This sensationalised story is doing the tabloid rounds and being shared in mammy groups.
Facts you should know:
1. Giving a toddler too much milk is a real cause of malnutrition — and most commonly presents to GPs as either constipation or when the mother worried that child has no interest in a varied diet — because the milk reduces appetite for food.
2. Do not give your toddler more than 500mL of milk in more than 24 hours. Do give them a varied diet.
3. Milk is essential for growing bones and teeth! It’s usually recommended to aim to get your toddler about 350ml of full-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, and/or cheese.
4. Full-fat cow’s milk and water are the appropriate meal time drinks for toddlers. Alternative “milks” (soy/almond/etc.) are not milks, and should not be used unless on the advice of doctor/registered dietitian. Your toddler does not need juice. Your toddler does not need follow-on milk, unless prescribed by doctor/registered-dietitian.
5. Make sure your child under 12 months is getting an appropriate Vitamin D3 supplement (check with your registered chemist).
6. If you are worried about your child’s diet, get information you can trust from a CORU/INDI-registered dietitian, GP, or PHN. Unregistered nutritionists, osteopaths, kinesthesiologists, chiropractors, health/supplement shops are among practitioners with no recognised qualifications in Ireland to advise on children’s diet, including allergy diagnosis.
7. Safefood and INDI website are two excellent nutritional resources you can trust. You try starting at:
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