How to choose milk that is good for the intelligence of children aged 1

Entering the age of one year and over, children need additional nutritional intake to support their growth and development. One of them can be obtained from milk, a mainstay drink to strengthen children's bones and teeth. However, you shouldn't just give your little one milk, you know. So, how do you choose the right and good milk for the health of children aged 1 to 3 years? Here's the explanation.

How to choose milk that is good for the health of children aged 1-3 years

Breastmilk, aka ASI, is a mainstay of nutrition for children before the age of one. However, once your little one steps on his first birthday, breast milk alone is not enough to meet the nutritional needs of the child.

As a solution, you can give him milk to meet the child's vitamin and mineral needs. But remember, don't just choose milk. Not all milk is suitable for consumption by children, you know.

So that you don't get confused, here's how to choose the right and good milk for your child's health at the age of 1 to 3 years.

1. Adjust to age

The way to choose milk that you should do the first time is to adjust the type of milk to the age of your child. The reason is, each type of milk is formulated according to the needs of children based on their respective ages.

The method is very easy. You only need to look at the label on the box or can of milk, then pay attention to the age recommendation listed. If your little one is one year old, this means that you must choose special milk for his age. Usually, the box or can of milk says "for ages 1-3 years".

2. Choose milk that tastes good for the child

Choosing the taste of children's milk is one way of choosing milk that is often ignored by parents. Not a few parents choose milk, the important thing is that milk is good for the health of their little one.

When your little one drinks milk with a taste that he doesn't like, he will naturally refuse or even strike out drinking milk. As a result, children do not get enough nutrition during their growing years.

So, choose the type of milk that tastes delicious and that your child likes. If your little one likes vanilla flavor, add milk with a vanilla flavor. Likewise, if the child likes chocolate milk, give chocolate milk so that the child wants to drink milk.

3. Pay attention to the nutritional content

One year old children can no longer rely on fat intake from breast milk to support their growth and development. This means that children begin to need additional fat intake from outside, one of which is milk - both cow's milk and low fat.

Milk fat is useful for improving children's brain development. But remember, this fat should not be too much so as not to trigger obesity in children. Children at this age should only drink a maximum of 2 glasses of milk a day, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Make sure the milk you choose is rich in vitamins and minerals needed by children, including vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, and so on. All of these nutrients are important for maintaining eye health, forming healthy bones and teeth, and increasing the child's immune system.

In addition, milk for children aged 1-3 years needs to contain refined protein so that it is easily digested in the little one's stomach and will not cause digestive problems. But most importantly, milk for children must also contain omega 3 and 6 which are important for intelligence.

Omega 3 and 6 are the most important types of fatty acids that can improve cognitive function and intelligence in children. Omega 3 and 6 from food or milk will be converted into DHA with the help of delta-4-desaturase enzymes.

The more omega 3 and 6 the child gets, the more DHA is formed in the child's body. As a result, this can help strengthen children's brain function and increase their intelligence.