how much milk for kids
After crunching the numbers, the researchers settled on the threshold amount for where milk’s vitamin D benefit was offset by the drop in iron — two cups. Kids who drank two cups of milk daily had healthy levels of Vitamin D and iron, according to the results of the study, published in the journal Pediatrics. “Beyond that, any more milk isn’t giving much more benefit in terms of vitamin D but children are still paying a price because their iron stores are going down,” says Maguire. There are some caveats, particularly for children with darker skin, who don’t make as much vitamin D from the sun.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies over 12 months old with a healthy diet can receive up to 32 oz. per day of whole cow's milk. The AAP recommends full fat milk instead of low-fat (1%) or nonfat/skim milk until the age of 2.