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Top Tips: Your Guide to Weaning with Milk – Expert Advice from Lucy Upton

Weaning can be an exciting yet overwhelming journey for parents and caregivers. How do you make sure your baby gets all the nutrients they need while exploring new tastes and textures? We’ve teamed up with leading pediatric dietitian Lucy Upton to share her top tops for weaning with milk. From maintaining key nutrients to introducing your little one to solid foods, Lucy’s advice will help you navigate this milestone with confidence.

1. Food first – cow’s milk can be introduced into your baby’s diet from 6 months of age, used for cooking and within meals.

2. Delay as a drink – cow’s milk should not be offered as a drink until your baby’s first birthday onwards.

3. Fat focus – choose whole (full fat) milk for your baby’s diet, as they have high needs for energy and fat to support growth and brain development. It also means your baby gets a little more fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin A found in cow’s milk.

4. Watch for signs of allergy – cow’s milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in children. Formula-fed babies will have already been exposed to cow’s milk protein (in their formula); however, for exclusively breastfed babies, weaning is often their first direct exposure to cow’s milk protein. Start by offering cow’s milk(or dairy) in small amounts and build up, monitoring for signs of allergy such as rashes, hives, vomiting or diarrhoea.

5. Easy addition – a splash of cow’s milk is an easy addition to a variety of your baby’s foods, such as vegetable purees or mixed meals. It’s a great way to adjust texture and even temperature if the food is too hot and you have a hungry baby!

6. Pair with Vitamin D - If your baby has a regular Vitamin D supplement (recommended for all breastfed babies and formula-fed babies consuming less than 500 ml of formula milk daily), offer it alongside a meal that includes milk. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and is best absorbed with meals or foods containing fat, such as milk. The calcium in milk and Vitamin D also work together in the body.

7. Spoon-led weaning options – can include a variety of milk-containing foods such as porridge or wheat biscuit cereal made with cow’s milk, white or cheese sauce made with milk and added to pasta, fish or vegetables, and mashed potatoes mixed with cheese and milk.

8. Finger food weaning options can include a variety of milk-containing foods such as baked porridge fingers, mini pancakes, muffins, or waffles made with cow’s milk.

9. Twelve-month transition – from your baby’s first birthday, cow’s milk can start to be offered as a drink. You can introduce this directly in a cup or gradually mix it with (titrated) your baby’s usual milk.

10. Tummy troubles – cow’s milk often gets the finger point when it comes to tummy troubles but is not always the culprit. During weaning, tummy troubles, like constipation, are common as the gut adapts to digest a wide range of foods. If you are worried cow’s milk is an issue, chat with a doctor before excluding anything.

For more tips, have a read of Lucy’s exclusive step-by-step weaning guide filled with insights to help you along the way.