Do you struggle to feed your child milk? (OR) Do you struggle to stop your child from drinking too much milk?
These are the two most common scenarios that parents of small children
encounter almost every day. On the occasion of World Milk Day let us try to
make our struggles simpler!
Milk is a healthy drink packed with various nutrients such as calcium, protein, Vitamin A, B, D and potassium.
Age appropriate recommendations for milk consumption:
Breast milk or formula milk is the only milk to be given till one year of age. Cow’s milk should not be given till one year of age as an infant does not have sufficient lactase enzyme to digest cow’s milk and it can result in intolerance.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, water and milk are the only two best beverages for very young children.
The AAP recommends toddlers 12 to 24 months consume 2–3 cups (here cup is around 200ml) of whole milk per day and children ages 2 to 5 years drink 2–2.5 cups of low fat or skim milk per day.
Excessive milk can be harmful:
Milk more than the age-appropriate recommendation can reduce absorption of iron and protein from the food, reduce their appetite to eat other foods and affect their nutrition adversely. So keep a check on how much milk your child is consuming daily.
Milk alternatives:
What to do if your child does not want to drink milk?
Dairy products such as curd, butter, ghee, paneer, cheese are excellent source of calcium and protein. You can include them in your child’s meal to make it balanced and nutritious.
Plant based milks:
Oat milk, soy milk, almond milk are some of the other alternative milks available in the stores. They are not recommended for children below 5 years of age, unless they have allergy to cow’s milk or are following veganism. Ensure that the plant based milks are fortified with nutrients as they lack many of the nutrients which are there in cow’s milk.
Let us celebrate this World milk day with a glass of this healthy drink,
cheers!!
Now is the time to catch up with vaccinations and health checkups. All you need to do is go through their vaccination chart and talk to your pediatrician. If your child has missed school due to some recurrent health issue, try to get it checked this summer, before you get busy with the new academic year. Here is a quick checklist before school reopens.
- Update your child’s vaccination status.
- Consider taking flu vaccine to prevent school absenteeism due to seasonal flu. Entire family is encouraged to take the shots.
- Get eyes, ears and teeth checked. ‘’A stitch in time saves nine’’ stands true for most of the medical problems. A small dental filling can prevent root-canal treatment or tooth extraction.
- Get your child checked for anemia or Vitamin D deficiency if he/she complains of fatigue or muscle pains.
- Track your child’s physical growth with updated growth charts
- Talk to your doctor if you feel your child has learning problems or behavioral problems. Some children need more care and attention and they need to be in small group schools.
Wishing you a healthy summer vacation.
Take care
It’s Summer time and everyone is looking forward to spend time with family. Sunny beaches are favorite vacation spots among families with children. So what all should you take care of, when you visit sunny places with small children. Here is a quick checklist.
- Ensure that your child is dressed in loose cotton wear.
- Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before sun exposure and every 4 hours.
- Sunscreen with minimum SPF of 30 should be selected. Most of the sunscreens are for all age groups, check the label for age specifications. Any child above 6 months who is getting exposed to sun should apply sunscreen.
- Keep your child well hydrated.
- In case of sun burns, apply ice packs or cold water to affected areas followed by a cooling body lotion. Contact your doctor for further care.
- Use sun caps, sun glasses whenever possible.
- Most importantly, make sure your kid is up-to-date with vaccinations.
Wishing you a wonderful family time
Take care