What is the best dairy alternative drink for my toddler?

Dairy Free Diet, Milk Alternatives, Plant Based Diet

There has been an explosion of plant-based drinks available in the UK in the last few years and there is now a huge variety of these plant-based drinks available in supermarkets and health food shops around the country. However, there are a few things that I feel are important to consider before choosing one of these drinks for young children.

Firstly, please remember that breastmilk is still the ideal milk for all toddlers. The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding to 2 years of age and beyond. So if you are able to and your toddler is still happy to continue breastfeeding, go for it! If your toddler is feeding at least 3-4 times per day you don’t necessarily have to introduce cows milk or any dairy alternative as a drink. You can offer 1-2 calcium rich foods, alongside breastfeeding, such as fortified dairy alternative yoghurt or fortified cereals, as additional calcium sources. There are also many foods that naturally contain calcium, such as oranges, broccoli, kale, almonds and sesame seeds.

Dairy alternative drinks

The NHS advice is that “you can give your child unsweetened, calcium fortified milk alternatives from the age of one as part of a healthy balanced diet”.

Cow’s milk (and breast milk) is an important source of energy, protein, vitamins B2 and B12, calcium and iodine for young children. Therefore, it is important to choose a dairy alternative that contains these micronutrients. Cow’s milk does not naturally contain vitamin D, but this is a useful addition to dairy alternatives, as it helps with calcium absorption.

How to choose a dairy alternative drink of your toddler…

COST

The cost of dairy alternative drinks vary widely and it is important to find one that not only has a good nutritional profile but also one that fits within your budget. Prices vary from 55p to £2.10 per litre! So shop around to find one that works for your family.

ENERGY

Choose a dairy alternative ideally with at least 40 calories per 100ml if possible. Full fat cows milk and breast milk contains around 60-65 calories per 100ml. Barista versions tend to have more fat (this is a good thing for toddlers as they need more fats in their diet than adults, relative to their size). You can also offer other sources of fats in their diet such as nut butters, seeds, vegetable oils and avocado.

PROTEIN

Choose a dairy alternative with around 2-3g protein per 100ml. Cows milk contains 3-3.5g protein per 100ml and breast milk has around 1-1.5g protein per 100ml.

Young children need between 15-21g protein in total per day, depending on their age, so they don’t have large protein requirements.

FORTIFIED

Look for dairy alternative drinks that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D as a minimum as well as iodine, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 if possible.

Iodine: 20-30mcg per 100ml

Calcium: 120mg per 100ml

Vitamins: D, B2 and B12

UNSWEETENED

Try to choose a dairy alternative with no added sugar or low sugar (<2g/100ml if possible)

REMEMBER:

Organic versions are not fortified and therefore I would not recommend these for young children
Nut and coconut drinks are VERY low in protein and calories and I don’t generally recommend them for toddlers (except Koko ‘super’ and growing up drinks as they have added protein)
Offer other sources of fats/calories in the diet as these dairy alternative drinks are lower in fat than breast milk or full fat cow’s milk
All children under the age of 5 years should NOT be given rice milk due to the arsenic content

How much calcium do children need each day?