Marie, I would like to give yogurt and cheese to my 8-month-old baby, as he eats a lot and is drinking less milk. I don’t want him to lack calcium. Is it okay if I do that to compensate for his milk? Alexandra

Alexandra, first, it’s important that you know that a baby will gradually reduce the quantity of milk they drink around 9 months because they are eating well. However, they have to eat from all food groups and continue to drink milk. Between 8-12 months your baby should still drink around 23-24oz of milk in addition to their meals. You can give them dairy products like yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese when they have two protein sources with iron in their diet. So if your baby already eats iron-enriched cereals and meats, you can safely start dairy products. Don’t forget to use plain yogurt with a fruit of your choice, because there is often added sugar in premixed yogurt. For cheese, you can also start at 9 months. Give him cottage cheese, ricotta or kefir, then later firmer cheeses such as cubed or shredded mild cheddar or mozzarella. Your baby is going to love it, but he still doesn’t know it! 😊

Talk soon,

Marie

The Baby Expert