Specific dairy products for every age

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends feeding babies only milk (breast milk or infant formula) during the first six months of life.

Then, from the average age of six months (and never before four months) you can start introducing new foods, while still keeping two cups of milk per day as their staple food.

From 0 to 6 months

If you don't want to or are unable to breastfeed, you must give your baby special baby milk from birth or when following on from breastfeeding:

• From 0 to 4–6 months: first-stage infant formula (or "baby formula");
• From 4–6 months to 1 year: second-stage infant formula (or "follow-on milk").

From 6-7 months onward: introduce plain yogurts or fromage blanc

When you start introducing new foods, and if baby enjoys it, you can give them a yogurt or a pot of fromage blanc instead of a bottle from time to time. Up to the age of 18 months, choose specific dairy products "designed for young children." Enriched with iron, vitamins, and essential fatty acids, their nutritional quality is more suited to your child's needs than that of normal dairy products, but you can still give them these from time to time.

From 8-12 months onward: gradually move on to cheese

Start slowly, giving your happy little foodies cheeses with textures similar to those they are already used to, making sure to limit their salt intake. In these early stages, choose yogurts and fresh cheeses that are not too salty. Aged cheese will naturally find a place on your child's plate when they are ready to eat solid pieces.

IMPORTANT : Parents should note that popular plant-based drinks (soy milk, almond milk, etc.) and animal-based drinks (goat milk, cow milk, sheep milk, etc.) are not suitable for babies under a year old. These should not be used as a substitute for breast milk and/or first- or second-stage infant formula under any circumstances, due to a risk of deficiencies and serious accidents. After a year, opting for growing-up milk over cow milk is recommended, as cow milk does not meet a child's nutritional needs until they reach the age of three.

Introducing new foods: a key period for learning about new tastes

Between six months and one year, when you start varying baby's diet, is the age at which they are most likely to accept new foods¹.  And cherry on the yogurt, the foods that they are exposed to at a young age will determine their food preferences in the future². Occasionally giving children cow milk or goat milk dairy products alongside breast milk or second-stage formula can also help to get them used to new tastes. 

A few examples of recipes to get children used to new tastes when they reach 12 months

• Soft spinach puree with goat cheese
• Smooth carrot/butternut squash puree with goat cheese
• Creamy beetroot and goat cheese 

Cheese to reduce the risk of allergies

Researchers were interested in the impact of cheese consumption on the risk of allergies in children. To assess this theory, scientists looked at the European PASTURE cohort study*, based on a group of 931 children from rural areas across five European countries (Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Switzerland), all followed from birth up to age 6³.

Consuming cheese from a young age could reduce the risk of food allergies

The results obtained revealed that consuming cheese from a young age could reduce the risk of food allergies in the first six years of childhood. To be more precise, the study revealed that in this cohort, any cheese consumption between 12 and 18 months of age was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of eczema and food allergies at age 6. A reduced risk of allergic rhinitis, asthma, and sensitivity to both food and airborne allergens was also seen.

How do you explain the protective effect of cheese consumption from an early age against the later developmetn of allergic diseases?

In answer to this question, the authors of the study cite exposure to the microbial diversity of cheeses (as fermented products), as well as the anti-inflammatory effect of certain probiotic bacteria strains, and the short-chain fatty acids found in cheeses.

* In the medical field, a cohort is a group of individuals that are observed as a whole and are part of a statistical study.

Let's recap

Breast milk or formula must form the basis of a child's diet even when introducing new foods, which normally starts between the age of four and six months.

From the age of six months, you can start to vary baby's diet: Instead of breastfeeding or bottle feeding, you can start giving your child yogurts and fromage blanc, ideally choosing products "designed for young children" up to the age of 18 months. "Normal" yogurts and pots of fromage blanc can be given occasionally.

Between eight months and one year: You can gradually start introducing a small amount of cheese, starting with grated cheese in purees, for example, or soft cheeses followed by little pieces of a cooked cheese.