Water is vital for the body to function and stay healthy. Offer children water at all mealtimes and throughout the day. In Australia, most people have access to good quality drinking water. Tap water also contains fluoride to protect and strengthen children’s teeth. Services should use the most appropriate and safe water source.
On hot days, offer more frequent drink breaks and remind children to drink water.
Milk is a healthy drink for children. Milk has calcium, protein and energy. Cow’s milk provides nutrients such as zinc, vitamins B2, B12, A and sometimes vitamin D.
Services should use full-fat milk until children are 2 years old. After 2 years, children can drink:
If offering milk at mealtimes, offer food before you offer milk. Children might eat less food if they feel full from drinking milk.
Services should not give these drinks to children under 5 years:
Plant-based milks, such as soy, pea, rice, oat and nut, may not provide children with the same nutrients found in cow’s milk.
Choose plant-based milks with added calcium. Look for words like ‘calcium-fortified’ or ‘calcium-enriched ’. Check that the calcium content is at least 100mg per 100mL.
Soy and pea milk with added calcium are the best drink replacements for cow’s milk, because they contain more protein than other plant-based milks. For children that can’t have cow, soy or pea milk, look for a plant-based milk with added protein and calcium.
For recipes that include milk, services can use soy or other plant-based milks such as rice and nut milks as a dairy substitute. This can help achieve the desired taste and consistency. Services should avoid making their own plant-based milks.
Services or families may need advice from a health professional, such as an Accredited Practising Dietitian, for children who have plant-based milks to ensure a healthy diet for growth and development.
If a child aged 2 years and older will not drink plain milk, then services can add small amounts of flavouring to a child’s milk drink. For example, puréed fresh fruit, or small amounts of flavoured powder or syrup. However, this should only be offered to a child if needed and occasionally.
Flavoured milk should not be promoted or offered on the main service menu.
Fruit juice should not be included on the menu. Fruit juice lacks the fibre found in whole fruit. Drinking juice can be filling and make children less hungry and interested in eating their meals. It can also increase tooth decay.