Can You Give a Child Too Much Milk?

My daughter is very similar and milk is better than juice anyway. As long as he isn't getting deydrated from lack of water, I wouldn't worry.

If you're concerned about it, try to limit the amount of milk he's getting at each serving. My daughter is a big juice drinker (which I know should be limited) so we give her only half a cupful, or less, each time. She still thinks she's getting the same amount as when she got a full cup, and I don't worry about giving it to her as often.

My opinion is that you keep doing what you are doing. Don't forget to keep offering juice or water so he knows there is that option.

S.

Just make certain the milk is HORMONE-FREE!!! With that much milk there's the potential for a lot of hormone intake. Despite what the dairy companies will tell you the research is very clear-- just ask the litany of countries that have banned milk from hormone treated cows.

Make sure its hormone free. My daughter who is now 12 (and physically looks like she is 16) drank a lot of milk when she was a toddler and well now she way more developed than a 12 year old should be. I wish I would have known about the hormones in the milk when my kids were little.

My boys love milk too, but I think too much makes them fill up faster and then they don't eat enough... besides I buy the hormone free milk (Smith Bros - they deliever!) and it's a bit more expensive than the regular gallons you get at the store (but less expensive than organic). I let them have it on their cereal in the morning, a cup full at lunch and a cup full at dinner. If they want more to drink, they are allowed to have water. Sometimes they want it, sometimes they don't but I figure if they really are thirsty they'll take it. I only give juice occasionally because of the sugar. They have other dairy during the day as well - usually a serving or two of cheese or yogurt. Hmmm, let's see... Oh yes, I think whole milk is good for brain development up to age 2 and then it's better to switch to 2% to prevent weight problems. Good luck, and congrats on your little guy!

Whole milk is good for child as it helps build the brain and good bones. Whole milk is only 4% fat. 2% milk is made white by adding sugar. Check the ingredients. Do you want to add sugar or real milk.

Most doctor will tell you to let the child within limits (no junk food, etc) direct their diet. If that diet worked for you it will probably work for your son.

See what your doctor says and then relax.

I'm not sure, but I think you should look into the possibility of calcium deposits on the bones. Also, make sure the milk is organic. A.

Hi A.,
I had the same question when my daughter now two was 15 months. She drank a lot more milk than recommemded as well as cottage cheese 4% milkfat and full fat yogurt. I did some research on the internet and read several things before asking my dr. Most interesting to me was that some qualified drs expressed that toddlers are drinking whole milk for too long. And went on to explain that too much milkfat in the first years can lead to a pre disposition for overweight children.
I then asked my dr if she was getting too much, and she said that if she is getting more than 2 cups of whole milk per day as well as the other dairy I mentioned before it was a good idea to reduce the fat content to 2%, and this was before her 2nd birthday.
I actually now give her organic 1%, and she doesn't seem to have any problem adapting between the two. If you aren't already giving him organic, it is a really good idea for full fat items such as whole milk, butter, cheese since most toxins are stored in fat.
I hope this is helpful!
L.

i was told by WIC for a 15 month old 24 oz of milk is enough. We were told to make sure our daughter ate alot of other calcium fortified foods. She is now 27 months old and down to 16 oz of milk for maximum. If you find out otherwise could you let me know? I am a new mom too.

I have been told by my daughter DR. NO you can not give them too much milk. All though the juices and water is good for him. What I would try is if he is thirsty enough he will drink what ever is there and see how that goes limit him to maybe three or four cups of milk a day then after or between them if he asks for a drink give him juice or water and if he refuses just stick with it again if he is thirsty enough he will drink what you have....

You CAN give a child too much milk...watch out for the constipation...i didn't think my son had a problem...now he's been being treated for it since January! My son's doctor told me around the age your son is to limit his milk consumption to 2 glasses a day because any more than that and he it is filling him up for food that he should be eating instead. I would not change too much just yet unless you see symptoms that would indicate you should do so. Ask his doctor how much milk is okay to give him in a day and explain that he would rather have milk than anything else. I think a lot of kids that age are like this because of nursing/formula....especially the ones who nursed. I started offering mys on juice and water also...now he will either drink milk or water and sometimes prefers water, but almost never wants juice. Seems strange to me since when I was a kid, I hated water and lived on juice. Good luck! I would definately rather have a kid that wanted too much milk than one who didn't want any.

Hello A., I went through a similar situation with my son who only wanted whole milk for what seemed like forever. Then at some point he got "hooked" on apple juice forever and pretty much refused to drink anything else for a while, and now he is 5 years old (oh how the time flys) he pretty much only wants orange juice now and not even freshly squeezed orange juice but Sunny D! And he never wants water, but I just started diluting his "Sunny D" with water or whatever juice he drinks during the day and also I give him a daily liquid vitamin which helps make sure he's getting all his vitamins.
Good Luck!

My husband drank so much milk as a child that the dr. told his mom to cut down you should ask your ped. Good luck

Yes, kids can have too much milk. It causes them to fill up their tummies on things other than healthy food. 3 cups per day is the recommended serving for a toddler. More than that has been linked to obesity in children.

At my son's 1 yr check up we went to whole milk but both the pediatrician's we saw told us not to go more than 16 - 20 ozs per day of milk products (to include dairy such as cheese and yogurt). More than this and they could be anemic due to a clash in calcium and iron and the iron loosing the battle.
I am in the opposite quandry of trying to get my little one to drink more milk. When he sits down for a meal, I give him a cup of milk and a cup of water. That gives him the choice and if he wants the milk, he drinks more but if water is what he wants to wash down what he is eating, then it gets more use.
Don't know if that will help any but it seems to be working for me.

IS milk replacing meals? I wouldn't worry if he is eating well and seems otherwise healthy. My dd went through a similar period, and then after a few months started drinking more water and some watered down juice (she's 21 mo. now).

I would not worry about it too much. My kids loved milk and drank gallons. They were all normal weight and healthy. I would continue to encourage other things though.

My kids drink a lot of milk, too. But we give them 2% because they don't need the 38% extra of fat that is found in whole milk. (The 2% still has the same about of calcium, etc. it just has a lower fat content and doesn't have as many calories.)

(My sister drank a LOT of whole milk when she was a child. She was very strong, has never had a broken bone, but she was a husky kid. With HER daughter, my sister gave her 2% and my niece had all of the benefits of drinking a lot of milk but didn't have the weight concerns.)

There is so much talk about whole milk today it is nuts! I taught nutrition for a bit and the biggest concern for whole milk is weight. If your son is in the normal weight range, let him drink up! Many pediatricians recommend 2%, but I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old and they both drink whole milk. They are healthy and thin and I see no reason to change something they really enjoy. My docotr agrees. I say "be happy he likes milk!".

Hi A.,
We learned that, yes, a child can have too much milk! My youngest LOVES it also. She recently had a really, really bad case of eczema... from the milk! Apparently her little body can only tolorate milk in smaller doses!! We also switched her to 2%.
Good luck!
MB

I agree with many others that hormone-free whole milk is wonderful for your child... but be careful. If he craves it excessively, he could actually be allergic to it.

Yes they can have too much milk! 3 servings a day is all they need. Also unless baby needs the fat id switch to 2%, our ped recomended, it has all the same nutrients just less fat and calories.

Dear A.,
My daughter's Ped told me to limit milk consumption to 16 oz per day (my daughter is 1.) He sd that too much milk can cause anemia. He also sd that she should be getting the majority of her calories from other foods. good luck to you

Hi,

In my opinion (I am a big milk drinker, too), the only time it becomes a problem is if he is drinking milk, instead of eating other foods. If he is eating a variety of healthy foods, then he should be allowed as much milk as he wants. It is much healthier than fruit juice. My daughter doesn't drink fruit juice and I don't push it. It's full of sugar. I would talk to the doctor about when to switch him to nonfat milk (at some point they don't need all of the fat and calories).

I would also still try to encourage some water intake- It will help if he sees you drinking water. A fun water bottle might help too.

There can be a concern. Too much milk can cause a side effect of low iron and anemia. This can be very serious, so I would have to doctor run a quick blood test to check his iron level and to check he is not borderline anemic. If all is well, then the milk level should be fine. If the child takes a multivitamin, try not to give it with milk for the milk can block the absorption of the iron.

Hey...so i know this is a little late...but I thought I'd chime in with my two cents. :) I actually wrote part of this up for another poster...but when I read your request, I thought I would forward it along to you.

and i quote :)

"

During the first 5 (-ish) years of a child's life is when the myelinization of nerves occur. The myelin sheath is the special coating that allows neurons/axons to send messages incredibly quickly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelin has some basic info on it). It is formed essentially out of lipids (fats) with a little bit of protein thrown in.

While in school studying neural physiology we were taught that children in this age range should typically NEVER be restricted in their fat intake from healthy sources.(IE...Always whole milk in preference to any percentage of skim, etc.) Of course, there's always medical exceptions. If your toddler isn't an exception...I would be THRILLED that the one thing he does want to drink is milk. I know mine typically drank about a half gallon a day. The water bottles with the straws and the coolers you pop in the freezer keep it cool enough to be fresh for several hours.

"

For the record, my six year old still drinks quite a lot of milk, is in the 98th & 99th percentile for height and weight, but is on the low end for body fat. When he "chunks up" right before a growth spurt he actually reaches midline for percent body fat for his age. He's solid, but there's no way ANYONE could call him fat. He's also super quick.

In addition to the myelinization of nerves, there's also the whole calcium issue, the vitamin D issue, and the obesity issue.

So many people in this country get so hipped on water (epically for children, which baffles me, perhaps it was the fluoride campaign...but that's a sociological question for someone else!), that I think people lose sight that ALSO in this country as adults we're fighting chronic bone loss, osteoporosis, poor marrow function and production, all at record rates. In school we're learning that even rickets is on the rise, and that it's also theorized that part of the obesity issue with children is that they aren't getting enough calcium. Since calcium is required each and ever time a muscle flexes, a deficiency in calcium causes general tiredness. When children are physically tired they're not like us, forcing ourselves out to go exercise...they listen to their bodies and find somewhere to sit, and something to eat. (Or of course, there's always the 'time to throw a fit' option)

<laughing> So I apologize for ranting. It's a soapbox issue for my family (too many doctors and microbiologists!).

Of course, it's not necessary for children to have even one drop of milk, and many can't due to numerous allergies/diseases/conditions, so their parents have to make sure they're getting all the nutrients milk provides from alternate sources. Milk is simply the easiest. So if you DO decide to dilute/withhold...make sure you look into alternate methods of making sure that your son is getting enough fat, calcium, phosphorus, vit.D, etc. There are some great nutrition software programs available...but I would suggest meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in children.

Best Wishes,
Z.

A.,

I would be careful because the sodium content in milk is so high, which is not good for little kidneys! We give more water than juice to our 2 year old, but she gets the recommended amount of milk daily, and no more than that.

K.

The one issue I know of is that it is important that the milk is organic. Growth hormones and antibiotics are not ok for anyone, but the issues are magnified in children.

best,
Sarah

Children over a certain age are better off with 2%, but toddlers need the fat & calories for brain development so whole is great.
I would recommend no more than 3 servings per day on average.

My husband grew up drinking lots of milk as well and has never broken a bone. .. and he can do the hardest math in his head. Not sure if that has anything to do with it. :)

My sixteen month old won't drink anything but milk either. We dont offer her juice and water is a waste of time... it becomes a toy! What I do is make sure she gets at least 15 oz of whole milk a day, then I mix her whole milk with our skim OR I just give her skim (depending on our current supply) if she has already had her 15oz. The 15 oz is according to our pediatrician. We give her to skim because I have read that after two years old they should be drinking 1% or skim, due to the VERY high fat in whole milk. Apparently, whole milk is not a good habit to start and can later cause health problems (cholesterol, obesity, etc). Our dr even recommend low fat cheeses and nonfat yogurt, since her fat intake (which is what feeds her growing brain cells) is more than sufficient from the milk.

If he wont drink regular skim, Lucerne (sold at Safeway) has a Skim Supreme, which is much creamier and tastes more like 2%... it has added Vitamin D and something else (that is ok to have) to make it better tasting. Another tip... I use the skim supreme primarily for baking and cooking and its an awesome way to cut the fat out of dishes (like cream sauces and macaroni and cheese) while not comprimising the flavor or consistency. Good luck!