You’re looking for the best oat milk for toddlers? We’ve looked into the best plant-based milk alternatives for you! You’ll find a whopping 13 oat milk drinks reviewed.
There are plenty of plant-based alternatives to whole cow’s milk out there – from soy milk, to almond milk, rice milk, and even coconut milk.
Oat milk has gained in popularity in recent years – but is oat milk a good milk for toddlers, and can it meet their nutritional needs? Moreover, what are some of the best brands of oat milk you can get for toddlers?
As a mum to a daughter with a dairy allergy, we’ve tried our fair share of non-dairy alternatives and plant-based drinks. But parents search for milk alternatives for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps your toddler has lactose intolerance, a milk allergy, or maybe you’re following a vegan diet. It could be that you’re looking for an alternative to toddler formula for your formula fed baby.
Whatever your reason for choosing oat milk, it’s vital that you choose fortified oat milk. Preferably one that’s specially formulated for toddlers and young children.
Is oat milk good for toddlers?
The answer is, it depends. Cow’s milk is held up as the gold standard for milk for toddlers. However, breast milk is the most appropriate drink for toddlers, and meets many of their nutritional needs.
But if you’re not breastfeeding your toddler, and you’re looking for a plant-based alternative to cow’s milk, nutritionists recommend soy or pea protein milk instead of oat milk. This is because these milks are closer to cow’s milk nutritionally.
If for whatever reason your toddler can’t have soy or pea protein milk, then oat milk is a viable option for your toddler’s main milk drink.
Milk alternatives need to have enough calories, adequate fat, and protein to meet your toddler’s needs. Oftentimes, oat milk doesn’t have enough of these three things. Therefore, it’s vital that parents check oat milk to ensure it meets the required standards. In the next section, we’ll see how to ensure this is the case.
Note: if your toddler has a gluten allergy, you should check that the oat milk you choose is certified gluten free.
How to choose the right oat milk for your toddler
It’s important that the oat milk you choose contains vital macros and micronutrients, and minerals. These essential nutrients are important for body and brain development in toddlers who would normally be getting them from dairy foods.
What’s important?
- Calorie content: Calorie value should be between 58 to 75 calories per 100 ml. Toddlers need enough calories to help them grow.
- Fat content: The fat value should be at least 3g per 100 ml. Lower-fat milks are not suitable for toddlers.
- Protein content: Plant milks are typically much lower in protein than cow’s milk. This might not be a bad thing, since breast milk has roughly half the protein of cow’s milk! However, cow’s milk and soy milk contain the full profile of 9 amino acids. If your toddler is getting quality protein from other sources, this is fine. If not, consider how your toddler can get the full spectrum of amino acids in some other way.
- Vitamins and minerals: Sufficient vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, iodine, and calcium for strong bones.
When can my toddler drink oat milk?
By one year of age, toddlers can start having whole milk as their main drink. However, your toddler could still be getting breast milk from mum or a donor, but infant formula feeds should be declining.
Oat milk for babies
Babies shouldn’t be given oat milk, or any plant milk, as their main drink before one year of age, however from six months they can have it in foods as part of a varied diet.
What are the health benefits of oat milk?
It’s thought that oat milk can benefit the heart and the bones (1). Due to its high fibre content, oat milk can help with digestion. The unsaturated fatty acids in oats also reduce blood lipid levels (2).
Oat milk is naturally sweet and creamy, so it appeals to most people, including toddlers who can be picky with food.
Are there any downsides to oat milk?
Imbalanced fatty acid profile in oat milk
Like all plant milks, oat milk is a processed product. In order to add fat to oat milk to make it more palatable, manufacturers add seed oils such as rapeseed oil and sunflower oil to it.
However, these seed oils contain more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3, which can lead to an imbalance of fatty acids. These imbalances are linked with inflammation, weight gain, and an increased risk of heart disease in the body. Because of this, ensure your toddler eats a sufficient amount of foods rich in omega-3, such as oily fish.
The cost of plant milks
The cost of plant milks can really hit hard, especially when you only have one child in the house who consumes them. Oftentimes, you end up throwing milk out because they didn’t drink it all before it was no longer fresh.
Did you know that you can freeze oat milk? So if there’s ever a deal at the supermarket, you can stock up and add some to your freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months. However, expect a slight change in texture after thawing.
What is the nutritional content of oat milk?
Fortified oat milk contains many of the key nutrients needed in early childhood. However, the nutritional content of oat milk varies depending on the brand.
Most oat drinks are fortified with vitamins for adults, but toddler oat milk contains additional protein (sourced from pea protein), vitamins A, B2, B9, C, and E, and zinc, along with the usual B12, iron, and iodine, typically found in adult oat milks.
You can also expect to find lower levels of sugars in oat milk aimed specifically at toddlers.
If you’re in any doubt about your toddler’s nutrition, be sure to book an appointment with your GP or health visitor. These professionals can talk you through the dietary guidelines and provide practical support.
How does oat milk compare with cow’s milk?
Fortified toddler oat milk has similar calories and fat to cow’s milk. However, oat milk has less protein than whole cow’s milk (3.5g/100 ml vs. 1.8g/100 ml).
With this in mind, if you switch from cow’s milk or lactose-free milk to oat milk, ensure your toddler has a balanced diet with plenty of protein rich meat or plant-based foods.
Oat milk can often be high in sugar, but whole cow’s milk actually contains more natural sugars than oat milk.
Cow’s milk and milk products naturally contain vitamins and minerals that oat milk does not, so it’s important to check that the brand of oat milk you intend to use is fortified with vitamins and minerals.
How does oat milk compare with breast milk?
Just like formula milk, oat milk can’t replace breast milk. Breast milk is not simply nutrition, it also contains immunological components that go way beyond what can be measured. It responds to your baby’s age, gender, and needs. It really is a wonder substance!
However, to compare the two nutritionally, fortified toddler oat milk contains fewer calories per 100 ml – 60 calories compared with 74 for breast milk.
Oat milk is also lower in fat than breast milk – 3.4g vs 4.4g per 100 ml.
In terms of protein, oat milk contains more protein, with 1.8g protein compared with 1g of protein in breast milk. However, the proteins in breast milk are tailored to growing small human beings and contain all 9 essential amino acids.
How does oat milk compare with soya milk?
You can buy many soy-based formulas in supermarkets these days, however soy protein can be an allergen for some toddlers. Soy milk is slightly higher in calories, but lower in fat, than oat milk. Soy milk contains more and better quality protein than oat milk.
Comparing with other kinds of milk
Nut milks like almond milk or cashew milk aren’t one of the best choices for toddlers as they’re often much lower in calories, fat, and protein than other types of milk.
Rice milk has a low calorie, fat, and protein content. Often it contains added sugar as it’s naturally not very sweet. For these reasons, it doesn’t make a good toddler milk drink.
Coconut milk isn’t recommended as the main drink for toddlers under 2. This is because it lacks the nutrients needed for healthy growth in toddlers.
How much oat milk to give toddlers?
1 – 2 servings of 250 ml a day is recommended. In the UK, the NHS recommends trying to give your toddler at least 350 ml of milk per day. In the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that toddlers take in about 2 – 3 servings of dairy or dairy alternatives per day.
How to serve oat milk to toddlers
Serve straight into a cup or beaker. Drink it warm or cold.
Does warming oat milk reduce its nutritional content?
Warming the oat milk above 40 degrees celsius may destroy some of its vitamin content.
You can also use oat milk in any recipe that calls for cow’s milk.
Making oat milk at home for your toddler
You can make your own oat milk at home. The plus side of this is that it works out cheaper and less processed. On the downside, the final product won’t contain many of the added vitamins, minerals, and protein of a commercially made oat milk.
Toddler meal ideas and recipes using oat milk
Breakfast ideas
- Smoothies with bananas and other fruits.
- Low-sugar cereal such as porridge, Weetabix, or Shredded Wheat.
- Pancakes, traditional or American – made with oat milk.
- Muffins made with oat milk.
- Eggy bread (if not vegan and no food allergies)
Lunch ideas
- Mac and cheese.
- Cauliflower cheese.
- Savoury muffins with cheese and spinach (cheese can be vegan or dairy)
Dinner ideas
- Toad-in-the-hole (vegan, veggie, or meat) made with oat milk pudding batter.
- Fish with a white sauce and new potatoes.
- Add to mashed or creamed potatoes.
- Lasagne made with oat milk white sauce.
- Fish pie.
Dessert
- Custards, either warm with cake or served cold with fruit.
- Sweet scones with plump dried fruit.
- Rice pudding.
Find more oat milk recipes at BBC Food.
What oat milk product is best?
In this section, we’ll look at some of the best non-dairy milk available. We’ll also show you the milks that aren’t as suited to toddlers.
- Alpro Oat Growing Up Long Life Dairy Free Drink 1-3+ Years: The best choice for toddler oat milk.
- Oatly Barista: The best of all the Oatly drinks for toddlers and one of the best non-toddler specific options.
- Oddlygood Barista Oat Drink: Calories and fat are good, but the protein level is on the low side. Contains vitamin D, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, calcium, and iodine.
- Mighty Milkology Ultimate Barista Oat Milk: Contains good calories and fat, but low protein. With added vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium, and iodine.
- Arla Jörd Barista Nordic Oats: This has good calories and fat, but low protein. You could add extra protein from another source if using this milk alternative. It’s fortified with vitamin D and vitamin B9.
- Alpro Oat Original: Not enough calories.
- Califia Farms: Not enough calories and only fortified with calcium.
- MOMA Barista Oat Drink Unsweetened: Not enough calories.
- Minor Figures: Not enough calories or protein. Not fortified.
- Rude Health Oat Drink Chilled: Not enough calories.
- ASDA Oat Milk: Low in calories and fat, and very low in protein. It is fortified though. The supermarket brands make a good option if you’re on a really tight budget.
- Tesco Oat Drink: Too low in calories, fat, and protein. Although it does have added vitamins.
- M&S Plant Kitchen Whole Oat Drink: Protein is too low, but it is fortified.
Values are approximate, and subject to change.
Per 100 ml | Breast milk | Whole milk | Alpro Oat Growing Up | Oddlygood Barista Oat Drink | Oatly Barista |
Calories | 74 | 65 | 60 | 58 | 61 |
Fat | 4.4 g | 3.5 g | 3.3 g | 3 g | 3 g |
Added fat type | n/a | n/a | Seed oils | Seed oils | Seed oils |
Protein | 1 g | 3.5 g | 1.8 g | 1.2 g | 1.1g |
Protein type | Complete | Complete | Complete (pea protein) | Incomplete | Incomplete |
Vitamin D | Varies | Trace * | 1.5 ug | 1 ug | 1.1 ug |
Vitamin B12 | 0.1 | 0.9 ug | 0.38 ug | 0.40 ug | 0.24 ug |
Vitamin B2 | Varies | 0.25 mg | 0.21 mg | 0.21 mg | n/a |
Vitamin B9 | Varies | 9 ug | 15 ug | n/a | n/a |
Iron | Little iron | 0.02 mg | 1.4 mg | n/a | n/a |
Vitamin C | 5 mg | 2 mg | 12 mg | n/a | n/a |
Vitamin A | 5 mcg | 1 ug | 60 mg | n/a | n/a |
Calcium | 20 – 30 mg | 130 mg | 120 mg | 120mg | 120 mg |
Zinc | 0.01 to 0.34 mg | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | n/a | n/a |
Iodine | Varies | 31 ug | 11.3 ug | 22.5 ug | 22.5 ug |
Cost | n/a | £0.06 | £0.20 | £0.19 | £0.21 |
Availability | n/a | Wide | Major supermarkets | ASDA only in the UK | Major supermarkets |
* In the UK, milk is not typically fortified with vitamin D, however this varies by country.
From these results we can see three clear options for toddlers – Alpro Oat Growing Up, Oddlygood Barista Oat Drink, and Oatly Barista.
Final thoughts on the best oat milk for toddlers
Choosing the best milk for your toddler is easy if you ensure it contains everything your little one needs to grow healthy and strong. Luckily, plant-based alternatives to cow’s milk are improving all the time. Ultimately, your choice comes down to what is right for your family.
We hope this post has given some guidance on the best oat milk for toddlers. Let us know in the comments below what you think!
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Until next time!
Helen
Sources and further reading:
- How Do You Make Oat Milk? Nutrients, Benefits, and More (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oat-milk)
- Oat milk analogue versus traditional milk: Comprehensive evaluation of scientific evidence for processing techniques and health effects (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10534225/)
- The Composition of Human Milk (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/392766/)
- Calcium, zinc, and vitamin D in breast milk: a systematic review and meta-analysis (https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13006-023-00564-2)
This advice is for informational purposes only and is not meant to replace the care and guidance of your GP or paediatric dietitian.
2 Comments
Great post! I love oat milk and prefer it to cow’s milk. I’ll share this with a friend who’s little guy is turning 2 this week!
Wow I have never heard of oat milk. Now I’m going to have to try this! Thanks for sharing!