Diet and Nutrition

Question:

Can you tell me how much milk(in ml) a child should drink a day. I have a toddler son. I give him 2% milk everyday. Should I replace it with whole milk? Is goat`s milk a good replacepent for cows milk? Thanks!

Answer:

The amount of milk the average child (aged 2-8 years old) needs every day is 2 cups (480 mL).  This recommendation comes from MyPyramid, a site that provides dietary guidance based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (http://www.mypyramid.gov/).  You can use this website to create personalized plans for anyone in your family.  The 2 cups guideline refers to milk, yogurt, or cheese.  In other words, your child can get his nutrient requirements from a combination of milk, yogurt, and cheese.  A cup of milk (8 oz or 240 mL) is the equivalent of 1 cup (8 oz.) of yogurt or 1.5 oz. of natural cheese (like most block or shredded cheese) or 2 oz. of processed cheese (like cheese slices, cheese sticks, or velveeta).  So, as one example, he could drink 1.5 cups (12 oz or 360 mL) of milk and eat a half cup of yogurt (4 oz.) to meet his daily requirement. 

The latest guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics now say that after age 2, parents should give toddlers whatever milk the rest of the family drinks, even skim (fat-free) milk.  Toddlers will get the fats they need for development through the rest of their diet.  Low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products will provide all the necessary nutrition while limiting the amount of saturated fat, which has been associated with increased risk of heart disease.  Introducing children to low-fat options early in life may help them adopt these behaviors as they age.  There is no need to replace the 2% milk with whole milk unless your physician or medical professional suggests it. 

Cow's milk and goat's milk are comparable.  They provide very similar amounts of calories and calcium (cow 352 mg, goat 327 mg).  Goat's milk has more fat and calories per cup than cow's milk, even whole cow's milk.  Whole goat's milk (the type found naturally or most often in stores) is high in fat (10 grams/cup) with 6.5 grams of saturated fat in every cup.  To compare, whole cow's milk has 8 grams of fat with 4.5grams of saturate fat per cup.  To help maintain a diet low in saturated and total fat, look for low-fat or reduced-fat goat's milk.  You may find that low-fat or reduced-fat cow's milk is more accessible in the grocery store compared to the low-fat or reduced-fat goat's milk option.

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Response by:

Julie Kennel, PhD, RD, LD, CSSD Program Director OSU Extension Department of Human Nutrition College of Education and Human Ecology The Ohio State University