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Original poster

At what age can kids swap from full fat to semi skimmed milk ??

27 replies

NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 18:50

I still buy full fat because I like it, but I drink alot of milk and want to swap to semi skimmed. Trouble is, if i still have to buy full fat for Ds then I will just carry on drinking it.

Ds is 4 by the way.

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 26/04/2007 18:53

I think it is 3 years old, isn't it? Or maybe even 2...Will try and check and find a link for you

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 18:54

Ta

OP posts:
ejt1764 · 26/04/2007 18:54

My DS has been having semi-skimmed since he was 2 with no ill effects.

He doesn't have 'reduced-fat' anything else - I just got fed up of buying him different milk from us!

FrannyandZooey · 26/04/2007 18:55

Here you go:

"Children should drink whole milk until they are at least two years old because they may not get as many calories as they need from semi-skimmed milk.

After the age of two, children can gradually move to semi-skimmed milk as a main drink, as long as they are eating well and getting plenty of calories and nutrients from a varied diet.

Don't give skimmed milk to children until they're at least five years old because it's too low in calories and contains only very small amounts of vitamins A and D, which children need."

I much prefer semi-skimmed as well - that full fat taste reminds me of the revolting warm milk we used to get at school!

Chocolateface · 26/04/2007 18:55

The book I have says 2, but it's American. I still give mine full fat, as they're all so skinny!

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 18:56

Thankyou, will switch to semi then, will miss my full fat stuff though but nevermind.

OP posts:
alex8 · 26/04/2007 18:57

damn, I knew this and wanted to post!

I used to hate that warm milk too. Put me off milk for years. It was only me and the strange religious girl that didn't have it.

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 18:58

Can't stand warm milk at all, but ice cold full fat milk is delicious

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 26/04/2007 18:59

I always used to forget to shake the bottle before I started drinking, so there was a big clot of cream on the top when you stuck your straw in

alex8 · 26/04/2007 19:01

although full fat milk is still quite low fat really at only 4%. Semi-skmimmed is btw 1.5 and 1.8. Skimmed is 0%

alex8 · 26/04/2007 19:02

The smell was hideous. Am sure it was off on a warm day too.

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 19:02

Hmm but I can drink to huge glasses of it a day if I am in the mood.

Oh well i'll learn to love semi.

OP posts:
alex8 · 26/04/2007 19:03

skimmed 0.1%. if it was 0% it would be water.

WendyWeber · 26/04/2007 19:07

I found this interesting article the other day when I was googling about something else.

Of course there's more to it than just weight but still - food for thought (if you'll pardon the expression )

(I love whole milk. Even semi-skim is weedy and skim is disgusting)

Porcupine · 26/04/2007 19:07

1

WendyWeber · 26/04/2007 19:08

I'll take your 1 and raise you 2

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 26/04/2007 19:09

1 ??

OP posts:
Hulababy · 26/04/2007 19:11

I thought it was:

1yo: full cream milk
2yo: semi skimmed milk
5yo: skimmed milk

Theya re only recommendations for when you can introduce them though. DD had full fat, and then had skimmed from about 3-4y (only occasionally anyway as she doens't like milk much), as we don't have SS at home.

Porcupine · 26/04/2007 19:11

17

shouldhavewaitedtilligothome · 29/04/2007 20:19

I spoke with ds's dieician about this last week and she said they say to move to SS from age 2 if they have a normal, varied diet. For ds she said we were right to delay this until he was 4 as he has allergies!.
So, last week in my 'trying to impart this important, valuable information' way, I told my sis (who is still giving her 6yo ds ff milk), who told me her HV told her just the other week that it's totally fine to be giving ff at age 6!!
My sis, who doesn't like to be told anything at the best of times, was adamant that this HV (who we all know are the font of all knowledge ) would know more that a specialist dietician!
I had heard that drinking ff for too long at a young age has really serious consequences re furring up of the arteries from adolescence onwards.

brightwell · 29/04/2007 20:26

I'e started buying Channel Island milk for my ds (9), to try and bulk him up a bit.

cornflakegirl · 29/04/2007 21:23

shouldhavewaited - i can't believe that it's actively bad for kids to drink ff milk. as someone else said earlier - at 4% fat, even full fat milk is pretty low in fat!

smoggie · 29/04/2007 22:04

dh is mumbling something about atheroma in the arteries of 13 year olds at autopsy.
I'm off to google a bit more

smoggie · 29/04/2007 22:33

can't immediately see evidence of any studies where the risks of drinking full-fat beyond age 2 are analysed.
Australia and the US both recommend ff until age 2 then switching to SS.
There was one BBC news article that quoted someone from the British Assoc of Dietetics saying that children should be on FF until age 5!, this was in an article responding to a survey showing some parents inappropriately putting children on adult-type low fat diets. But this is in the minority.
I think the general concensus is to switch at age 2.
I can't readily find 'evidence' of research showing detrimental effects of keeping them on FF for longer...although I no longer have my logins to access the full-texts of medical journals.

Piffle · 29/04/2007 22:36

the reason low fat is not great for kids is that calcium absorption depends on fat
Thats why water with calcium is a load of horseshit...