates - 6.4 g.
• Sodium - 52 mg.
• Potassium - 157 mg.
• Calcium - 136 mg.
• Magnesium - 16 mg.
• Phosphorus - 96 mg.
• Iron - 0.1 mg.
• Vitamins B1, B2, PP, C.

It would seem that this is a unique complex for the developing child's organism. useful substances contributing to the quality growth and development of the baby. Chlorine, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, protein in cow's milk is three times more than in breast milk. More - not less. But is it so good?

Let's start thinking logically. Why did nature provide breast milk? In order for a person to feed their offspring with it. Cow's milk, respectively, is intended for feeding calves. Both products are valuable, no doubt, but each according to its purpose. In the first months of being in this world, it is mother's milk that will inhale life, strength, energy to a human cub.

Benefits of mother's milk

What does mother's milk give a baby?

• The maximum of nutrients in the amount required for optimal growth and full development. These are lactose, vitamins, enzymes, fats, minerals, iron, water.
• Protection against pathogenic bacteria that multiply in the intestines and cause various diseases.
• Stimulation of brain development. Breastfed babies have a good memory and excellent eyesight.
• A close emotional connection between mother and child, a great feeling of love, warmth, affection.
• Minimum Exposure various diseases, including diabetes, asthma, allergies, cardiovascular pathologies.

An important advantage of breast milk is the absence of the need for its preliminary preparation. The product has the correct temperature and is always available to the child.

Protein in milk

All the organs of the newborn are still in the process of development, therefore they cannot fully perform the functions inherent in the body of an adult. When an excessive amount of protein and minerals contained in cow's milk is received, the kidneys receive a significant load, the level of which is several times higher than the permissible one. They have to work very hard. Trying to unload the body from an unnecessary excess of the substances obtained, they remove the liquid in a larger amount than necessary. Accordingly, the baby begins to feel thirsty. Mom, seeing his desire to drink, can give milk again. Thus, a vicious circle is created.

Compared to a similar product of other mammals, human milk is characterized by the lowest protein content: 0.8-1.1 g per 100 ml. A valuable element found in breast milk consists of globulins and albumins, which are easily digested in the baby's body. Also, protein is building material involved in the formation of immunity, the production of antibodies, the synthesis of hormones and enzymes.

Casein - harm to the child's body

Casein is a cow's milk protein, a fairly large molecule that can injure the mucous membrane and intestinal walls. When it enters the body, histamine is released into the blood. The high content of this substance causes an allergy to milk. Damage to the intestinal walls can cause bleeding, and then, as a result, a drop in hemoglobin levels and the development of iron deficiency anemia.

With the constant use of cow's milk, there is a risk of intestinal bleeding from ulcers formed on the intestinal mucosa. Casein in breast milk is ten times less than in a product of animal origin. Its particles are so small that in the baby's stomach they form delicate flakes that are easily digested.

Iron

Cow's milk contains very small amounts of iron. And even these milligrams are poorly absorbed by the body, and therefore do not participate in the process of building hemoglobin. The lack of such a substance provokes the occurrence of iron deficiency anemia, which, in turn, causes weakened immunity and other developmental abnormalities. Although there is not so much iron in breast milk, it is absorbed by 70%.

Boiling: a must

The question of when cow's milk can be given to a child is relevant if the baby is artificially fed or there is a transfer from breastfeeding to "adult" food. The reason for introducing a livestock product into the diet may not only be this. For example, many mothers think that their child may not be fed up with breast milk. It should be understood that with proper breastfeeding, the baby will always have enough milk. Nevertheless, caring mothers are in a hurry to fill this gap and introduce the baby to a more varied diet, including cow's milk. At what age can children be given this product so that it is not at the expense of health?

From 9 months (or better, when 1 year old) you can start giving cow's milk to children who are on artificial nutrition. Of course, it is desirable to prefer mixtures adapted to this age, as they contain a balanced set of essential nutrients. Cow's milk should begin to be given to the child in a diluted form and only after pre-boiling.

Why boil milk? It is dangerous to drink raw milk from a domestic cow, since sanitary control over the animal does not always take place. Some infections may be asymptomatic, or the cow may be a carrier of the infection. In particular, large cattle can be a carrier of a dangerous disease - brucellosis, which affects the bone-articular apparatus, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Therefore, raw dairy products should not be given to young children.

How to properly introduce cow's milk into the diet

How to transfer a child to cow's milk? Complementary foods should be started with one teaspoon of milk diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 3. If no reaction of the body follows during the day, then the portion can be gradually increased. After 2.5-3 weeks, the amount of milk consumed can be about 100 ml. Fat content should be in the range of 3-4%. Gradually, you can reduce the amount of water and eventually completely eliminate it. If a child has an individual intolerance, such a product should be discarded and stop thinking about the question of when it is possible to give cow's milk to a child.

The gastrointestinal tract of a baby under 2 years old does not have the necessary enzymes that help to fully assimilate the animal product. Therefore, milk allergy is quite common. This happens due to the content of beta-globulin in its composition - the main culprit of the rash. Amino acids from mother's milk are easily and quickly absorbed by the child's body, while enzyme systems need to work with an increased load on the breakdown of foreign acids. Allergy has a cumulative nature, so it may not appear immediately.

Fermented milk products are introduced into the child's diet before cow's milk. This is due to the reduced amount of protein and lactose due to the manufacturing process. According to a number of studies, with the introduction of cow's milk into the diet of children under 1 year old, in ¼ of cases, an allergy developed to this product. This circumstance gives grounds to consider cow's milk as one of the most allergenic products.

When can you give cow's milk to a baby?

For a person, breast milk is optimal, especially in the first half of life. Therefore, parents should not have doubts about whether cow's milk can be given to a month-old baby or not. It is forbidden. At an older age, such a liquid is allowed to be consumed, but it is still better to opt for cottage cheese and sour-milk products.

But what about the experience of mothers and grandmothers, proven over the years? In those days, medicine was not so developed, experts could only guess the causes of many diseases. Today, science has filled in many gaps, so it suggests being guided only by verified information.

What should parents do? Whether or not to introduce milk into complementary foods is a purely individual matter. But still, with a great desire to introduce the baby to such a seemingly useful product, it is better to do this no earlier than 1 year. And before that, be content with mixtures adapted to the children's body and having much more advantages, namely:

• all vitamins and microelements necessary for the child;
• stable, unchanging composition;
• minimized the likelihood of allergic reactions due to special processing of milk protein;
• convenience and ease of preparation.

What do pediatricians say? Pediatricians unanimously argue that cow's milk should not be given to children under one year old. The most optimal age is after 3 years. It is during this period that the body becomes ready to eat "adult" food, which also includes milk.

Drink milk children! Missed in a well-known children's song important point: how much, when and what. For clarification, we turned to a specialist: Oleg Gennadyevich Shadrin, chief freelance pediatric gastroenterologist of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

At what age can cow's milk be given to children?

According to the norms for the introduction of complementary foods, which are approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, according to Order No. 149 "Protocol of clinical examination of a child from 0 to 3 years", the introduction of milk and dairy products can be started from 8 months. Many baby dairy products are recommended from 8 months.

I also recommend introducing drinking milk into the child's diet from this age. But we are talking exclusively about a product adapted for the child's body - specialized children's milk. These products are made from raw materials of the highest quality, which are selected in specially certified raw materials areas intended only for production. baby food. Increased control is accompanied by the process of production of these products in separate specialized workshops, more stringent requirements are imposed on the safety of packaging, and before leaving the factory, the product is subject to more thorough examination.

How much milk do babies need to meet their calcium needs? (at different ages).

Drinking 200 ml of milk, a baby of 3-6 years old receives almost half (40%), and a schoolchild under 10 years old - 1/3 (34%) of the required daily calcium intake. Calcium and phosphorus (also found in milk) are extremely important for the child, due to their participation in the formation of the skeleton, teeth and nervous system. Such a concentration of calcium and phosphorus, as in milk, is not found in any other product. In addition, milk contains almost all water- and fat-soluble vitamins.

A child aged 1 to 1.5 years should consume milk and sour-milk products in the amount of 450-500 ml, while milk in the composition of milk porridges is from 100 to 150 ml.

At the age of 1.5 to 3 years, the child should receive milk and dairy products in the amount of 400-500 ml, and milk in the composition of milk porridges is already 150-200 ml.

But we are talking only about full-fledged, unboiled milk, which contains the whole complex of vitamins and minerals contained in it.

When milk is boiled, in which a significant part of the protein and vitamins is lost.

What kind of milk is better to give to children: homemade, store-bought (with what fat content), pasteurized, etc.?

For children under 3 years of age, only specialized baby food is recommended for daily use - milk and sour-milk products. At this age, transfer the child to dairy products general purpose- unacceptable.

And, moreover, it is unacceptable to introduce into the diet of a child homemade milk bought on the market. Such milk, due to the lack of timely processing, contains pathogenic microflora, which is why it poses a danger to the health of not only a child, but also an adult.

When we talk about milk safety, we only mean milk. industrial production. Any milk presented on store shelves undergoes heat treatment. Its goal is the complete or partial destruction of bacteria, extraneous microflora that develops in milk or enters it from the outside.

Most modern method milk processing - ultra-pasteurization. A distinctive feature of ultra-pasteurized milk is aseptic carton packaging. During ultra-pasteurization, milk is heated to 135-137 ºС for 3-4 seconds and quickly cooled in absolutely sterile and sealed conditions.

As a result of processing, the extraneous microflora of raw milk (all microorganisms and heat-resistant enzymes) is destroyed, and most importantly, bacterial spores that lead to spoilage (souring) of the product, while the natural beneficial qualities of milk remain maximally preserved.

It is extremely important to consciously approach the choice of children's dairy products - pay attention to the type of packaging, as well as special instructions regarding the age at which they are recommended to be consumed.

Is vitamin-enriched milk healthier for children?

Enrichment of baby milk with vitamin premixes is a way to replenish the vitamin reserve of the child's body. After all, children get very little vitamins in their diet. Of course, if the child is allergic, then care should be taken both with fortified foods and with vitamin complexes.

For making homemade yogurt or kefir for children, which milk is better to use?

For the production of fermented milk products for children under 3 years old, it is recommended to use specialized children's milk in aseptic cardboard packaging. These are “Children's health”, “Vitaminna abetka”, “Lasunya”, “Totosha”.

For children over 3 years of age, general purpose milk can be used, but it is also important to give preference to UHT milk.

Unfortunately, any other milk in terms of microbiology and acidity is not suitable for making homemade fermented milk products. By populating any other milk (except for ultra-pasteurized) with “beneficial bacteria”, we will end up with a product that is useless in terms of quality for a child. UHT milk does not contain any germs, harmful bacteria or their spores, unlike any other milk.

Is goat's milk better for babies than cow's?

As a product for young children, goat milk has more cons than pluses. This is due to the fact that goat milk casein is quite heavy for a growing body. The disadvantages include the fact that goat's milk protein, compared to cow's milk, takes longer to digest in the baby's stomach. This, in turn, is an extra load not only on the gastrointestinal tract, but also on other organs of the baby.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine does not recommend children under 2 years of age to consume goat's milk, since with the early introduction of goat's milk into the child's diet, there is a risk of anemia. Of the advantages, it should be noted that goat milk fats are more easily absorbed and broken down. Also sometimes children with an allergy to cow's milk can be given goat's milk.

Can milk harm children (with lactase deficiency, etc.)?

healthy child milk, of course, can not harm. In cases of intolerance to cow protein and lactase deficiency, milk should be excluded from consumption or, with a slight degree of severe deficiency, milk can be modified, i.e. give dairy products.

Is skimmed milk suitable for children?

Skimmed milk can be given to children only after 2 years. Up to two years, the fat content of milk should be 3.2% -3.5%

Can a cup of milk replace one meal for children (second dinner, first breakfast, afternoon tea)?

Maybe, provided that this is the first breakfast or afternoon snack, you can also combine milk with cookies.

Can cocoa reduce the benefits of milk for children?

Drinks with milk, such as cocoa and coffee, are undesirable for young children. they negatively affect the nervous system and the digestive system.

"What are you doing? Stop bullying your child right away?" - they will tell you hotline any of the manufacturers of baby food, if you ask if cereals can be diluted with cow's milk, and not a mixture. “It's okay, you will gradually get used to it,” people of the older generation tell us. Who is right? Is cow's milk harmful or useful, at what age can it be given to babies, what is fraught with - we suggest finding out the answers to these questions.

How is cow's milk different from mother's milk?

Until now, scientists have not been able to create a complete replacement for breast milk. Consider its composition:

• The protein content in mother's milk is almost two times less, but it is much better absorbed and practically does not cause allergies.
• In terms of fat content, both breast and cow's milk are the same, but it is different in quality. Received from the mother is better absorbed, ensuring the proper functioning of the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, positively affects the activity of the intestine.
• There are significantly more carbohydrates in breast milk than in cow's milk. It is a source of energy thanks to which the child is active, cheerful and contented.
• Balanced mineral composition- mother's milk contains mineral elements and vitamins in the amount that the baby needs at this stage of life.

Important factor: even if there are more useful substances in cow's milk than in mother's milk, they are absorbed much worse. Moreover, during heat treatment, they lose their properties. Can cow's milk completely replace breast milk? No, because along with maternal nutrition, the baby receives immunological protection, including antibodies.

Is cow's milk harmful?

Today, we are seeing how some pediatricians strongly advise against giving cow's milk to children, arguing that it weakens the child, making him more vulnerable to diseases. Moreover, in their opinion, this product is capable of causing disorders of the digestive system. Is it so?

Dr. Komarovsky spoke very well and accessible on this topic. According to him, the milk of any animal is designed to be consumed by cubs of a certain species. For example, if we are talking about seals, then it will contribute to the growth of subcutaneous fat, a cow - the development of a powerful skeleton, and a person - the formation of the brain.

Catastrophe? Did our ancestors feed their children incorrectly for hundreds of years? In fact, everything is far from being so tragic - it is extremely important to provide the baby with suitable nutrition at an early age, at least up to 6-9 months. It is during this period that his digestive system is very vulnerable to new products, the body is not yet ready to switch to cow's milk.

Is it worth drinking cow's milk before the age of one?

Dozens of mothers claim that from the first months of life they prepared porridge for the baby based on cow's milk, and their children grew up healthy. However, the fragile organism of the crumbs does not always perceive this product adequately. Thus, cases of emergency hospitalization of children under one year of age with a diagnosis of "allergic hemocolitis" caused by a reaction to cow's milk protein are not uncommon. Its use significantly increases the risks:

• An excess of macro- and microelements, including phosphorus and calcium, increases the load on the kidneys - 4-6 times!
• Dehydration, provoked by the fact that the body functions in fact in an extreme mode - the liquid is excreted in an amount that is much higher than normal. The situation is aggravated if the mother gives not water, but other drinks to quench her thirst.
• Anemia. Cow's milk contains much less iron than breast milk, as a result of which the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells decreases. But even the meager amount of this element, which is contained in milk, is practically not absorbed.
• Violations of the gastrointestinal tract - it occurs due to the lack of enzymes in the baby's body that are necessary for protein processing, the child is practically unable to process it. Most often this is manifested by diarrhea. The baby eats a lot, but is not satiated, becomes whiny and capricious.
• Damage to the intestinal mucosa. It occurs due to the different structure of the protein in cow's milk, its molecule is much larger. However, the destruction of intestinal cells is not the only negative factor, because histamine gets into the blood, it is he who provokes allergies. If you still decide to give cow's milk to a baby at an early age, do not be surprised if blood appears in his stool.
• Allergy when drinking cow's milk up to a year is manifested in 25%! This is not just an indicator of dry statistics, it is a figure that shows how many children have experienced torment and suffering. In addition, many mothers, out of inexperience, believe that skin irritation and diarrhea are the only signs of milk intolerance. But the whole problem is that these are only visible signs of a problem, in fact, with allergies, internal organs are also affected.
  There are many dangers, and it is up to you whether to wait until the baby grows up, or risk his health. Are you ready to play milk roulette?

At what age can babies get cow's milk?

The opinions of doctors on this matter differ. One category believes that up to three years the baby should consume mixtures, but for many families they are not available due to the high cost. Most doctors agree that as early as 8–9 months, a child can be given diluted cow's milk (half with water) if he is bottle-fed.

The quality of the product matters a lot. So, in no case should you buy uncertified dairy products for the crumbs that have not passed sanitary control. If possible, if funds allow, it is worth buying a specialized milk for children. It is produced in ecologically safe areas, far from industrial enterprises. Packaging is more reliable, and strict control over compliance with sanitary standards is ensured at all stages.

Daily milk intake

A baby up to a year and a half needs no more than 100-150 ml per day, he mainly receives cow's milk along with cereals. It is better not to offer this product as a drink, replace it with yogurt or kefir - they are much healthier. The daily norm of dairy products at the age of 12–18 months is 400–500 ml, depending on the needs and appetite of the baby. By two years, the volume of products used does not change. Although milk can be harmful at an early age, later, when the baby is older, it is extremely beneficial:

• contains a significant amount of calcium and phosphorus, which are so important for the formation of a strong skeletal system and teeth;
• almost all vitamins are present in milk in a small dose;
• strengthens the immune system.

So, with 1 glass of cow's milk, a quarter daily allowance calcium, 1/5 - vitamin D, slightly less - phosphorus and 13% protein. At the age of 3-5 years, lactase in the body of children has increased activity, only a few have hypolactasia - up to 10%. The most useful is fresh cow's milk, which has not undergone heat treatment - pasteurization or boiling. IN Lately industrial products are obtained by ultra-pasteurization - instant heating to high temperature(135-137? С) and sharp cooling. Thanks to this, the activity of useful substances is preserved.

How to choose milk for a baby?

Until the baby reaches three years old, specialized milk that meets the highest quality standards will be the best choice. Children from villages can drink fresh milk - since a minimum of time passes from the moment milk is received to consumption, pathogenic flora does not have time to develop in it. It is not safe to buy this product from the market.

Cow's milk of industrial production does not contain microorganisms that contribute to the rapid souring of the product. Since heating and cooling occur instantly, it saves all beneficial features. Always carefully study the packaging: date of manufacture, expiration date, fat content and other characteristics.

For babies, it is advisable to purchase products enriched with vitamins, of course, only if the baby is not prone to allergies. Children under 2 years old need whole milk, the percentage of fat in which is 3.2-3.5. A glass of such a product can replace a light breakfast (combined with a bun) or an afternoon snack.

Let's summarize. Cow's milk is an unconditional and important product that plays an important role in the diet of children. But only if parents pay attention to the recommendations of doctors, know the characteristics of the child's body, and choose products of excellent quality.