How much milk do your toddlers drink?  DD #1 drinks 5-8  8 oz cups per day.  Is that too much?  She eats enough food and we don't give them juice at all.

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Tamara, blessed mama to:
Nathaniel (5), Susannah (2.5), Abigail (14 mo), Sprout (due 4/20)and 3 in heaven: Asher, Ari, and Issac.
http://www.picturetrail.com/pfamilygal

I just know the minium is 16 oz. a day. You also want to make sure they are getting enough variety in their diet with other foods. If to many calories are milk, some children have a hard time getting in the other foods. Iron absorbtion is also important, and too much milk will inhibit proper iron absorbtion. Hope that helps.
Beth

Yeah, she probably drinks 16 oz by mid-morning.  I've never seen a kid love milk so much.  I do give them a good multivitamin (Mannatech) and she eats plenty of fruits, veggies and meat.  Maybe I should start trying water sometimes instead of milk.  She's so pathetic though.  Stands in front of the fridge and signs "milk, please" and hands me her cup.  Hard to refuse those big blue eyes. 

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Tamara, blessed mama to:
Nathaniel (5), Susannah (2.5), Abigail (14 mo), Sprout (due 4/20)and 3 in heaven: Asher, Ari, and Issac.
http://www.picturetrail.com/pfamilygal

My DD 18 mos and drinks NO milk except breastmilk. She gets most of her liquids from a cup her calicum from cheese or yogurt and everything else for the POUNDS of fruits veggies and meat she eats. I feed her organic juice and still nurse on demand. I am trying to wean though its not going well, so when we do I may add some milk to her diet!

My dd (21 months) drinks hardly any milk. I even quit buying whole milk because we always threw half of it away. She eats cereal with my skim milk and drinks water and no juice. She also nurses several times a day (but is nightweaned). I don't think they must drink milk at all. As long as they are hydrated and getting nutrition from other sources. And I'm jealous hearing about the fruits, veggies, and meat they're all eating. Mine is picky. She's on the white diet: mashed potatoes, macaroni, crackers, and turkey (if i'm lucky). So you can see that even with this uninspired diet that milk is not always necessary. She's healthy and of average weight, so her ped says she's fine.

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Beth, mom to Annika and Catbird Baby :: baby carriers and more
http://www.catbirdbaby.com

My daughter is so picky with food right now.  She will eat beans, baked tofu, Pirate Booty White Cheddar Puffs, Yogurt, Cheese and not much else.  I too stopped buying milk because she won't drink it.  She nurses and is nightweaned, but mainly drinks water or a little juice.

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-Yolanda
SAHM to Sasha Annabella 9/17/03 & Holden Graeme 2/28/05

Brandon is being picky with me lately too (or he's just discovered how much fun it is to play with his food).  When he spends the day with my mom she is always amazed at how much he eats but he isn't the same at home.  He used to be a better eater but now he's into playing and hiding his food.  The two things I think may be contributing to this are teething (I think he may be working on his year molars because he's putting everything into his mouth these days) and we switched from Vanilla Soymilk to Very Vanilla Soymilk because a friend told us the Very Vanilla was fortified for kids.  He LOVES the Very Vanilla and is drinking a lot more of it.  He still nurses somewhat but we're down to usually only one day feeding (when he wakes up from his nap) and then ALL night long after midnight.

Abby :)

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Abby
Mommy to Brandon -- 7/22/03

My 22 month old still nurses (mainly before bed and befroe nap) but will only drink cow's milk if it has Ovaltine in it. I can't blame her as that is the only way I can drink cow's milk as well. She drinks lots of water and prefers water to even the occassional juice box. She takes half a Flintstone's Complete vitamin and eats a varied, colorful and healthy diet. I'm not to worried about it.

Kelly

We sometimes go through a gallon a day. My dh and dd who will be 4 tomorrow LOVE milk. I think she'd do nothing but drink milk and be perfectly happy. She rarely drinks juice and begs for milk. I guess it could be soda or something so I don't bother worrying about it. I try to make her eat before she drinks so that she doesn't get full on milk alone.

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SAHM mom to 2 beautiful girls

Our ped and ds' nutritionist told us no more than 24oz (ds is 3 yrs old).  Because of the prevention of iron absorption, dc might get anemic from too much milk intake.

My ds LOVES milk too...and could live on it alone.  So, we really have to watch him and his milk intake.  He can finish a gallon by himself within about 2 days if we let him.

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Abigail

mama to Presley 8/02 and Camden 3/04

Abigail--I did not know that! DD is 4 and checked a tiny bit anemic at her 4 y/o check up last month.

 

I've been allready cutting back on her milk, but now I'll watch it even closer!

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SAHM mom to 2 beautiful girls