BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Eating For Toddlers => Topic started by: smileymama on May 22, 2008, 21:59:42 pm
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i am realizing that my 2 1/2 yo ds has a horrible habit. he drinks milk 5 or 6 times a day (totaling about 16 oz of milk). this means that if we are out, i must be prepared. also, he drinks milk before nap + bedtime. even if i only put an ounce of milk into a sippy, that will satisfy him. we are going to london in july and i do not want to be carting around so much milk for him each day.
what is the ideal number of times in a day that he should have milk? any ideas on how to get the number of sippy cups down?
any advice would be so helpful!
xoxo,
smileymama
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Hello!
Well here, my 2.5 DS drinks a big sippy of milk in the morning (after breakfast) and last thing at night before bed.
With regards as to how to cut down on milk during the day - if he asks for milk, you could try giving water and other types of healthy snacks instead- fruit, yogurt, cubes of cheese with a few mini bread sticks.
I shouldn't think it will take long for him to 'forget' about drinking milk during the day if you simply replace the milk with water.
HTH a little
Lis :-*
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I think a couple of times a day is pretty standard or even only once.
I think offering an interesting distracting snack would help. And if he's just thirsty he would get used to water. A fun new cup might make drinking water more appealing.
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Our pediatric dentist recommended milk only with meals because the milk sugar on teeth all day can be a problem. He recommended only giving milk in an open cup, the reason being that we are less lenient with open cups...we let them carry around sippy cups, but open cups must be at the table (or in the kitchen, or whatever your rule). So, if you make a new "open cup for milk and open cups only at the table" rule, he may lose a bit of interest because he doens't want to be stuck at the table drinking instead of playing ?? Maybe not, maybe he loves milk enough he's sit there and drink it all 6 times a day....but it's worth a try. As with any major change for a toddler, I'd expect a few days of "disagreement" on the new rule, but it shouldn't take long before he accepts it.
One more thing, to encourage more water drinking, (we found by accident), DS loves water with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice, just enough to taste. he calls it "lemonade" and truely believes it's a big treat. the same with water with ice. a big hit.
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DD loves her milk. Would drink it all day if I let her. So I limit the milk to just after lunch and dinner except for the morning wake up. Which she gets when she wakes and breakfast about 1 hr later. I agree with trying a special sippy cup or open cup that is used just for milk and use distractions if he ask for more.
Good luck.
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DD is just over 2 years. She usually drinks 2 sippys a day with milk. 6-8 oz each. She drinks them very quickly before nap and bedtime.
We just went to the doctor yesterday and he said that 12-16 oz was good for a 2 year old. He thought that one more calcuim for her would be good for the day as she is so tall.
Just wondering are you all still giving whole milk? I forgot to ask about that yesterday.
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DD is on the skinny side so she still gets whole milk. It is recommended in Canada that you can switch to 2% after 2yr. You can switch to 2% if you want. I think that it is mainly out of concern for children being obese and consuming too much fat. I have no worries about that as dd is soooo active and has stopped being chubby once she was mobile.
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Same here - full fat. There's no way my little Forrest Gump could be obese ;D
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after 1 yr our ped said we can give whatever we drink, which is skim, so that's what DS gets.
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Thanks I think we will start on 2%, then possibly switch to skim as that is what we drink as well.
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My dd has about 6 oz in the morning right after waking and then right before brushing teeth and bedtime. We still give full fat as she is pretty small (only 25 lbs).
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Did you want to try to break the association of milk before naps and bed, is that one of your concerns?
Riley drinks Rice Milk (intolerant to dairy) about twice a day.
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i don't mind it before sleep times but it drives me nuts that he really wants the milk but then will settle for 1 1/2 ounces of it! i'd rather he drink fewer sippys of it and fill them up more. but thanks everyone for such great advice!