For term babies, it is okay to start cow’s milk anytime between 9-12 months of life, given your baby is eating a variety of iron-rich foods. For pre-term infants, it might be best to wait until 12 months of life before starting cow’s milk. The calcium in cow’s milk share the same ‘absorption ports’ as iron and can easily ‘outcompete’ iron in baby’s guts. Babies are also far more likely to drink more milk than eat their iron-rich foods, so it’s best to wait to offer fluid milk until your child is eating a good variety of those iron-rich foods (see FAQ 1 for examples).