According to experts, one in three toddlers drinks processed milk with too much sugar, putting them at risk of obesity and tooth decay.
Research has shown that toddler milk for children aged one to two years can contain more calories from sugar than an adult chocolate milkshake.
However, many parents don’t realize that the drinks are so sweet and that there are no regulations regarding the ingredients.
Vicky Sibson, chief executive of the charity First Steps Nutrition, which carried out the research, said: ‘Parents are trying to make healthy choices for their children and are being led to believe that these drinks are a good choice. Shockingly, they are not.’
The NHS says that bottle feeding for children over 12 months – including toddler and growth formulas – is unnecessary. They say they only need cow’s milk or water, although they can still be breastfed.
But government figures show that processed toddler milks are consumed by more than a third of babies aged 12 to 18 months in the UK. The milks typically contain around a third more calories from sugar than recommended. Vegan versions are the worst offenders, containing up to three times the recommended amount, according to the report published this week.
‘Adult’ or ‘toddler’ milk for children aged one to two years may contain more calories from sugar than an adult chocolate milk shake, researchers have found
But many parents don’t realize that the drinks are so sweet or that there are no regulations about the ingredients
If children drink toddler or growth milk every day, they consume an average of more than 480 grams of extra sugar per month.
While the ingredients of baby food are strictly regulated, there are no rules for toddler milk or how it is marketed. Tests showed that drinks like SMA Pro Growing Up Milk and Aptamil 3 Toddler Milk contained a similar amount of calories from sugar as the adult drink Yazoo Chocolate Flavored Milk.
Researchers also found that 14 of 16 processed toddler milks in the UK exceeded official recommendations that added sugars should not make up more than 5 percent of the total energy intake of children aged 12 to 18 months. Products included Cow & Gate 3 Toddler Milk and Kendamil Toddler Milk Stage 3.
Dr Sibson said: ‘Parents assume that all formula is safe. But when you move to formula that is labelled as for toddlers, growing children or as Stage 3 and Stage 4, these products are unregulated.’
The report found that toddler and baby milk costs families an average of £14.12 more per month than cow’s milk.
The UK Specialist Nutrition Association, which represents the infant formula industry, says toddler and growing-up milks contain ‘important nutrients for healthy development’.
It added: ‘Families should be able to choose from a range of options to supplement their child’s balanced, varied diet.
‘Our members are committed to making nutritious products and marketing them in a responsible manner.’
Nestle said its SMA toddler milks were “nutritionally tailored for young children aged one to three years to support growth and development”. Danone, maker of Aptamil, Cow & Gate and Alpro, said its plant-based drinks were “classified as low in sugar” and that its toddler milks contained naturally occurring sugars. Kendamil declined to comment.
