Having a toddler is an exciting and busy time! Offer your adventurous toddler a variety of healthy food to fuel their growth, development and energy needs. Toddlers will need three meals a day with small snacks in-between. As your toddler becomes more independent, it can be common for them to go through a fussy eating stage.
The recommended drinks for your toddler are breast milk, cow’s milk and water. From 12 months of age around 350mL of whole-fat cow’s milk (with the dark blue lid) can be offered in a cup each day. While whole-fat cow’s milk can now be your toddlers main milk drink, it’s important to remember that although it’s a good source of some nutrients, cow’s milk is a poor source of iron. Toddlers need plenty of iron rich foods in their diet for healthy growth, learning and development. Some toddlers struggle to get enough iron - especially if they are picky eaters, don’t like to eat meat, or have small appetites.
New Zealand research has shown that iron stores can become low by 12 months and around one-third of toddlers are thought to have low iron levels. Vitamin D and iodine are also often below recommended levels. When included as part of a balanced diet, toddler milks are a great way to boost iron, vitamin D and iodine levels.
Toddler milk drinks are suitable from 12 months and are specifically formulated for toddlers who may require additional energy and nutrients when their normal diet may not be adequate. Nurture® Original Toddler Milk Drink is a nutritional supplement based on cow’s milk and enriched with additional important vitamin and minerals.
As part of a healthy varied diet, one 230mL serve of Nurture® Toddler Milk Drink provides 25-50% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (for children 1-3 years) of 16 vitamins and minerals including:
- Iron, Zinc and Iodine for growth and development in children
- Calcium and Vitamin D for healthy bones and teeth
- Zinc for the body’s immune system
Toddler milk drink can complement the nutritional needs and diets of fussy and active toddlers. However some toddlers can fill up on too much milk, leaving no room for other nutritious meals and snacks. Therefore, provide toddler milk drinks in place of cow’s milk, offer after meals and limit to 1-2 serves per day to ensure a toddler’s appetite isn’t dulled for other important food.
It is recommended that toddlers are given milk in a cup rather than a bottle. For tips on introducing a cup, see our article here.
You can find more information about Heinz Nurture® Toddler Milk Drink here.
References:
Ewa A Szymlek-Gay et al. Food-based strategies improve iron status in toddlers: a randomised controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27588.2.
Lisa A. Houghton et al. Vitamin D-Fortified Milk Achieves the Targeted Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration without Affecting That of Parathyroid Hormone in New Zealand Toddlers. J. Nutr. 141:1840–1846, 2011.3.
The materials published on this website are of a general nature and have been provided for informational purposes only. Always consult your medical practitioner or a qualified health provider for any further advice in relation to the topics discussed.
