The next best option after breast milk for the weaning child

The guidelines from the Health Ministry and WHO recommends breastfeeding exclusively at least for the first twelve months. This is owing to the fact that the nutrients in breast milk are absolutely crucial for the baby’s growth and development during this period. Now after 12 months when the weaning period arrives, parents have to decide on the next best thing to provide to their toddlers after breast milk. This can be a confusing time as it necessitates that your toddler gets the necessary nutrition required for their growth from the food that they take. Paediatricians do not recommend anything that is low fat for children under 5 years of age. Therefore, the best thing for a toddler is to be weaned on to whole cow’s milk with full cream as it supplies the necessary fats required at their age. You can continue breastfeeding a toddler after 12 months of age and slowly introduce organic milk into their diet. This can be done by starting with a few teaspoons of cow milk added to their soups, custard, halwa and kheer. Why choose cow milk? The reason why cow milk plays a crucial role in your baby’s diet is that it is a rich source of essential nutrients like calcium, protein, magnesium and vitamins like B2 and B12. Some mothers prefer to dilute the milk initially by adding water to it but it is neither necessary nor recommended as it reduces the nutrient content. Just like dark leafy vegetables, cow milk is an excellent source of vitamin A, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. In order to build their teeth and regulate muscle control and blood coagulation, it is absolutely imperative that the toddlers have all the protein and carbohydrates they need. Milk in itself is considered a complete meal and there cannot be a better substitute to breast milk than organic cow milk to provide all this. Which type of cow milk is the best? The best type of cow milk you can give to your toddler is the whole farm fresh organic cow milk derived from free-range animals that are raised on farms and grazed on grass. It is best that you totally avoid the low-fat varieties. This is because the whole milk is best suited to provide for the toddler’s requirements of high fat and caloric content. If your child is under the age of two then half of the total caloric intake per day should be made up of fats. If you are looking for organic milk Delhi has many stores that provide the best quality of free-range cow milk. How to introduce the switch? Some infants may readily take to the new variety introduced into their diet and some may find it particularly unappealing. Either way, make sure you utilize the little tricks in your hand to ensure that your baby gets attracted to this new addition. One way of doing it is by cuddling the child to make her feel comfortable as they drink from a bottle. Another trick is to give them the milk in a special bottle or cup to make it look like a big deal without drawing any attention to the content of the bottle.