When to Offer Your Baby Yogurt and Cheese

Some interesting thoughts about a concern of many mothers:

My pediatrician said not to feed my baby dairy prior to the age of 1 year old!" ... The medical community worries that if whole cow milk is introduced to an infant prior to 1 year old, that parents would stop formula and/or breastfeeding and use milk as the replacement. This would be dangerous to your baby's health!

That's from Margaret Meade's article Yogurt, Cheese and Your Baby - When to Offer Your Baby Yogurt and Cheese at the American Chronicle.com site. Meade is the Editor/Owner of WholesomeBabyFood.com and WholesomeToddlerFood.com.

Meade gives the common-sensical response, that this is not really a danger when yogurt and cheese are the subject rather than liquid milks.

Cheese is typically recommended at an age when your baby is able to mash foods with his or her gums or between 7-8 months old. Melted cheese makes a wonderful edition to a finger food meal of veggies and meats! As regards the introduction of yogurt, most pediatricians recommend starting your infant on yogurt around 7-8 months of age. Some pediatricians also recommend yogurt as a great first food (from 6 months+). Selecting a whole milk yogurt is the most beneficial to your infant as babies need fats in their diets for proper growth!

...

[U]sing a large container of Plain Whole Milk yogurt will save you money (and save on added sugar) and give you the flexibility of adding your own flavorings to baby's yogurt.

And she adds the proper word of warning at the end:

The above information applies to those who do not have a known milk allergy or a lactose intolerance, or a familial history of same. As always, you should thoroughly discuss the introduction of foods with your baby's personal pediatrician!