Cow's milk - Too Much Of A Good Thing

     A question parents frequently ask is: “How do I know if my child is drinking enough milk?” The answer is that we should be more worried about our children drinking too much milk.

     Doctors have long known that too much cow’s milk can cause iron deficiency. Low iron can cause permanent problems with mental and neurologic development and those neurologic delays can occur even if the child is not anemic, so measuring the child’s blood may not show the iron deficiency. A study published in Pediatrics in December of 2012 looked at cow’s milk intake and clearly showed that the more cow’s milk the child drinks, the lower the iron will be.

     Drinking too much cow’s milk can result from a number of reasons. If a family is poor, the high cost of formula may cause them to substitute cow’s milk in an infant’s bottle. When a child turns one year old, it is common for parents to put cow’s milk in the bottle because they are told, “Get off the formula” but the child still wants something white in the bottle. Picky feeders are often encouraged to drink more milk during the day under the impression that it will “at least give them some nutrition”.  Parents may allow a toddler to carry around a bottle of milk to “snack on” during the day.

     The vitamin D in cow’s milk is essential to good bone development. The study showed that about 2 cups (16 ounces) of cow’s milk a day gives the right amount of vitamin D without lowering serum iron. Children with darker skin pigmentation needed 3 to 4 cups during the winter months.

     The best rule of thumb for parents to follow is that when an infant under a year of age is starting to practice with a cup, put cow’s milk or water in the cup but keep formula in the bottle until the first birthday. After one year of age, the only thing that goes in the bottle is water – never juice or milk – no matter whether the bottle is given in the day or at night. A child is allowed a glass of milk with each meal, but the only thing the toddler is allowed to drink between meals is water. This not only helps prevent iron deficiency but it also eliminates the most common cause of tooth decay in toddlers.