Why Do Pediatricians Advise That Cow's Milk Is Inappropriate for Infants

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The Answer is For as long as breast milk or formula is the baby's major food (until the first birthday), unmodified cow's milk is an inappropriate replacement because milk provides little iron and vitamin C. An infant under the age of one year has a digestive tract that is sensitive to the protein content of cow's milk, which may cause bleeding and result in iron deficiency. Thus, plain cow's milk both causes iron loss and fails to replace iron. Once the baby is obtaining at least two-thirds of total daily food energy from a balanced mixture of cereals, vegetables, fruit, and other foods (usually after 12 months of age), whole cow's milk, fortified with vitamins A and D, is an acceptable accompanying beverage.

Why Do Pediatricians Advise That Cow's Milk Is Inappropriate for Infants

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