There are many occasions in which we have spoken in Babies and more about cow's milk and the best time to start offering it to our children, so I'm pretty sure most would answer the question we are asking today.
However, if you have access to some publications or guides on complementary feeding, and especially if they come from other countries, it could happen that the recommendations will vary a bit, because I have been able to see that in some Nordic countries, where people drink a lot of milk, Children older than six months are allowed to start trying a little cow's milk.
The reality is that the six months is too early and for various reasons that we will now explain it is best not to give cow's milk until the child has blown the first candle.
Cow's milk can cause iron deficiency anemia
Cow's milk has a fairly low iron content, so, if children drink cow's milk as usual drink (until the year babies usually drink a lot of milk) could suffer from iron deficiency anemia.
In addition, cow's milk can cause, in children under 12 months, intestinal bleeding, which help make such anemia even more important. In some Nordic countries, where at nine months there are babies who already drink milk, they have not been able to show such micrograins (before nine months yes), but anyway, just in case, the bleeding risk barrier is set in the 12 months.
Cow's milk contains many proteins
Another reason to try to delay the consumption of cow's milk is related to the amount of protein it contains, which triples the concentration of breast milk. This is logical, because cow's milk is the milk of an animal much larger than humans, with young that weigh much more than ours.
This makes cow's milk suppose, for a baby, an impressive overload for their kidneys, which have to work piecewise to filter an amount of protein for which they are not yet prepared. That is precisely why cow's milk is modified by getting starter milk and continuation milk, so that it contains a much smaller amount of protein (among other modifications, such as adding iron, for example).
Cow's milk is the food that produces the most allergies to children
Or put another way, cow's milk is the first cause of allergy in children. Luckily, only 15% of children who suffer from it remain allergic at 6 years, but before 12 months it is too risky to try cow's milk if a child has not tried any dairy that comes from the milk of the cow (that's why breastfed children are told that until the year they do not eat yogurts or try, if possible, baby formulas).
From the age of twelve, on the other hand, the baby's digestive system has matured enough to not let any molecule that wants to enter your body to produce allergies pass through the intestine.
Ergo, it is recommended ...
So, What is recommended is that cow's milk is not offered to children until they are 12 months old. Milk it has to be whole because children need fat to grow and because that way the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. are better absorbed.
After two years they could start taking semi-skimmed, although the whole is still a good option.
If the purchasing power of the parents allows it and the child takes a bottle, it may be advisable lengthen the continuation or starting milk a little in time, the one the child is taking, until 15 or 18 months, and from that moment begin to replace the formula with cow's milk. This recommendation responds to the fact that children usually take more protein than they need, and in this way we offer a lower concentration (continuation milks have a third less protein than cow's milk) while giving the kidneys time. children who have just matured so that they can function at full capacity.
If you breastfeed, let each mother decide when to give cow's milk, while this happens after the year. If you breastfeed more or less frequently, it is not necessary to take it. As children also tend to breastfeed and also eat yogurts, calcium contributions are assured, so I would only give cow's milk if the child likes or feels like it (to eat milk with breakfast cereals, for example, or dipping cookies… ).
