👶 Child
Also known as: baby, infant
The main consumer of milk: breast milk, formula, milk porridge.
Children are the main consumers of milk. For a newborn, milk is all of its food at once. It contains water, fats, proteins, milk sugar and protective substances. First the baby gets colostrum — the thick first milk, rich in antibodies. Then comes mature breast milk.
WHO and UNICEF advise feeding a baby only breast milk for the first 6 months. From six months, complementary foods are added — other food, such as porridge and purée. Breastfeeding can go on until age two and beyond. If there is no breast milk, donor milk or infant formula is used. Formula is a factory-made product that is similar to breast milk in its make-up.
Young children digest milk well: they have plenty of lactase — the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. With age, many people make less lactase. That is why some adults drink milk without any trouble, while others feel unwell after it. Language has a lot to say about children and milk too: “milk teeth”, or the saying that someone still has “milk on their lips”, meaning they are too young. And milk porridge for breakfast is a familiar children's food in many families.
How it connects to milk
Links
- Fed by
- 🤱 Mother
- What is used
- 🥛 Milk
- Jobs
- 🤱 Wet nurse
- What affects it
- ❤️ Breastfeeding, 🍼 Infant formula
- Images and sayings
- 🦷 Milk teeth, 📜 «wet behind the ears»
- Associated with
- 🥛 Milk
- Wine and milk
- 🍷 Legal drinking age
Frequently asked questions
At what age can a baby start solid food?
WHO advises starting complementary foods at 6 months while continuing to breastfeed.
What can I feed my baby if there is no breast milk?
Donor breast milk or infant formula. It is best to choose the formula together with a paediatrician.
Why do children digest milk well?
Babies have a lot of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar. Many people make less of it as they get older.