The NHS recommends giving your 1 year old at least 350ml (12oz) of milk a day. This can come from drinking milk directly or from two servings of dairy foods like cheese, yoghurt, or fromage frais. That 350ml is a minimum rather than a target to exceed, and there’s a good reason to stay within a sensible range.
How Much Is Too Much
While 350ml is the daily minimum, drinking too much milk can cause problems. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends capping cow’s milk at around 720ml (24oz, or about 3 cups) per day for toddlers. Children who regularly exceed that amount are at higher risk of iron deficiency because cow’s milk is low in iron and can interfere with how well the body absorbs iron from other foods. Toddlers who fill up on milk also tend to eat less solid food, which limits their intake of iron-rich foods like meat, beans, and green vegetables.
Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in this age group. A good rule of thumb: milk should complement meals, not replace them. If your child is drinking plenty of milk but refusing food at mealtimes, cutting back on milk (while staying above 350ml) often helps.
Which Type of Milk to Give
From age 1, your child can drink full-fat (whole) cow’s milk as their main milk drink. Whole milk provides the fat and calories toddlers need for growth and brain development. Semi-skimmed milk can be introduced from age 2, provided your child is eating well and growing normally. Skimmed milk is not suitable for children under 5.
If you’re breastfeeding, the NHS says you can continue for as long as you and your child want to. As your child eats more solid food, they’ll naturally want less breast milk. There’s no set schedule for cutting down.
Growing-Up and Toddler Milks
You don’t need to buy special “growing-up” or “toddler” milks. The NHS is clear on this: children aged 1 to 5 do not need any type of formula milk, including infant formula, follow-on formula, or branded toddler milks. These products are marketed as alternatives to cow’s milk, but ordinary whole cow’s milk alongside a varied diet covers the same ground at a fraction of the cost.
Plant-Based Milks
If your child can’t have cow’s milk, unsweetened calcium-fortified plant milks (such as soya milk) can be used from age 1 as part of a balanced diet. Rice milk should not be given to children under 5 because it can contain low levels of arsenic. Always check labels to make sure any plant-based milk is fortified with calcium, and be aware that plant milks are generally lower in fat and calories than whole cow’s milk, so your child may need extra sources of energy from food.
Switching From Bottles to Cups
Once your baby turns 1, the NHS recommends moving away from bottles. Prolonged bottle use can encourage sucking rather than sipping, which affects dental development and can lead to tooth decay, especially if a child falls asleep with a bottle of milk.
The best replacement is an open cup or a free-flow cup without a non-spill valve. Free-flow cups help your child learn to sip properly and are better for their teeth than bottles or cups with teats. It takes a bit of practice (and some spills), but most toddlers get the hang of it within a few weeks.
Vitamin D Supplements
All children from birth to 5 years old should take a daily vitamin D supplement. This applies even if your child is drinking cow’s milk, because cow’s milk isn’t fortified with vitamin D in the UK. Vitamin drops are available for children up to age 4, and you can get them free through the Healthy Start scheme if you qualify. If your child was previously on formula and drinking at least 500ml a day, they wouldn’t have needed a separate supplement because formula is fortified. Once they switch to cow’s milk at age 1, the supplement becomes important.
Fitting Milk Into the Day
Most parents find it easiest to offer milk at breakfast and before bed, with water as the main drink during the rest of the day. A 200ml cup in the morning and another at bedtime gets you close to 400ml without much effort. Cheese on toast, yoghurt as a snack, or a milk-based sauce with pasta all count toward the daily dairy intake too, so you don’t need to stress about hitting exactly 350ml of liquid milk if your child is eating plenty of dairy foods.
If your toddler refuses milk entirely, focus on other calcium-rich foods. Two servings of dairy (a small pot of yoghurt and a portion of cheese, for instance) can meet the same nutritional need. Milk is a convenient source of calcium, protein, and fat, but it’s not the only one.