full-fat or semi-skimmed milk?

[drjane]

I just read in a book that after the ago of two you should start giving your toddler reduced-fat cheese, milk etc. to avoid heart disease in later life

I'm never going to give him reduced fat cheese - it's horrible - and now I'm wondering about the milk. I thought they still had a high requirement for fats at this age? Mind you, he does drink quite a lot of milk (2x 210mls).

What do other parents of toddlers do? He's 2.3 and normal weight, has a good, varied diet and obviously very active, being 2.3.

That should of course say age

Ds sorted this out for me - we were buying full fat for him and half fat for dh (and soya for me!) - ds decided he didn't like the cream in the full fat so we just have 1/2 fat now - swapped when ds was about 2.5?

Up to you really. I give my 2yr old semi skimmed milk and all my dcs had semi skimmed from the age of 2. Sometimes they have fullfat depending on whats in the fridge.
I don't give them reduced fat cheese though as it's usually pretty horrible tasting. They have a well balanced diet and are very active so full fat cheese every so often while they are little isn't going to send them on the road to heart disease IMO.

I'm not sure when you shoudl got to semi skimmed. DD1 gets semiskimmed in teh canteen at school. But I only buy full fat as we end up running out of one or the other if I get a mixture. I plan to just stick to full cream until the youngest is about 3 or 4 and then go over to semiskimmed for us all.

I've just started giving my 2.2 year old semi-skimmed, as he drinks a lot of milk, eats a lot and I don't give any other 'low fat' products. He also has full fat yoghurt pretty much most days.

Plus, he is still carrying quite a bit of baby fat, and is very active, so he doesn't 'need' fat in the same way as a thinner child might do maybe?

dd switched to semiskimmed the minute she was 2 - she is strapping and healthy and eats a good varied diet so I didn't think she'd suffer from lack of fat - and it is nice only having to buy one sort.

Her cousin, otoh, is petite and a picky eater so I can see why her parents still give her full fat.

Hmmm - he's not exactly fading away so I might try giving him semi-skimmed then...thanks everyone!

My ds's are 6 and 3 - they drink full fat, which after all is still only 4% fat - so not exactly high!

There is so little difference between full fat and semi skimmed that it doesn't really matter at all what your child drinks.

both mine drink semi-skimmed as that is what I drink in my tea - I waited till ds was 2 and then switched. I dont give low fat cheese, yoghurt, etc though.