When to stop giving full fat?

[joanneg]

Ds is 2. He has full fat dairy products. When should you stop giving full fat? should you at all? What should I give him instead? Wondered if skimmed milk is too fatless!!

Thanks

Actually was reading something about this at the weekend and the man who wrote Toddler Taming says you can cut down on full fat from about aged 5 or 6!! I was really surprised! TBH though DS usually has semi-skimmed milk and has done since he was about 3.

My HV advised moving to semi-skimmed at 2 (as long as the child has a fairly decent diet/appetite). Don't think you should move to skimmed until they stop growing....?

Dd is 4 and still has full fat. She's skinny as a rake though so I prefer to get some full goodness into her. If she had tubby tendencies I might have moved to semi skimmed though.

My HEA 'Birth to Five' book (1998 edition) says "Semi-skimmed milk is not suitable as a main drink for children under two, and skimmed milk is not suitable for children under five".

My kids all have full fat milk when they drink it - youngest is 10yrs, oldest is 17 yrs.

You do not 'have' to change. If you prefer to change though, children should not have semi-skimmed milk before 2 years. Skimmed milk is OK from 5 yrs.

Fat cow milk all the way!

Only go to semi if you're on a diet, IMO.

Ours have full fat and I'll keep them on it for the time being.

Mears, do you know everything? You just always put it so well and clearly. I wish you had been my MW (not for the first time) or even were my HV now!

don't forget that our (adult) obsession with low fat products is in part because of our need to compensate for the other fatty things that have become part of our regular diets. Fat is not bad. It is the balance of fat and other things that is important. If kids eat maccy-ds and chips all the time then give them semi-skimmed milk and feel a bit less guilty. If they eat a good balanced diet then don't worry about what sort of milk you give them. imho anyway (says she realising that didn't sound very humble at all...)

Thanks for all of the feedback guys. Hatter couldnt agree more.

I hadn't even thought about changing from full fat until last night when I read that 'what to expect' book. In there it says to stop giving full cream stuff at 2. Ds diet is quite good and he is a healthy weight so I think that I will stick to full fat for the moment. Thanks

mine have full fat becasue of ds3 but also becasuse of me
I love it and as I have hot drinks black, I indulge

Ds3 has just started having cows milk instead of formula (I'll probably get banned from MN now as he's only 11 months) so with his 2 older brothers(5 and 3 yrs) we get about 22 pints per week!!!

They all love it and I doubt I'll ever change them to semi skimmed. I wouldn't even let skimmed milk through my front door, Bluueeuughhhh!

Mmmmmmm a bar of dairy milk and a glass of fat milk is one of natures finest things.

When we move house, we'll be a fair distance away from the nearest shop so we'll all be switching to full fat cos you can freeze it!

we all have full fat and wouldn't buy anything else!! (and they've had it since babies and are fine).

when we moved house and were not so close to the shops we found a MILKMAN!! It's top. I never thought I'd be the kind of person who had milk delivered but it's fab. We never have too much. we never run out, and he delivers eggs and cheese too.