This post is for anyone who is a mom. This is my issue that I need feedback and advice on. Please comment if you have any pros & cons about this issue. I would not have made this post if I did not truly want advice or criticism. Zachary has always been a very good eater and drinker of whole milk. In the past week he has not been drinking his milk. He prefers diluted apple juice or water. I still give him his milk but he won't drink it like he used too. He drinks a little and then it sits there. Is it too hot for milk? Instead of getting 3-4 full glasses of milk a day he is getting about 1.5 glasses. What should we do? I want him to stay hydrated but I don't want him to go without his daily milk. Should we go to the "dark side" and start adding chocolate to it? I don't think it is a good idea because I don't think he will ever want white milk again. Kevin thinks it is better than Zachary not getting his daily allowance of milk. This is where you step in. Please give your advice in my comment section.
I will keep you posted on what we decide. Thanks!
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10 comments:
Ok.......first of all, Zachary is such an awesome eater, like you said, that I wouldn't panic to much about the milk thing. We tried chocolate with Charley once before and she hated it. Charley only drinks milk with breakfast and dinner and she rarely finishes all of it. Zach's probably just going through a stage. Do you give him a vitamin? That would help make up for the lack of milk until he decides he likes it again. You might also make sure he is eating other dairy products that are high in calcium. Have you tried those Yoplait Yogurt drinks? Charley LOVES those and they are just the perfect size. Well, that's my two-cents!
I was fortunate that Kaitlynne was always a milk drinker! I would definitely try and make sure he gets his dairy from other sources throughout the day. Yogurt was always high on Kaitlynne's favorites. She like the drinks, and the tubes. String cheese is also a good way to get dairy. Just because he won't drink milk, doesn't mean he won't be healthy! I have also heard about moms who sneak powdered milk into snacks and such. You could do some research on that. I know the preschool at Schweitzer makes some Peanut Butter Ball things that have powdered milk in them. Try not to worry--it will be ok!!!
When Samuel won't drink his milk, I make smoothies. He is pretty picky about fruit, but I can get him to eat any fruit in a smoothie as long as there is some banana in it. I mix milk, half a banana, and whatever fruit is in the house and he drinks it up. If the fruit isn't very sweet, I will sometimes add a little sugar but not very much. On a hot day, this is a special treat to him.
Of course I can't remember where, but I recently read something that said there is a new study out that kids who drink lots of whole milk are more likely to be overweight when they are older, and that it's best to limit whole milk to one to two servings a day. I don't like to put a whole lot of stock into "new studies", but it made me feel better since Carina pretty much only drinks 8 to 16 ounces of milk a day. And that's counting what she's been dumping all over the table lately. With as much as he eats, I bet Z is getting all the nutrition he needs. Toddlers are supposedly pretty good self-regulators when it comes to eating!
we went the chocolate for one and strawberry for the other.. It seems like they just lost the taste for plain old milk. If you look at the sugar content in the yougurts for kids, putting the syurp in the milk isn't any more sugarish than the other stuff we give em. If you don't want to go to the sweetened side of the fence just give him two choices, milk or water and x out the juice (even watered) as an option. I agree with everyone else if he is eating cheese and yogurt and the like, this too will pass. Now that they are 5 and 7 they like milk again.. but mostly in cereal and/or with something sweet. They also have choc milk at your basic fast food places AND at school so eventually you will be glad if they chose that over SODA- which is what we battle attempting to limit. Choosing water to drink is a fine option and a good life skill. We offer very little juice or orange juice or juice boxes around here.
Those little cheese blocks or string cheese are a good way too. they think they are fun.
Ahhh.... welcome to the world of INDEPENDENCE!
He is starting to figure out his likes and dislikes and perhaps even how to push Mommy's buttons a little bit!
I personally wouldn't make a big deal about it. I have heard that kids tend to know more about what their bodies need and they have cravings for those things. Celeste went through quite a time last year where she hardly ate ANYTHING and the doctor got concerned. But now she is back to eating like a lil' pig again!
I try to remember that things come in seasons and "this too shall pass". In a few months you'll be so concerned with potty training that you'll forget all about the milk issue!
Bottom line... in MY opinion... give him a vitamin and some cheese and fugetaboutit! :)
PS And my kids have Chocolate Milk on occasion and they still enjoy regular milk. They know that choc. milk is for special occasions and they don't ever ask for it at home.
Call me so we can go swimming!!!!
Okay...so this is what I have decided. Zachary eats plenty of cheese, yogart, etc. Thank you so everyone who has responded. I got lots of great ideas. I also called Z's pediatrician and they too said not to worry. He is healthy and is getting enough milk from other sources. I appreciate everyones advice and support. Thanks for the comments and feedback. HIL
Well, I skip one day of checking your blog and I missed a biggie! You did what I would have done - called my pediatrician. Although I always appreciate the advice I get from friends and family, my dr. ranks above all others and her word is almost like the Bible around my house. I guess I'm lucky, my kids LOVE milk and I need my own cow in the backyard!
Once we put chocolate it Rhett's he wouldn't ever drink it white again (I blame my mother...she insisted he needed chocolate!) Drew's kind of going through the same thing right now. I offer milk first and if he doesn't drink it, I'll give him diluted juice later. I haven't dared trying chocolate with him! He loves cheese and yogurt so I'm sure he's getting all the good stuff. I'm just trying not to worry about it and hoping he'll have strong bones anyway!
I see you got TONS of advice on this one. That's great. I am certainly no expert, but I'll chime in with the majority that I wouldn't worry about it - especially since he is getting calcium in vitamins and other foods. You know calcium is not only in dairy, and I am betting he likes fruits and cheese. All I know is that my STL grandgirls have cut way back on milk too. They are into juice now, but we always water it down. My thought: Fruit is good, but broken down fruit (as in juice) puts a lot of sugar in the system fast, and some juices can be hard on the teeth, so we prefer juice with 1/3 to 1/2 proportion water.
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