How Much Milk for Toddlers Under 2

I've been told by my pediatrician that milk is not 100% necessary. You can get your high fat, calcium etc. from other food sources.

My daughter will drink milk but isn't a big milk drinker, and milk flares her eczema up. Since we were done with formula and switched over to regular milk I've never pushed it or made it a issue. Daycares and school's have given my daughter milk at lunch and at home my daughter has milk in her cereal but never drinks milk out of a cup. Nor do I.

I sit and wonder why do we drink a cow's milk? I mean it just seems weird to me. They're milk is suppose to be for their off spring. Just like our breastmilk is for our off spring. I'm not totally against it but I think it's weird. I don't think a cow's milk was intended for human consumption. I think in certain people it does more harm than good. My daughter and I can only handle a small amount or we have physical reactions.I guess this is just my opinion I just don't think cow's milk is all that great. And we're finding out more and more that most people are having adverse reactions to this.

You can try and disguise your milk which may set you up for a habit so that's up to you but most kids won't turn down chocolate or strawberry flavored milk.

Each child should be drinking 2.5 cups of milk a day. I think they recommend that to determine if your child is getting enough, you should measure three cups a day to allow for spillage and then see where you end up. You may want to invest in the book, What to Expect the Toddler Years, because this and many more questions are answered on its informative pages. You may also want to have a dentist check your children's teeth because I've read that using the bottle for this long might lead to tooth decay problems. Our daughter didn't want to switch from the bottle, but we were strong about it when she was 12 months. She went through a period of not drinking much and eventually changed her ways and loved the sippy cup. She's nearly 19 months now and is has begun to have interest in the cup since she sees us using them and wants to copy. We had the most success with the Playtex sippy cup, one I remembered well because I was constantly packing them to bring to my best friend in London for her daughter.

You mentioned that you were concerned about getting the best quality of milk products to your daughter. It's not been proven one way or another, but I did discuss this with my doctor and she concurred that without the evidence clearly pointing one way or another, organic whole milk is better. One thing it has been proven to have that non-organic milk lacks is the omega 3 fatty acids. Our daughter loves cheese, so that might be a good way of getting more dairy into your girls' diets. We also buy the Yo Baby, but our doctor recommended giving plain whole milk yogurt so the taste buds don't get too accustomed to sweeteners. We've found that we like Nancy's organic whole milk yogurt the best because it has a thicker consistency than Stonyfield Farm. We mix it in, as well, when we make macaroni and cheese.

My daughter is 17 months now and her milk intake depends on the day. She used to have 2 cups of about 6-8 ounces a day and a yogurt. And that is enough dairy. Now sometimes she just takes a sip or two and puts her cup aside. Oh well. That's just how it is. Hopefully the one girl will take a cue from the other. Do they drink other liquids from the sippy cups? Water, juice, shake? Also maybe try straws. We would have her use straws occasionally before sippy cups and now she's very good at them - when not pulling them out of juice boxes and cups. We'd try and collect little cups with lids for straws when we'd go out to eat.

Also, don't worry over-much about good fat vs. bad fat. Unless they are overweight now and inactive. And my experience with the 1-2 age is that they are SO busy and running around and growing that they use up all the fats they get in a day.

Have you tried giving her the milk in a regular cup? From the first time my son hated sippy cups and would only drink out of a regular cup like his big sister. You could also try a straw.

Hi K.,

I am a mother of twin boys - almost a year old - and am/will be very anal about their milk consumption when we go to make the switch in a couple weeks. I understand you concern!

I am also a nutrition major at the U of MN and looked up the recommended values of calcium and vitamin D (primary nutrients in milk) for children ages 1-3. It's recommended that between 1 and 3 they get 500 mg/day of calcium (800 mg/day for kids ages 4-8, which jumps up to 1300 mg/day for ages 9-13 since you have 4 kids).

Vitamin D is a little different since nutrition facts will list the % of Vit. D provided in a single serving out of the full daily recommendation for adults. Fortunately for all of us, recommendations for children are the same recommendations for adults up to age 50 (5 mcg/day). I just looked at the Nutrition facts for skim milk (we don't have whole yet) and one serving provides 25% of the recommended amount of Vit. D - so in theory, your kids will need 4 servings of milk to get the 100% from milk alone.

Here is the thing. Your concerned about the fat that is provided in milk for brain development (might I note that those fats will help your child with nutrient absorption, too) and it gets really complicated - or it CAN if I explain it all with more detail than you need. :) Although there are no specific guidelines on how much dairy fat should be consumed for brain development, it is believed that if the child is consuming the recommended intakes for calcium and vitamin D from dairy sources, they will consume enough of the dairy fat to meet those needs as well. Especially if they are getting a decent amount of variety in their diet while consuming the milk.

I'm not using the best words here and I know that - I'm just trying to give you the most straight-forward answer I can. I'm sure others will read this and say stuff about "lactose intolerance" and "you don't need calcium or vit. D from dairy products" and so on, and yes there are other ways to meet these needs. But since it's not necessary in your case, I'd rather just stick to dairy products and help you understand how the calcium, vitamin D, and fats connect. If you have more questions, feel free to ask me. I have resources to look up info if you like and am happy to help!

:)

I don't think milk is necessary at all. My husband and I are chiropractors and have done a lot of research on this subject. My 1 year old and I don't drink milk at all and my husband and 3 year old drink it very infrequently. And, when we do use milk, we use raw, unpasteurized milk. It contains no hormones, no antibiotics and it hasn't been messed with at all.

Our children take a multivitamin and fish oils (EPA and DHA for brain development). They get most of their vitamins and minerals from organic food (which is really the best way). Dark, green leafy vegetables contain a lot of calcium. Vitamin D shouldn't be a problem if you child is getting exposed to sunlight.

We have seen dairy, and milk inparticular, cause endless problems for children in our practice and in our extended family. From ear infections, to upper respiratory infections, colic and diaper rashes. Our children have never had any of those concerns. They have never had Tylenol or any other medication for that matter. Now, it's not just eliminating milk that makes them this healthy. They are adjusted weekly, they play outside almost everyday, they eat lots of fruits, vegetables and protein and they are really loved!

If you need any other information or resource, don't hesitate to contact me at ____@____.com.

Hello! I have a 19 month old that won't drink milk out of a sippy either. I worried and worried and worried. I finally tried chocolate milk and it worked, I have been decreasing the amount of chocolate that I put in it and hopefully I will get him down to just white milk. He also likes strawberry. At his 18 month well baby, I asked the doctor and she said that it was fine to put chocolate in it. She said that it was more important to get the milk than it was to put chocolate in it. I don't by any means put a whole lot of chocolate, just enough to make a difference. Good luck, it worked for me!

Don't worry about it. She will control her intake no matter what you try. Being that we breastfed, I was never 'ounce-obsessed' like bottle feeding parents. The boys get cereal with milk for breakfast, water with lunch ,and milk with dinner. What they drink is what they drink. I dont' feel that cows milk is necessary, they eat a large variety of other foods, and they get hiter calcium from the same source cows get thiers, leafy greens and other foods.

Offer her milk wiht her meals and call it good. Let her drink what she wants, offer healthy fat foods, make sure she eats a varied well-balanced diet, and she'l lbe fine. Don't stress about it.

Don't bother with sippys. They should be drinking everything from a regular cup except maybe water in their crib or water in the car. If you get them hooked on sippys then you will just have to wean them from the sippy in the future.

As far as quantity, I am rusty on the numbers (dairy is one thing my son has never had trouble downing a lot of) but around 12-16 ounces of milk rings a bell. You don't want them consuming much more than that in a day or they will lose their appetite for food. You can substitute or add in cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt. You can look at the labels for the foods she is getting and add up the fat calories to do a comparison.