NPR

Toddler Milks: Filling A Nutritional Need Or A Marketing Niche?

When parents transition a baby from breast milk or formula to cow's milk, it can seem like a big jump. We talk with a researcher who looked at just what's in the array of toddler drinks on the market.
Toddler milks are more expensive and generally less nutritious than milk, says a researcher.

A grocery store's baby formula aisle often stocks an overwhelming number of options. Aside from different brands of pastel-hued tins and tubs, there are specialized formulas — some for spit-up reduction, gas or colic. And in the past decade or so, companies have introduced formulas meant for toddlers who are leaving bottles behind.

"You're faced with a confusing array of labels that are similar looking, and it's not very clear when you're supposed to use one, or switch from one to the other,, a public health researcher at New York University who recently analyzed the toddler drinks in grocery store aisles. Her results appeared in the journal last month.

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