For around the first six months of your baby's life, the Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding (with no other food or drink). Find out more in Feeding your baby.
If you are not breastfeeding, you can use formula milk instead. Find out more in Different types of infant formula.
Cow's milk should not be given as a drink until a baby is a year old. This is because it doesn't contain the right balance of nutrients to meet your baby's needs.
Full-fat cow's milk can be used in small amounts for cooking in foods such as cheese sauce and custard from six months.
Babies under one year old should not be given condensed milk, evaporated milk, dried milk, or any other type of drinks often known as milks, such as rice, oat or almond drinks.
Children should drink full-fat milk until they are at least two years old, because they may not get the calories or essential vitamins they need from lower-fat milks.
After the age of two, children can gradually move to semi-skimmed milk as a main drink, as long as they are eating a varied and balanced diet and growing well.
Don't give skimmed or 1% fat milk to children as a main drink until they're at least five years old, because neither of these contains enough vitamin A and skimmed milk doesn't contain enough calories.
Children between the ages of one and three need to have around 350mg of calcium a day. About 300ml milk (just over half a pint) would provide this.
Goat's and sheep's milk
Like cow's milk, goat's and sheep's milk aren't suitable as drinks for babies under a year old, because they don't contain the right balance of nutrients.
Providing they are pasteurised, ordinary full-fat goat's and sheep's milk can be used as drinks once a baby is a year old. They can be used for cooking in foods such as cheese sauce and custard from the age of six months.
Pasteurisation
Pasteurisation is a process of heat treatment intended to kill bacteria and prevent food poisoning.
Most milk and cream is pasteurised. If milk is unpasteurised, it is often called 'raw milk'. This must carry a warning saying that it has not been pasteurised, and may contain harmful bacteria.
You can sometimes buy unpasteurised milk and cream. However, these could be harmful, because they may contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
If you choose unpasteurised milk or cream, make sure they are kept properly refrigerated because they have a short shelf-life.
Some other dairy products are made with unpasteurised milk. These include some cheeses, such as stilton and camembert, brie and goat's cheese.
Children, people who are unwell, pregnant women and older people are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning and so should not have unpasteurised milk or cream, or dairy products made with unpasteurised milk.
Milk allergy and intolerance
There are three conditions involving reactions to milk.
Milk and dairy foods are good sources of important nutrients, so don't cut them out of your (or your child's) diet without first speaking to a GP or dietitian.
Lactose intolerance
Some people cannot digest the special type of sugar found in milk, called lactose. This is also called 'lactose intolerance'.
Lactose intolerance can cause symptoms such as bloating and diarrhoea. It does not cause severe reactions.
Learn more in Lactose intolerance.
Milk allergy
Milk allergy can cause severe reactions, but usually the symptoms are mild.
They can affect any part of the body and can include rashes, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and difficulty in breathing.
In some cases milk allergy can cause anaphylaxis. This is a life-threatening allergic reaction, which involves difficulty in breathing, swollen lips or mouth, and collapse. If this happens, call 999 immediately and describe to the operator what is happening.
Learn more in Food allergy.
Cow's milk protein intolerance
Cow's milk protein intolerance (also known as milk intolerance) is different from milk allergy and lactose intolerance. It can occur in adults and children, but is more common in babies and children.
Children with this intolerance can experience symptoms the first time they drink cow's milk. The symptoms include eczema, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
They do not include hives, or breathing problems: these are symptoms of milk allergy.
Children who have cow's milk protein intolerance often grow out of it by the time they go to school, but on rare occasions it can persist into adulthood.
As with all food allergies and intolerances, if you think you or your baby has a milk intolerance, make an appointment to talk to your GP or other health professional.