milk before or after solids?

[bingo]

Hi there,
My DD is almost 12 months old and is currently drinking about 3 x 180 ml's of soy formula a day. I have been offering her her milk bottles in between meals, probably about 1 - 2 hours after eating. Should I be looking to reduce her milk intake by offfering directly after meals????
Thanks

[the pero clinic]

Dear Bingo,

Your daughter does not seem to be drinking too much formula for her age, but you may consider reducing this as she gets older. From 6 -12 months, bubs should be having about 100mL of formula / kg of weight / day. From 12 months, toddlers should have 4-6 serves of dairy foods / day. One serve equates to ½ cup (or 125mL) of milk (or whatever alternative you have been recommended), 20 g of cheese, ½ tub of yoghurt.

So, at 12months, your daughter could have, for example, 3 drinks of milk (375mL for the day), some yoghurt or custard at lunch, and some cheese for afternoon tea.

Toddlers should be eating food every 2 -3 hours, so it may be worthwhile starting to introduce a routine of distinct breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner meals – where food is the primary form of nutrition. To achieve this, yes, it would be a good idea to give your daughter her milk at the end of a meal instead of using it as a ‘snack’ in between.
It may take a while to introduce and figure out a routine that works for your daughter – and to find the times that she actually tends to be hungry during the day.

the pero clinic