Healthy Choice for Toddlers Milk.

Horizon is faux organic anyway. Research it!
Look for a better brand.
Or you can blend in some strawberries, maybe?

I would skip any flavoring. If she doesn't like the milk you can still get the calcium from other foods. The sugar (esp. the fake sugar) is no good for her. Also, once you start the "liking" for sugary stuff it's SO HARD to stop it. Best of luck :)

A very ripe banana in the blender with milk makes a lovely sweet drink. It doesn't need anything else!

Please stop using sugar free strawberry. Sugar free is poison. If you must use a mix use just a little. Also smoothies, blended with some plain yogurt and honey is a good option. Or if she doesn't like milk just give her cheese, and yogurt, there are lots of ways to get the same nutrients.

If your child eats a healthy diet, they do NOT NEED milk. If she won't drink it plain, don't give it to her. Simple. My son doesn't drink milk ever, and he is as healthy a kid as you could meet. He eats food and gets his nutrients there. If you have to flavor her milk for her to drink, just don't. She drinks plain, or does not drink it.

ETA: Yes, sugar free is poison.

I guess I am wondering why you would flavor milk for a toddler?

My kiddos never knew milk came in 'colours' til they were in school.

Will your kiddo NOT drink it without?

Michele/cat

Why are you flavoring her milk at all? Especially as you already are using an organic approach to foods in your house, why did you introduce those flavors and chemicals into her diet? When it comes to food, start as you mean to go.

There is a local dairy near us that sells grass fed milk with chocolate flavoring that is pretty natural -- I would see if that option exists near you if you want to keep feeding her flavored milk. But I guess I don't see the point of it -- I would suggest that you add less and less of the flavoring each day and eventually get her to enjoy just the flavor of milk.

What's wrong with....just milk? It's healthy all by itself.

I guess I don't understand why you are putting anything in her milk. Lots of children have trouble transitioning from breastmilk (or formula) to cow's milk. What the moms do is put an ounce of cow's milk in what they are used to, and up the ounces gradually until the children get used to the cow's milk.

Does the organic milk taste THAT bad that you can't drink it yourself? If it does, you need a different kind.

Transition your child gradually OFF of the stuff you are putting in the milk. She needs to learn to drink regular milk. Make sure that there is enough fat in the milk too - children need 4% fat until they are two years old, and then they need 2%.

Just because something is labeled organic does NOT mean people should eat it. Especially kids.

my daughter hated milk at her 3 year check up I asked the dr if she needed to drink milk as it was a daily battle to get her to drink it..

the dr said she needs 2 servings of dairy per day.. if not milk.. then yogurt or cheese or cottage cheese.. the dr said.. he would rather have me put chocoloate syrup in her milk than her not drink milk.
so to this day.. she gets chocolate syrup in her milk.

1 teaspoon or so per glass.. I don't see the big deal about the syrup... if she drinks the milk.. no big deal. my son likes milk and drinks his plain.. he does nt want chocolate in his milk..

We like to do a little vanilla and maple syrup mixed in...my toddler loves her occasional "vanilla milk".

Why do you feel you have to mix it with strawberry or chocolate syrup? Can't she get used to the taste of regular milk?

I can see doing the chocolate or strawberry occasionally, as a treat, but plain water or milk is better for her.

A little Hershey's syrup never hurt anyone! We use Qwik but not the sugar free. My parents buy the sugar free, so the kids drink it there. They don't seem to notice the difference.

It might not be healthy, exactly, but it's not going to hurt her.

If it really concerns you, try slowly decreasing the amount you mix in with her milk. Over time she'll get used to it, and you'll probably be able to eliminate it before long (if that's what you want to do).

I really wouldn't sweet it. A little unhealthy (or not totally healthy) food here and there never hurt anyone.

Well, you are giving her a substance that is basically shown to be unhealthy and perhaps have long term health issues. Sugar free is like giving your child poison. Bugs won't even eat it. It's NOT healthy. Not even for people who are diabetic.

A little Hershey's syrup is not a horrible thing. Just make sure you don't give her a lot of it. A serving of milk for a toddler is only 4-6 ounces with the maximum servings of dairy being 2 cups total per day....that's milk, cheese, ice cream, all dairy...

So don't do sugar free anything, it's really bad for you and your kids. Watching servings per day will also help you determine what you focus on for her to drink or eat.

Here's a couple of resources for the toddler food pyramid.

http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/pyramid.htm

http://www.momstowork.com/05/26/toddler-food-pyramid-help...

And this is from my all time favorite cookbook for kids:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/baby-toddler-meals-...

You know, my son does either rice or almond milk most of the time, depending on his allergies; when the pollen is down, he can have organic whole cow's milk. We buy Organic Valley brand; no synthetic oils.

I sometimes mix it with a little mexican vanilla~ like a 1/2 tsp. for a glass. (mexican vanilla has cinnamon in it) and this is one of his favorite drinks. Regular vanilla (you can find some vanillas in glycerin instead of alcohol) is also tasty, too.

I agree, too, to be cautious of sugar-free products. Aspartame is a very toxic chemical over time. It has ingredients which convert to heavy metals at above 86 degrees F. Body temp is 98.6. Need I say more?

As one who did not like the taste of milk and needed it for my pregnancies, I found it tasted better very cold, even over ice!

Why on earth are you flavoring her milk? This is completely unnecessary and will either introduce unnecessary sugar or artificial sweetener. I can't imagine why you would do this.

If your toddler doesn't like drinking milk, introduce it in other forms. Make a smoothie with milk. Have her eat cheese and yogurt. Make oatmeal with milk. Etc. and so on. Teaching her to only drink chocolate or strawberry milk is going to backfire big time.

What about raw honey. It's really good for you and very sweet. You only need to use a little bit.

On a totally different note, I recommend trying coconut milk. Most large grocery chains carry organic coconut milk these days, and they even have lightly sweetened vanilla flavored. My kids didn't love it at first but now they love it. Even when we have kids over, they drink it up and don't even question it. I really think that milk is not as good for you as the FDA would have you believe.

Good luck whatever you decide!

I am so glad to read that you have chosen to feed your family organic. It breaks my heart to watch a doc like Food Inc. and see that so many chemicals are used and sprayed all over the conventional foods we are eating...and the bees that are being killed off due to all these toxins.

If the chocolate syrup has corn syrup in it, then, it's genetically modified. That's not good ! See responsibletechnology.com for more info.

I do not eat anything sugar free. And, unfortunately aspartame is hidden in many processed foods. It's poison and it's genetically modified, too. Why not give her just plain white milk. I never gave my kids any flavored milks until they were 5 or 6 yrs old. She is not even two yet. Let her have flavored milk when she is older. Mix the milk w/ a frozen, organic banana or fresh fruit for a treat (use a blender). That is healthy!

I love organic almond milk, too ! Occasionally, I eat Kefir, organic yogurts---and spinach, for calcium.

The little bit of sugar in the Hershey's is not going to hurt. It is better to drink milk with chocolate than to not drink milk at all, according to any nutritionist I have ever talked to...
I personally have always hated the taste of milk. I need to add chocolate to make it at all palatable, and I don't really like chocolate either. I do not have a taste for sugar. As a matter of fact, I am not very fond of candy or dessert. For me a little goes a long way.

My kids love milk and I have never put anything.. chocolate which has caffeine or strawberry which had dyes and you say sugar free which is the fake sugar-like splenda, sweet n low etc.. That is not healthy or safe depending on who you talk to.

There are many other foods that are high in calcium. Have you tried that, maybe a different form will help her to absorb it better?

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/calcium-foods.htm this is a list of foods that you might be able to exchange.

Good luck

Do you have a Trader Joes by you? I use the organic Midnight moo chocolate syrup in our milk if we want it chocolate. Ingredients -
organic sugar, water, organic cocoa, organic non-fat dry milk, organic vanilla, xanthan gum, soy lecithin, citric acid.

Hindsight's 20/20. If you hadn't started mixing her milk at such a young age, she wouldn't expect it, but if she does now expect it, a little chocolate syrup isn't going to hurt her...but yes, the first two ingredients are corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup.

You might try a product from Nestle called "Abuelita"...it's "Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink Tablets." You can find it in the Hispanic aisle of any grocery store chain. Comes in a yellow box, has six very large tablets. The ingredients are far less scary than chocolate syrup..."Sugar, chocolate, soy lecithin, vegetable oil, artificial flavor." I am assuming the artificial flavor is a cinnamon oil, since that's what it tastes like. I only use it for making mole sauce, but you can use it to make a quart at a time. Read the directions to see if it's something you are interested in. It has less sugar, sodium (NO sodium), and carbs than syrup.

If you wanted something truly better and more natural, consider adding spices to her milk. Cinnamon, allspice, etc...experiment a bit to see if she'd like it.

I think, after typing all this, I'd try the spice idea first. It seems to me very pointless to spend all that money buying organic milk and then dumping a bunch of non-organic stuff into it. ;)

*As per your SWH, you're saying she's having about 4 glasses of milk a day. That's 32 oz, and no child needs more than 16. It's not a good habit, trust me. There are many other ways to get calcium..cheese, broccoli, yogurt, etc. If she's truly deficient, I think I'd consider a calcium supplement...or a TUMS...before I'd give my child 32 oz. of milk in a day.

I think it's great that you're keeping everything in your home organic and keeping your child away from sugar is fantastic and the most healthy way to go too. If you're concerned about your daughter's calcium, the smartest thing is to keep her away from dairy product. What? I sound crazy? Your daughter is nearly 2, she needs 500mg of calcium a day http://milk.elehost.com/html/why_does_calcuim_leave_the_b...
sugar robs minerals from bones, so do dairy products. The best sources of dairy are from green leafy veg, sesame seeds (think tahini dips with veg for snacks), nuts (almonds as the highest-think making almond milk for her, easy and cheap), beans, grains (amaranth is the highest)
http://www.vegparadise.com/calcium.html

Milk is healthy. Adding sugar to it is not. Why do you feel you need to add anything at all? Organic sugar is no healthier than conventionally grown sugar (it is healthier for the environment but the sucrose molecules are identical). Most almond milk also has a huge amount of sugar added (I believe there is no a somewhat lower sugar product available) so there is no benefit for children who are not lactose intolerant or vegan. If she doesn't love milk, you could substitute other dairy (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese). If you stop offering the high sugar choices, she will probably just get used to drinking milk and water.

I would NEVER give raw milk to a child. Pasteurization drastically decreased the amount of food borne illness in the world when it was introduced. Some milk borne pathogens are very dangerous and they are COMMON.

BTW Orange juice has only a very small amount of calcium; 3% of daily requirements. Drinking it does not replace the amount of calcium one gets from milk. Fortifying orange juice with calcium is helpful.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juic...

Orange juice fortified with calcium provides 30% - 50% of our required amount of calcium depending on requirements expectations. One site stated it provides 30% when 1000 mg is considered optimal. This site considers 500 mg optimal.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juic...

So, you can see there is a benefit to drinking calcium fortified orange juice.