Toddler drinks, sometimes referred to as toddler milk and formula, are not recommended by health authorities because they have a higher sugar and lower protein content than cow’s milk. However, advertisement spending and retail sales of these products have grown in the United States (U.S.), and there is a nutrition surveillance gap in purchaser characteristics.

Household purchases of toddler drinks between 2004-2020.

NielsenIQ consumer panel.

Panelists across the U.S.

Panelists purchased 66 unique toddler drinks between 2004-2020. Out of 202,207 households in the panel, 2,644 panelists purchased toddler drinks at least once during the study period. Most panelists who purchased toddler drinks had a household income above $60,000 and had graduated from college. Households purchasing toddler drinks spent an average of $102 dollars, 1.5% of their total food spending, on toddler drinks annually. The share of spending on toddler drinks increased by approximately 0.02 percentage points each year during the study period, which was equivalent to a 54% increase between 2004 and 2020 (95% CI: 0.04 – 4 x 10-3). The highest average household spending on toddler drinks was among Asian households, households with a single male head of household, and households with children 2-6 years old.

Findings indicate that toddler drink purchasing patterns vary by household demographics and have increased over time. Proactive efforts, including continued surveillance of toddler drink purchases and regulation of toddler drink marketing, are critical to promote consumption of age-appropriate beverages for young children.