👶 Child

A child is the first and most important consumer of milk: for a baby, breast milk is both food and drink. WHO and UNICEF advise putting the baby to the breast within the first hour after birth, feeding only breast milk for the first 6 months, and then continuing breastfeeding up to two years and beyond alongside complementary foods.

According to WHO, only about 47% of infants under 6 months worldwide receive breast milk alone; the target is at least 60% by 2030. If a baby is not breastfed, the NHS calls infant formula the only suitable alternative for the first 12 months. Formula marketing is restricted by the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981.

From 6 months complementary foods enter the diet. The NHS allows cow's milk from this age in cooking, in porridge or sauces, but not as the main drink before the first birthday: it lacks the balance of nutrients a baby needs. From one year, pasteurised whole or semi-skimmed milk can become the main drink, while skimmed and 1% milk should wait until at least 5 years. After one year, formula is no longer needed. Lactose intolerance does occur in children, but the NHS advises against cutting dairy from the diet without a doctor's advice.

Why it matters to you. Before the age of one, do not give a child cow's, goat's or plant-based milk as a drink, nor condensed or powdered milk: the NHS lists them among things unsuitable for babies. Raw, unpasteurised milk should not be given to young children at all, rice drinks not before 5 years, and WHO advises against flavoured and sweetened milk for children aged 6–23 months.