At about what age does milk become a "drink" instead of a "meal/snack"?

[DawnE]

Right now my 16 mo LO has 2 bottles a day. One about half an hour after he wakes up, and one before bed. He has very little to eat for breakfast, even though it is a couple of hours after his bottle, and I am assuming it is because he has 6-9oz of soy formula in the morning. I think if I switch to giving him breakfast first, he would refuse the bottle, and I need him to keep consuming those fluids. So I'm just trying to figure out how long it will be before I need to switch them around?

[Colin Macs Mom]

It's an individual choice really but I would say it's time to switch them. At this age LO should be getting most if not all nutrition/calories from food, not formula.

[We Three]

How about a lesser amount of milk upon waking, then breakfast an hour later?  Like if he wakes at 7, give him a 4oz bottle, then b'fast at 8/8:30?  Then the other 4 oz at 10:30/11 with a snack?  

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

I still do the am sippy cup (6 or 7 oz) with breakfast (soy milk - we were on formula until about 16/17 months), and then some as a drink with lunch and her afternoon snack...otherwise it's water or watered-down juice. But, she is a big eater no matter how much milk she gets.

[brenda2]

if you switched to soy milk rather than formula would this help?  it's fewer calories so he should be more hungry for food.  most los go to milk at 12 mo rather than formula when food becomes more important than formula/breast milk.  but i also agree to switch it around.  breakfast first when he wakes up and milk with lunch or snack and at bedtime.

[Nauvoo]

I really like this question a lot because I feel as if we waste a lot of milk here as my LO doesn't drink her milk well and for some weird reason I always have this expectation that she will.  Dawn, does your LO eat yogurt and cheese and other calcium rich foods?

My LO loves yogurt.  I know that LO's this age are supposed to get 500mg calcium a day but what if all of it came from other sources than milk?  Would my LO still be getting all the nutrients she needs? 

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

My oldest gets all her calcium from food as she doesn't really like milk anymore...I do also give her a calcium supplement because she doesn't always want yogurt/cheese either.  With Spencer it is not so easy because she can't have dairy, so we are still on soy milk and I think soon she should be able to chew the supplements too.

[Khalam's Mama]

Also think 12months is when milk becomes a drink and not a meal. LO then have no actual requirements for milk as such. a/a they need calcium but this can come from any source including cheese and yogurt etc and also any milk in sauces/on cereals/pancakes etc. I think if it comes frrm milk alone they only need 10oz/300ml milk to get the 500mg but not sure if this is same for soy milk?! If milk is filling up your LO it may be best to swap to breakfast or reduc the amount as there are lots of other vits and minerals they need that may be missed out if they don't eat a varied and full diet.

[We Three]

Just googled......8oz milk has 300 mgs calcium.  So 2 cups of milk a day is just over the 500 mg requirement.   

[Khalam's Mama]

Sorry, also should have said that is based on the formula I had in the cupboard but if cows milk it is more like 440mls. Is that for soy formula amelia1227?

[We Three]

That is for whole milk....sorry.  And what I looked up used miligrams, whereas you're using mililiters I think?  All I did was google. As far as formulas go, I would guess that they can vary in calcium amounts?

[DawnE]

Thanks everyone.

I really like this question a lot because I feel as if we waste a lot of milk here as my LO doesn't drink her milk well and for some weird reason I always have this expectation that she will.  Dawn, does your LO eat yogurt and cheese and other calcium rich foods?

He is MPI, so he doesn't get any milk, yogurt or cheese. That is part of the reason I have been hanging onto the bottle in the morning, to try and make sure he is receiving some calcium from it. Another is that he drinks hardly any fluids, so I have been trying to keep the bottle first so that he will get a bit of fluid into him.

if you switched to soy milk rather than formula would this help?  it's fewer calories so he should be more hungry for food.

Our paed said no soy milk until 2 years, and stick with the soy formula until then.

My oldest gets all her calcium from food as she doesn't really like milk anymore...I do also give her a calcium supplement because she doesn't always want yogurt/cheese either.  With Spencer it is not so easy because she can't have dairy, so we are still on soy milk and I think soon she should be able to chew the supplements too.

What kind of supplement do you give?

I am pretty sure he would completely refuse the bottle if he had breakfast first, so I may try to give a bit less formula in the morning, then some with a snack. We will see how that works for him. 

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Why no soy milk until 2? Just curious, because if Spencer was able to tolerate whole milk she would have been on it from one year, so not sure the difference.

I have been buying IronKids supplements...they have a multivitamin, calcium and omega-3, and they all come in chewable gummies.

[DawnE]

Why no soy milk until 2? Just curious, because if Spencer was able to tolerate whole milk she would have been on it from one year, so not sure the difference.

I'm not sure. TBH, I don't think I asked.