cows milk-whole or semi skimmed??? for my 2 & 3 yr olds!!!

[loopdl]

my 2 & 3 yr olds are on whole cows milk, a friend told me they should be on semi skimmed!! bit confused now any advice pls??

[S1ur]

No keep them on full fat. They need they energy.

[loopdl]

thanks slur. why do some people say whole or semi for 2-5 yr olds then do u know?

[S1ur]

"Whole cows? milk is recommended for children over the age of 12 months as a main drink as it is a rich source of a number of nutrients. Semi-skimmed milk can be introduced after the child is two, as long as the diet provides enough energy. Skimmed milk is not suitable for children under five years of age, as it does not provide enough energy and vitamin A for the growing child."

From British nutrition foundation website.

I would suggest it is okay therefore to have semi as long as you are confident about the rest of your child's diet.

However to have whole milk is to err on the side of caution.

[S1ur]

See I have tiny children with little bird-like appetites so need all the extra nutrients they can get!

[loopdl]

thanks v.much

[clutteredup]

My 6 yo DS still has whole milk as he is a skinny runt inspite of how much he eats so I reckon he needs the fat. DD1 is also not overweight so she has it too. DD2 only 1 so still on whole milk anyway. I think there is such a fear of obesity these days that 'full fat' milk gets a bad press. The nutrients are in the fat so the less fat the fewer the nutrients. Unless there is a concern over weight I think full fat milk is definitely best, its not exactly milk that's causing obesity in this country its all the other stuff kids eat - milk is good for you.

[Seona1973]

my 4 year old still has full fat milk but she does have a 1 1/2 year old brother that still needs it. TBH full fat milk still only has about 4% fat so isnt exactly fattening

[bb99]

I thought that you kept to full milk as it helps transfer fat soluble vitamins, but I could be wrong (unless there's a medical / weight issue??)

Schools only provide full fat milk for kids (or rather if parents choose to pay for milk, it's full fat).

[missmama]

Our school provides semi skimmed
But at home the kids have full fat, poted about this the other day too, they need the extra energy/fat that it has. You can see the difference in their weight in a short time if we swithch to semi, and mine are 7 and 9