“No dairy until baby is 12 months old” is the ominous proclamation made by many pediatricians. Sadly, many pediatricians neglect to tell parents that there is a big difference between offering babies yogurt (dairy) and letting babies drink milk prior to the age of 12 months.
Cooking with a bit of milk is ok and offering yogurt and cheese is fine as well. You could try adding a dab of butter to those delicious carrots and peas to help certain vitamins and minerals absorb and be utilized to their fullest. Of course, always discuss solid foods with your baby’s doctor.
Caveat: If anyone in the family has dairy allergies and/or lactose intolerance, it is wise to thoroughly discuss with your pediatrician when introducing dairy of any kind to your baby is appropriate.
One of the main reasons that, here in the US, it’s not recommended to drink until 12 months is that milk doesn’t have enough, or any, of the crucial nutrients that babies need to grow and develop properly. It can also hinder iron absorption and babies need all the iron they can get. Also, milk protein can be difficult for babies to digest until the digestive system is more mature. Milk can be allergenic too. Another issue, doctors don’t want parents to skip breastfeeding or formula and just fill up a bottle with milk (due to cost or convenience or whatever).