Seeking Parents Response

L.,

Have you tried soy milk? You can find it at the Coop or the Upper Valley Food Coop. He may like the vanilla flavored soy milk, or even prefer it to regular milk.

My son is now 20, but when he was that age, he happily consumed soy milk in addition to cow's milk.

Best of luck,

M.

My two year old was the same way...constantly wanted a cup of milk. I figured out his problem was that he was hungry - he couldn't tell the difference. When you give him milk, offer a snack (fishies, fruit snacks) - then when he asked for more milk I told him to eat his snack first. Now he gets milk after he eats (he eats small amounts every two hours or so). He's just a very energetic boy that needs to constantly refuel :)

Hi L.! I had the exact same "problem" with my daughter at that age with soy milk. We started diluting her milk with 1/2 water. She never knew the difference, and since there is flouride in our water, it was also great for her teeth! Maybe this will work for you.

Don't let him drink that much milk. Ask your pediatrician what amount is an acceptable amount of milk and only offer him that much. Otherwise offer him water or small amounts of very watered down juice and if he doesn't drink it don't give him milk.

sounds like my daughter, but her issue is food. she is very stubborn. Sometimes it is easier to just give them what they want, i've given my daughter a cereal bar for breakfast because i dont want to deal with it. But you just need to not give it to him and he will drink something else. That is way too much milk, is he able to eat well? Just let him keep a bottle of water with him and he will drink it.

Don't give him anything to drink for an hour or two. He'll get thirsty enough and drink whatever you give him.

Have you tried just letting him get really thirsty? This sounds mean, but I had a kid who would only drink juice (after getting some from one of her sitters.) I jsut kept saying, "Your choice is water or milk or nothing." It took a few hours and some tears, but she got the picture.

You could also try watering down the milk.

I hope this is helpful...if not, do what works for you. There are so many rules people think they have to follow. Just read your kid and do what you think is best for him.

The only other thing he should drink is water. If he won't drink it, you could try watering down some of his servings. At this age, he should be fine to drink 1 or 2% milk.

Jodi is right, this is a just-say-no moment in your life ;)

Sort of like drugs, only not quite as dangerous. LOL.

Milk is a good food for a growing toddler, but it's a FOOD, not a drink. Drinking too much will lead to not eating a balanced diet. He should be drinking no more than roughly 16-24 ounces a day...2-3 cups. Offer him a cup of milk with each meal, otherwise fill his cup with water. He'll probably tantrum about it, but after a few days he'll accept that you mean business.

My son is very similar- I sometimes wonder if he was a camel in another life. Part of his drinking was my problem- I would give him a sippy cup and let him go-- refilling it whenever he wanted. As he got a little older (he is 5 now so things are a little different), I made it just be at meals and sit down snacks, no sipping throughout the day. I also switched him to lower fat milk. So essentially he would have a small cup 5 to 6 times a day. Now that he is so independent, I catch him getting water from the fridge in between meals and snacks... look at the bright side- there are kids out there addicted to juice!

My kids like to add those juice powder packets to bottled water and shake it up....it's fun for them. They have lots of sugar-free juice ones. Worth a try!

just say no.....give him water and deal with a few tantrums now while you still have some physical control over what he puts in his mouth..it only gets harder once they can open the fridge themselves...

my 2 1/2 year old son is the same.. i actually started putting half water half milk in his sippy cups.. he doesnt notice the difference..