Cow’s milk vs alternatives

Mandy Sacher

Child nutrition expert and mother of two, Mandy Sacher, is a Paediatric Nutritionist and SOS Feeding Consultant. Her private practice focuses on prenatal and childhood nutrition, helping parents and mums-to-be feed their children healthy, nourishing foods right from the start. Mandy’s philosophy is simple: train children’s taste buds to enjoy nourishing, nutritionally beneficial foods early as possible to ensure optimal development and establishment of lifelong healthy eating behaviours. After the birth of her first child in 2010, Mandy became increasingly aware of the lack of nutritionally sound information available to first-time parents. She was alarmed at the amount of baby and toddler foods marketed as ‘healthy’ when the sugar, salt and preservative contents were overly high. Mandy realised the journey to junk food can begin with the squeezie yoghurts we are fed or the teething rusks given to us. Mandy’s career in children’s health spans more than a decade – in 2006, she, along with other paediatric experts, founded the MEND Programme, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to research and prevent obesity in children. Mandy and her colleagues at MEND developed one of the world’s only proven weight-loss treatments for obese children, now based on ten years of research and clinical trials. For the past five years Mandy has consulted to daycares on implementing more nutritious whole food menu plans and also privately to parents with children of all ages. Wholesome Child’s nutritional workshops are held at preschools, mother’s groups, non-profit organisations and medical practices.

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Updated on Jun 14, 2024 · 1 min read

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With the rise in non-dairy alternatives to milk, it can be quite confusing navigating the aisles of the supermarket. Choosing the right option for your little one will depend on their individual needs.

Whilst your little one will be able to take cow’s milk in place of breast milk or formula from 12 months onwards, non-dairy alternatives such as rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk or hemp milk shouldn’t be used as a milk replacement for babies.

Non-dairy alternatives do not offer the same nutritional benefits as whole milk, as they are generally low in protein and fat. They can be used in cooking and baking, provided no nut or associated allergies exist. From the ages of 1–2, they can be used as part of a balanced diet.

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Full-fat vs low-fat milk

It is advised to offer your little one full-fat cow’s milk over low fat, as full-fat milk products contain less lactose, more vitamins and will have less of an effect on blood glucose levels than low-fat milk products.