Recently, every confinement nanny saw a mother asking in the background: How old should I drink milk powder?

I believe this problem has also troubled many families feeding milk powder and mixed feeding, and there are many three-stage and four-stage milk powders on the market. Many parents think that milk powder should be consumed until the age of 3 or even 7 years old. Is this really the case? The confinement sisters of every family will tell you below!

How old should I drink milk powder? Authoritative organizations say so!

Regarding the question of how old babies should drink milk powder, most authoritative organizations have similar opinions.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Hong Kong Department of Health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) all recommend that babies can use milk instead of milk powder after they reach 1 year old. Parents do not have to provide their babies with the main source of nutrition through milk powder (ie, third-stage and fourth-stage milk powder).

Because after the baby is 1 year old, he should gradually transition from milk to meals. In the end, three meals a day are the baby's main source of nutrition.

International authoritative organizations and organizations in Hong Kong, China, recommend that milk powder be consumed until the baby is 1 year old, while the Chinese Nutrition Society is relatively conservative.

The Chinese Nutrition Society believes that the protein and mineral content of ordinary fresh milk, yogurt, cheese, etc. are much higher than breast milk, which increases the burden on the kidneys of infants and young children, so they should not be fed to infants aged 7 to 12 months.

13. Babies aged 24 months can gradually try it as part of a diversified food diet, but it is recommended to eat a small amount and cannot completely replace breast milk or formula milk.

After reading the recommendations of major authoritative organizations, I believe that parents also have their own judgments.

Jiajia Maternity Sisters believe that after 1 year old, the baby’s daily milk supply is about 400~600ml. This milk can be milk or formula milk. There is no problem if you drink formula milk until you are 2 years old.

For babies with a balanced diet, milk is enough!

If your baby has a balanced daily diet and is not very picky about food. If he likes to eat grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, vegetables and fish, you can wait until the baby is 1 year old and gradually start to switch from milk powder to milk powder. Milk conversion.

If your family has a baby who is genetically obese or is overweight, the confinement nanny recommends drinking milk, because compared with pure milk, formula milk has more sugar and calories, which may make the baby even fatter. Being fat can easily lead to precocious puberty and cardiovascular disease.

Picky babies should drink milk powder first!

If your baby is picky about food and refuses to eat this or that, then he should drink milk powder honestly to make up for it temporarily and slightly.

If your baby is allergic to milk and drinks moderately or deeply hydrolyzed protein formula, then every confinement nurse recommends that you continue to drink formula milk. Most babies' allergies will get better when they are around 3-5 years old. At that time, parents can decide when to switch to pure milk based on the baby's own situation and doctor's advice.

Babies who are lactose intolerant can continue to drink low-lactose or lactose-free formula milk, or they can eat sugar-free/low-sugar yogurt to supplement calcium.

In short, after 1 year old, no matter whether you choose milk powder or milk, you must gradually switch to meals. Usually, you should eat three meals a day, supplemented by breast milk or milk powder. Never rely too much on formula! Formula milk cannot completely replace the nutrients in other major categories of food. It is only true to cultivate diversified eating habits from an early age.

As for whether to drink three-stage or four-stage milk powder, it depends on the baby's wishes. If he likes to drink, it's okay to drink some. If he doesn't like to drink, there is no need to force the baby to drink it until he is 7 years old, because at this time the milk powder is already available. It is not a "necessity" for babies, only balanced and nutritious meals.

How to help your baby transition smoothly from formula to milk?

If your baby is accustomed to breast milk or formula milk, he may experience some discomfort symptoms after trying pure milk, such as loss of appetite, constipation, etc. Jiajia Maternity Nurse recommends that you consider switching to pure milk later. Of course you can try the following methods

1. Gradually transition from formula milk to pure milk

In the first week, 1/4 pure milk and 3/4 formula milk, in the second week 1/2 pure milk and 1/2 formula milk, 3/4 pure milk and 1/4 formula milk in the third week, and all pure milk in the fourth week.

2. Cleverly hide milk in baby food supplements

Parents can put some thought into their baby's diet, such as using milk instead of water to mix dough, stew soup, steam eggs, etc. .

Some parents may ask, doesn’t milk lose its nutrition after heating? In fact, heating has little effect on the most important nutrients such as calcium and protein in milk.

Can my baby always drink formula milk?

Some parents are worried that their babies are not eating enough and rich enough. They feel that pure milk is not supplementary enough, and they want their babies to continue drinking formula milk. I don’t know if this is possible.

Yes. Formula milk also has some advantages. On the one hand, it is easier to digest than pure milk, especially for babies with weak stomachs. On the other hand, its nutrition is more comprehensive than pure milk, which lacks iron, vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients that babies need.

However, it also has its downsides. On the one hand, milk powder is more expensive than formula milk. At the same price of 200 yuan, a 900g can of milk powder can last about 15 days. At this price, you can buy about 50 boxes of milk, but it can last 25 days.

On the other hand, formula milk has less protein, higher calories, and more sugar (carbohydrates represent the amount of sugar). Stage 3 and 4 milk powder will have extra sugar. If you eat too much, you may gain weight.

If things go on like this, parents will easily become dependent on formula milk, thinking that their babies can get enough nutrients from formula milk, thus ignoring the diversity and balance of their babies' diet. After all, formula milk can only provide part of the nutrition to the baby.

Can a baby drink milk powder that is younger than his/her age?

Low-stage milk powder is derived from breast milk to meet the growth and development needs of infants and young children. Its nutrient quantity and quality are higher and more complete than those of high-stage milk powder. Therefore, formula milk powder with smaller segments contains more comprehensive and balanced nutrients and is easier to digest.

However, older babies cannot consume low-grade milk powder from younger babies for a long time, which may easily lead to excessive nutritional intake and lead to obesity;

Similarly, younger babies cannot drink older baby milk powder. , because the younger the age, the worse the function of the organs, and the higher the requirements for nutrients and quality! Firstly, it will cause malabsorption of nutrients and affect growth. Secondly, it will cause diarrhea or indigestion in the baby. Especially for babies in the newborn stage, the choice of formula must be in line with their age group!

Jiajia Yuesao’s thoughts

Having said so much, Jiajia Yuesao believes that many parents already have questions about whether babies should drink formula milk or cow’s milk after 1 year old. Answer. Every baby's situation is different, and after the age of 1, neither formula nor pure milk is the protagonist in the baby's diet. Parents should no longer rely on them to supplement the baby's comprehensive nutrition, but should focus on the baby's nutrition. Three meals a day.