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Don’t Buy into the ‘Toddler Milk’ Thing, Researchers Say
Heavy marketing pushes sugary “formula” kids don’t need
Sugary milk aimed at toddlers is increasingly being marketed as a transitional drink for kids 12 to 36 months old and coming off breast milk or infant formula. Advertising dollars for the products quadrupled over a 10-year period as sales more than doubled, according to a new study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition. Thing is, “young children do not need them and the added sugars in these drinks raise concerns,” the researchers say.
Toddler milk, often called toddler formula, can be a liquid or powdered product containing corn syrup or other added sweeteners, vegetable oil and salt, and typically has less protein than cow’s milk. The World Health Organization has called them “unnecessary” and “unsuitable” for toddlers, and the American Academy of Family Physicians says they have no advantages over cow’s milk, according to a separate study published in 2018 in the journal Preventive Medicine.
The products are manufactured mostly by the same brands that sell infant formula, and the marketing push comes as infant-formula sales have fallen.
“Using a combination of advertising, retail displays, and lower prices, formula manufacturers were able to increase sales of their…
