Our toddler wants milk all the time...?

Question

Our 2.3 y/o daughter is not a great eater (pretty much eats the same chicken, yogurt, p/b sandwich, and anything crunch 'chip' ... we limit to vegchips, air popcorn, vegcorn). But, her #1 choice is milk all of the time day/night. We're offering/giving her water, (mineral) bubble water as alternative...sometimes we'll add sugarfree cyrlstal light. But...she always prefers milk over anything to eat or drink. This morning she had a total meltdown because we woul would not giver her a second cup of milk...she had not touched any of her breakfast. Same thing over dinner last night.... We're ready to go 'hard core' w/ her...but, would welcome any/all suggestions....

Tx-in-advance!

Hi there,



Olivia is not a great eater (pretty much eats the same chicken, yogurt, p/b sandwich, and anything crunch 'chip' ... we limit to vegchips, air popcorn, vegcorn).

But, her #1 choice is milk all of the time day/night. We're offering/giving her water, (mineral) bubble water as alternative...sometimes we'll add sugarfree cyrlstal light. But...she always prefers milk over anything to eat or drink. This morning she had a total meltdown because we woul would not giver her a second cup of milk...she had not touched any of her breakfast. Same thing over dinner last night....

We're ready to go 'hard core' w/ her...but, would welcome any/all suggestions...



Tx-in-advance ~ Happy Holidays!

L2



p.s.

Olivia's weight and height are on track...I'm not too concerned about that ...it's the balanced diet, teeth and eathing habits I'm mostly concerned about.

p.s.

Olivia's weight and height are on track...I'm not too concerned about that ...it's the balanced diet, teeth and eathing habits I'm mostly concerned about.

btw...negotiating bites of food and then milk results in a stand-off most often :)

Answer 1

you are worried b/c she wants something healthy all of the time???

I drank about a gallon of milk growing up, my sister hardly touched dairy, we both became lactose intolerant in our 20's ... guess who has incredible bones and muscle tone easier - me - the milk drinker ... the calcium is GREAT, and you'll be glad she had it young if she can't drink it later ...

yes, work in some balanced nutrition, but let her have the milk ... will she eat cereal?? raisin bran for breakfast maybe?? be creative with what she likes that is healthy and try to balance out her diet starting with that as a focal point ...

cheese on foods, promise her milk as dessert?? you are the experienced one, help her expand her food selection w/o denying her what she likes (if it is healthy, of course and she is not turning into a butter-ball!) ...

milk is GREAT for teeth and bones, has protein, too ... if negotiating hasn't worked, have you tried the mixing??? like cereal?? you can add fruit and raisins and nuts and other healthy things ...

Answer 2

i saw on a supernanny episode once a kid that was having this problem. just wanted milk milk all the time and not much of anything else. the problem is that the milk will fill her up and even possibly constipate her. also, if she's drinking all the time she's going to have to go potty all the time and i'm sure that will make potty training harder. my kids are 4years and 19months and here's what i do. they get 1/2 cup of milk in their cup at breakfast. (8am) if they're thirsty for something before lunch time they get 1/2cup water. at lunch (12pm) they get 1/2 cup juicy juice. if they're thirsty after lunch they get water. at 3pm they have a little snack and i let them choose milk, juice, water? then at 5pm they have dinner and 1/2 cup of chocolate milk usually if they were good. and at 7pm they have a bedtime snack and get ready for bed and they can choose again, but they only get 1/2 cup of whatever. i literally measure it with a measuring cup. just be firm, and don't get upset about it. if your daughter throws a fit after breakfast because she wants more milk just tell her that until lunch, all there is to drink is water and simply walk away. if she sees that her fit is not getting your attention she will move on and eventually get over it. if she is really thirsty, she will drink water or juice. no kid has ever dehydrated simply because their mom wouldn't give them a second cup of milk i promise. if she's thirsty but she realizes milk is not available, she will drink water or juice. good luck to you!!!
ps. also make sure that even though you are cutting milk a tiny bit you get her to eat some cheese or yogurt or something throughout the day because the calcium is important in their diet.

Answer 3

Don't worry about too much milk. Too much juice is more of a problem. Crystal Light is maybe not a great choice, either, because of the aspartame. All three of my kids went through food spells where they would only eat certain foods. If you can come up with several foods from each food group that she will eat, you can pick and choose from those. I found giving them lots of choices helped their eating habits, too. You could offer grapes or oranges or apples, for example, then the choice is hers which will make her more likely to eat it. All three of my kids went through the same thing between 2 and 3 years old and they all eat fine now.

Answer 4

Remember that when you child was an infant all she ate was milk. Granted, a growing child needs solids, fruits, veggies, and proteins as well, it doesn't sound like all she is eating is milk. Milk is much healthier than fruit punch, kool-aid, or soda, so let her drink it. If you want, give her one cup of milk with the meal and let her have a second after she eats. Or keep her cup out of her reach and allow her to take drinks throughout the meal. You seem very concerned about her health and if you think her milk drinking is excessive, call your ped and ask him/her how much she should be drinking.

Answer 5

And the problem is...? My little one is the same and I don't fight it. Milk is good for building strong bones. Sure I try to push juice or water but given a choice he wants milk. Some kids just have prefer certain things and I would so much rather serve milk than sugar drinks. And be careful with the diet drinks-given the fact that sugar subs are not 100% safe you do not want to expose young kids to them. Plus it may send a message about weight etc that little ones don't need to hear.
By the by-toddlers NEED fat to build brain cells. For heavens sake dont limit fat intake in young kids or you will impact brain development. Young kids should not go on skim or 1% milk unless they are under a doctor's care. 2% and whole milk are fine for kids up to 4 years.

Answer 6

My daughter is 16 months and she is the same way with her milk. Let her cry it out or distract her somehow. I usually give my daughter her meal FIRST and while she's eating I will give her, her milk. That way, she doesn't get full off the milk and she's eating her meal. Too much milk is bad. That's good your trying to give her water. I would keep on trying, maybe give it to her in her favorite cup...I know my daughter will take water over milk only when I put it in my weight watchers mug and it has a huge straw on it, and she loves drinking from it.

The reason I said too much milk is bad...my doc. told me too much milk can make them loose their appetite, or having it between meals can cause tooth decay and even diareah.

It may be different with her now that she's 2-3 years old. I can sneak things with my daughter now cause she's so young. I hope this helps...good luck!

Answer 7

Too much cow's milk in a child's diet can put her at risk for iron-deficiency anemia because milk can interfere with the absorption of iron and may decrease the child's desire for other foods. After the age of two, if growth is good, you can switch to low-fat or nonfat milk. Remember all you need to do is to continue to offer foods. Don't worry if she's not interested or takes very small amounts. Your only true responsibility is what you offer, when you offer it and how you offer it not whether or not she eats it. That has to be up to her. Trying to force or coax your child into eating is never recommended.

Answer 8

She isn't going to starve herself to death, and in the meantime, milk is better for her than sugarfree crystal light or any other juice you might offer her. Ideally she would also drink water every now and then, but my pediatrician said any time my daughter wants milk, give it to her because its the healthiest option for her.
Don't let her snack between meals and she'll be hungry at mealtime.

Answer 9

Only let her have the second cup if she finishes her food. Maybe that will get her to eat more. Also ask the doctor if you should change to skim or low fat milk since she drinks so much.

Answer 10

My children were the same.

They would fill up on milk and then would not be hungry for anything else. Milk is good, but milk alone is not a balanced diet. (According to our doctor.)

We finally would not allow the kids to have any drinks until they ate most of their meal.

------- Edit ------

I found the following (see the link below) at the Fisher Price web-site. It is an article about this subject.