Getting Too Much Milk?

Well I had the samething happen to me with my son. He drank to much milk but it was just something that he loved too. But it will stop soon I asked my sons doctor and he said just to switch to 2% milk and it would be fine........ So i just think you shouldn't worry....

Start watering down the milk, just like fruit juice, and everything should be fine. After age 2, you could even use skim milk (Braums is best, and fortified w/ all the necessary nutrients) Teaching "everything in moderation" to a head-strong toddler is difficult...if you run across something he actually likes to drink better, then he won't want milk at all, or rarely. Too much milk does interfere with iron absorbption, and like anything else, one CAN get too much of a good thing. So, the best answer to all things "toddler/pre-schooler" is Mom's creativity and a dose of "what they don't know won't hurt 'em" Like boiling pasta in vegetable stock or grinding up leftover veggies into meatloaf, you do what's best for your child and they never know the difference. Sneaky? You bet! Healthy child? Priceless....

My 23 month old does the same thing. He will drink 2-3 sippy cups of milk for breakfast,lunch,and dinner. And for snack I give him juice and water. I'm not worryed about it at all!!! My oldest was the same way..my kids and me just love milk!! I think it just makes him healthier...HAHAHa!!! I wouldn't worry!

I would definately switch to skim milk now - there really isn't any reason to have fat-milk after the age of 2. All of the nutrients and calcium are the same, but the calories are much lower and the fat is zero. Much healthier and they can drink a lot more if they are milk lovers.

You might try going to 1% for a few weeks, then 1/2%, then finally skim if he sees a difference. Good skim tastes fine - like the other mom said - Braums is great. So is the Borden Kid Builder and Schepps. Most store brands are yucky - especially the Walmart brand. Good luck!

Milk is not necessarily a bad thing unless he doesn't eat well. Milk can be filling and can make a child not want to eat like they should. If you are giving him a vitamin that has D, consult your physician about whether he should cut back on the milk or maybe consider a vitamin without D. It is very unusual, but to much D can be a bad thing. If he is eating well then don't worry about it. Besides lots of kids back in our mom's and dad's time drank milk all of the time, and they were just fine.

My 2 year-old son also prefers milk over all other beverages. I'll guess that he drinks about 24+ oz. a day- that's 3-4 toddler size sippy cups. Some sources online say limit to 16 oz., while others suggest 16-24 is ok. As long as the milk doesn't quash my son's appetite for food and he's getting enough other nutrients, I don't worry about his milk obsession. Some day he may reject cow's milk altogether and I'll be wishing these days weren't over!

If you're really concerned, do some research on the topic then consult your pediatrician or a dietitian. Hope this helps!

Geez, my 2 year old drinks way more milk in a day than that too. He also nurses as well so he is getting a lot of milk.

So long as your child is not just filling up on milk and not eating other things I don't see a problem with it.

Hi L.,

The problem with children this age taking in a lot of milk is that milk has no iron. If they drink more than 24oz milk/day, they have a high risk of becoming iron deficient b/c they do not eat enough of the iron-rich foods. So as long as you are limiting him to 18oz of milk/yogurt/cheese, then you're fine. (Children ages 1-3yrs of age only need 500mg calcium/day and one 8oz glass is around 300mg). Make sure he's eating plenty of iron-fortified cereals, whole grains and the best source of iron -- meat (particulary beef). Toddlers typically do not eat a lot of meat, and that's OK...as long as they're eating their Cheerios/cereals they should be fine. A simple daily multivitamin is always good insurance as well such as a Flinstones or gummmy vitamin.

Hope this helps,
A.

Pediatric Dietitian

Well your not alone. My daughter is 2 and if she don't have her milk at bedtime she cries and screams. I had her down to 1/2 cup now she wants 2 cups at bedtime. So they said she is over what they want her to be. She has a good appetite too. I also have a son who will be 4 in Oct. So they get about the same but she likes more milk and definately at bedtime, but he did too and now he rarely wants a drink at bedtime. By the time he was 3 he quit taking anything at bedtime.

They will do it on there time, so I learned. They never did what the the Dr think they should like off the bottle by 12 mo and on to a sippy cup. It was later when that happened. But neither one was on a binkie either.

They both would perfer milk over juice and they tell me or show me in the frig. But they drink 2% and neither are over weight and has any cavities either when others there age do. They only get limited juice and I dilute there juice.

I found these short water bottle made by Ozarka with pop up lids that we take outside or to the park. They like those better, and they think there a big kid.

Hope this helps ! I know my son slowed down on milk on his schedule, we offer him milk at bedtime but he wouldn't drink it anymore so we quit and he doesn't want it now, even though his sister does. I am sure she do the samething too when she gets
the same age.

We have the same issue with our daughter. If he doesn't mind the taste difference, you could always go ahead and cut back to 1% or skim milk. That way, he's still getting his milk and all of the other nutrients that come with it, but not getting too much fat. I know some kids really don't like the taste of skim, but it's worth a shot! At least that way, you wouldn't really have to limit it.

My 18 month old daughter is on soy milk, she tested positive for a slight milk allergy but hopefully we'll be able to switch her over to reg. milk at 2 years..anyhow....my pediatrician said as well that they only need 16-18 ozs. a day....Hah...not my daughter. Just the same as your son, she LOVES her milk and it does not take the place of food, she's still a good eater and we feed her as well balanced meals as we can. She also drinks lots of water each day. She just is a drinker, like me, always thirsty or wanting to have something to drink in hand. I don't see that it's such a big deal. It's much better than giving your kids glass and glasses of juice each day, I can guarantee some parents do that because they kids don't like milk or water...Just may have to start watching them more closely when potty training starts up. I know right now that if it's after 6:30, typically I do not give my her anything else to drink in the hopes that we'll one day be able to start potty training and not having consistently wet diapers!!

Depends on his weight? We were always skinny kids and drank whole milk for years. I guess we needed the fat. In my day care we give the children only milk at three meals a day. The rest of the time mostly water. They sort of fowned on so much juice as a fruit. So lots of fresh veggies and fruits.

I think the reason to limit his intake is that he's drinking milk in place of food. I don't think you're doing anything wrong, but maybe think of some sort of nutritious snack to replace a couple of those glasses of milk. At his age, food nutrients are more important than milk nutrients.

I've got the same situation! My 2 yr-old boy is a serious milkaholic. He won't drink more than a sip of anything else! Our pediatrician said that too much milk intake has been found to interfere with iron absorbtion (sp?)and can cause anemia. Anyway, I sneak half water into his milk--if he sees me, he gets upset, but if he doesn't see me do it, he doesn't notice the difference. Good luck! I feel for you!

My pediatrician recommended about the same amount. He said the problem with too much milk is that often the kids fill up on milk and don't have much of an appetite. Then because they aren't eating as much as they should they can end up anemic or having other vitamin deficiencies. If you don't have him on a multi-vitamin maybe consider putting him on one to make sure he is getting everything he needs.