Healthy eating guidelines for babies: when can your baby drink cow's milk?

Media Release: Healthy eating guidelines for babies: when can your baby drink cow's milk

The key messages developed by the Public Health Agency are as follows:

• The Ministry of Health’s Healthy Eating Guidelines for New Zealand Babies and Toddlers (0–2 years old) states cow’s milk should not be given to babies under one year of age. This is because cow’s milk does not provide enough energy and is not nutritionally equivalent to breast milk or infant formula.
• These guidelines were updated in November 2021, remain up-to-date and are the best source of healthy eating advice for babies and toddlers in New Zealand.
• The Ministry of Health has performed an initial review of recent changes to the World Health Organization’s advice, including the recommendation that 'animal milk', primarily meaning full-fat cow's milk, can be fed to children aged 6 to 11 months.
• There are several reasons why these findings should be treated with caution in the New Zealand context, including the quality of the evidence, impact on iron status, and their applicability in New Zealand.
• The Ministry’s advice remains that breast milk is the best milk source for infants, and infant formula is the only suitable alternative to breastmilk in the first year of life. Cow’s milk is not recommended as an alternative to breastmilk or infant formula during the first year of life as it can increase the risk of iron deficiency anemia. Cow’s milk is low in iron, high in protein and can displace iron-rich foods.
• If a health practitioner is supporting a child in their first year of life that is being fed cow’s milk, the practitioner should check the child’s iron status.
• Cow’s milk (around 350mls of plain, whole fat per day) can be offered to non-breastfed toddlers over 12 months of age. Reduced-fat milks should not be given to toddlers under two years of age because of the low energy content of these milks at a time when children have high energy requirements.