NCD Watch

Milk Watch and Raising Healthy Eaters

29 March 2016 (Tue)

Adequate nutrition during early childhood is fundamental to the physical growth, cognitive development and well-being of every child. However, suboptimal feeding practices among babies and young children are common. They may include: early cessation of breastfeeding; excessive consumption of formula milk; prolonged use of milk bottles; and introducing complementary or solid foods too early or too late, lacking dietary variety.

In Hong Kong, a survey showed that over 90% of children aged between 12 and 48 months had consumed formula milk in the 7 days prior to enumeration; and less than one-third (30.3%) of them had milk intake within the recommended range of 360 to 480 ml per day, revealing that many young children consumed too much or too little milk. Among the children who consumed milk, 95.2%, 89.4% and 55.2% of children aged 18, 24 and 48 months were still using bottle for milk drinking in the 7 days prior to enumeration respectively, revealing that prolonged milk bottle use was common among local young children.

Milk is an important source of energy and nutrition for infants and young children and a convenient source of calcium. For young children, however, it constitutes only part of a diversified and balanced diet. It is noteworthy that excessive milk intake can contribute to unhealthy weight gain in children. Besides, drinking too much milk can decrease young children’s appetite for eating various nutritious foods. Unhealthy weight gain in early childhood is not only associated with the amount of milk consumed, but also the utensils used. Milk bottle use is also a known risk factor for early childhood dental caries and ear infections.

Below are the recommendations on milk feeding for young children:

Babies under 1 year Babies should be breastfed exclusively in the first 6 months, and continue to be breastfed after they start eating complementary or solid foods. For 6- to 12-month-old babies, breastmilk or infant formula still is the main source of nutrition. A variety of nutritious foods (such as animal-source foods, fruit and vegetables) should also be introduced in age-appropriate textures, frequencies and amounts to fill the energy and nutrient gaps. There is inadequate scientific evidence to support switching to follow-up formulae after 6-month of age. Children aged 1 year or above Milk is a part of their balanced diet. Mothers can breastfeed their child up to 2 years of age and beyond. For most Chinese children aged 1 year or above in Hong Kong, a daily milk intake of 360 to 480 ml would be sufficient. For the choice of milk, children aged 1 year or above can consume full fat cow’s milk or full fat cow’s milk powder when they consume adequate amounts of a variety of nutritious foods. Children aged between 2 and 5 years can take low-fat cow’s milk and children above 5 years can take skimmed milk. For children aged 2 years or above, they can eat a balanced diet in accordance with the Healthy Eating Food Pyramid for sufficient energy and optimal nutrients.

For more information about early childhood nutrition, feeding tips and healthy eating for infants, toddlers and preschool children, please visit the website of Family Health Service at http://www.fhs.gov.hk and ‘StartSmart@school.hk’ Campaign at http://www.startsmart.gov.hk to browse or download the relevant resources.