When to give up on full fat milk

[mummysurfer]

my 2 are 8 and 5. do they still need full-fat milk or would semi-skimmed be ok now?
it would make life easier.

Definitely think semi is OK from age 5. Could still offer full fat yoghurts etc if you are worried. Thats what I do. I swapped over at age 2 though - but DS has always eaten well so I didn't have food-related worries. Would only be concerned if either of them was particularly slight.

Yep, I think the general advice is that semi-skimmed is okay from the age of 5. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you the info about why that is!

From what I remember for the HV book. Full fat is from 1 year, semi from 2 years, and skimmed from 5 years. DD is just 2 and has had semi on and off for past 3 or 4 months as that is what we use at home and don't always remember to get full fat in. I always give full fat yoghurts though.

oo this is good news.
thank you
there will be more space in my fridge now.

Just checked in the book to make sure for you. In the NHS book "Birth to Five" is says:

Semi skimmed milk is not suitable as a drink for children under two, but can be introduced from two years if the child is a good eater and has a avried diet. Skimmed milk is not suitable for children under five. For convenience, lower fat milks can be used in cooking from the age of one.

Hope that helps!

I pretty much went along with what you've outlined hula. eg if we were at my Mum's when he was 18 months and they only had semi thats what he'd have but I kept buying full fat at home until 2. mummysurfer sounds like you're OK.

Can't imagine we'll be introducing skimmed at 5 though.

My sister would drink nothing but skimmed milk after coming off of breast milk around a year old. She is now 21 years old and it doesn't seem to have done her any harm. I think that maybe we all worry to much

Semi is fine from 2. DS1 had full fat until DS2 was 2 though - I wasn't prepared to buy all 3 sorts of milk!

Out of interest how much milk do you all get through. Currently we go thorugh 10 pints of full fat and 6 pints of semi per week, but ds2 turns 1 in a month, so I guess that is going to increase?

There are 3 of us and we go through 16 pints of skimmed milk a week. I don't really cook anything with milk in it so it's all cereal and drinks. DD is just 3 but has been on skimmed for about 18m as she drinks loads of the stuff and has a perfectly good diet. No ill effects to report.

There is me, Dh and 2yo DD here. We use no more than 7 pints a week - 3 of skimmed milk (for me), and 4 of semi. I don't like milk as a drink at all, and only use it in tea, and in ready brek in a morning. Dh rarely drinks milk either - so again just hot drinks and cereals. DD has the odd drink of milk if I warm it up (but isn't keen) so she has it on cereals and sometimes milk shakes.

Okay I was wondering about how much milk ds twins should be having at 2yrs. So I contacted the Scottish Healthy Living website. According to them full-fat is the best until aged 5 and about a pint a day for this age group.

I think all this talk about fat and obesity is confusing the issue. There are good fats and bad fats, which you will know, and milk has far more benefits at this age.

My ds is 2 & has about a pint of full fat a day. He eats well, so I could in theory change him to semi, but am loathe to as he seems happy. Would make the milkman's job easier though...

Until recently we were only getting through 3 pints of milk a week but this week I have ordered 5. I don't have hot drinks and DH only does occasionally and none of us drink milk. It was mainly for DH's and DS's breakfast. Now I have started having porridge and I have some plans to make a cheese sauce next week, hence the increase. I would be happy if DS would drink milk but looks unlikely.