BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuCow's milk - infantsIf your child is under 1 year old, you should not feed your baby cow's milk, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).Cow's milk does not provide enough:Vitamin E Vitamin EVitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin. Your body stores vitamin E in fatty tissue and the liver.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Iron IronIron is a mineral found in every cell of the body. Iron is considered an essential mineral because it is needed to make hemoglobin, a part of blood ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Essential fatty acidsYour baby's system cannot handle the high levels of these nutrients in cow's milk:Protein ProteinProteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Sodium PotassiumIt is also hard for your baby to digest the protein and fat in cow's milk.To provide the best diet and nutrition for your infant, the AAP recommends:If possible, you should feed your baby breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life. Breast milkExperts say that breastfeeding your baby is good for you and your baby. If you breastfeed for any length of time, no matter how short it is, you and...Read Article Now Book Mark Article You should give your baby only breast milk or iron-fortified formula during the first 12 months of life, not cow's milk. Starting at age 6 months, you may add solid foods to your baby's diet.If breastfeeding is not possible, infant formulas provide a healthy diet for your infant.Infant formulasDuring the first 4 to 6 months of life, infants need only breast milk or formula to meet all their nutritional needs. Infant formulas include powder...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Whether you use breast milk or formula, your baby may have colic and be fussy. These are common problems in all babies. Cow's milk formulas usually do not cause these symptoms, so it may not help if you switch to a different formula. If your baby has ongoing colic, talk with your health care provider.Open ReferencesReferencesMeek JY, Noble L. Policy statement: Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057988. PMID: 35921640 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35921640/.Parks EP, Shaikhkhalil A, Sainath NN, Mitchell JA, Brownell JN, Stallings VA. Feeding healthy infants, children, and adolescents. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 56.Stuebe AM. Population health and informed feeding decisions. In: Lawrence RA, Lawrence RM, eds. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 6.AllVideoImagesTogSelf Care Feeding patterns and diet - babies and infantsFeeding patterns and diet - children 6 months to 2 yearsRelated Information Vitamin E(Nutrition)Protein in diet(Nutrition)Vitamins and Phytonutrients - InDepth(In-Depth) Review Date: 7/1/2023 Reviewed By: Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, General Pediatrician at PennCare for Kids, Phoenixville, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Cow's milk - infantsIf your child is under 1 year old, you should not feed your baby cow's milk, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).Cow's milk does not provide enough:Vitamin E Vitamin EVitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin. Your body stores vitamin E in fatty tissue and the liver.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Iron IronIron is a mineral found in every cell of the body. Iron is considered an essential mineral because it is needed to make hemoglobin, a part of blood ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Essential fatty acidsYour baby's system cannot handle the high levels of these nutrients in cow's milk:Protein ProteinProteins are the building blocks of life. Every cell in the human body contains protein. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Sodium PotassiumIt is also hard for your baby to digest the protein and fat in cow's milk.To provide the best diet and nutrition for your infant, the AAP recommends:If possible, you should feed your baby breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life. Breast milkExperts say that breastfeeding your baby is good for you and your baby. If you breastfeed for any length of time, no matter how short it is, you and...Read Article Now Book Mark Article You should give your baby only breast milk or iron-fortified formula during the first 12 months of life, not cow's milk. Starting at age 6 months, you may add solid foods to your baby's diet.If breastfeeding is not possible, infant formulas provide a healthy diet for your infant.Infant formulasDuring the first 4 to 6 months of life, infants need only breast milk or formula to meet all their nutritional needs. Infant formulas include powder...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Whether you use breast milk or formula, your baby may have colic and be fussy. These are common problems in all babies. Cow's milk formulas usually do not cause these symptoms, so it may not help if you switch to a different formula. If your baby has ongoing colic, talk with your health care provider.Open ReferencesReferencesMeek JY, Noble L. Policy statement: Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics. 2022;150(1):e2022057988. PMID: 35921640 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35921640/.Parks EP, Shaikhkhalil A, Sainath NN, Mitchell JA, Brownell JN, Stallings VA. Feeding healthy infants, children, and adolescents. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 56.Stuebe AM. Population health and informed feeding decisions. In: Lawrence RA, Lawrence RM, eds. Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 6.