Traveling with Whole Milk for a 1 Year Old???

For the moms that ask if milk is that important, Yes! it most certainly is. a toddler needs about ###-###-#### cal a day, and 2 cups of milk (the recomended amount) is 300 cal right there. a 15 mnth old is just getting use to a mostly solid diet they need those calories to supplement what they they may not be getting from food. We used a thermos, or plan out when he will get the milk. Example spent from 12pm-5pm at my mom's today with my son. He got 1/2 cup milk with breakfast 1/2 cup midmorning. then we just needed to take a 1/2 cup of milk which he held intill we got there and then got another 1/2 cup when we got home. and we always bring an empty cup for water.

Milk when you're at home, water when you're running around outside the home. When my son drinks juice, I dilute it at least 50% with water and he doesn't notice. I actually prefer juice diluted 50% now as well - it's just TOO sweet.

Same as you. My kids are older but I still pack a cooler with an ice block and water bottles and juice if we are going to be out for the day.

I make milk ice cubes(8), put them in an insulated tippy cup (I use the playtex ones - they also have them with straws i think), then fill with her pediasure (sub milk here). Usually works pretty good for Saturday leaving house at 930 for dance then lunch and errands and not back until about 230.

http://www.horizondairy.com/our-products/milk/lowfat-plai...

I'm not sure how they do this with milk...but this company "Horizon" makes an organic low fat milk that does not need to be refrigerated until it is opened.

Honestly, is the milk THAT important that you need to cart it around all day? That seems silly to me. Bring a sippy of water and he won't die from not drinking a ton of milk while out of the house for the day. Of course we are a milk free family for the most part, but I don't think that him going a day without milk will be detrimental to his health or diet. I mean, he can always drink milk when you guys get home, seems like a huge pain in the rear to cart milk around all day when its not necessary. Just bring him a cup of water, especially with summer months coming up, water is much healthier anyway.

at that age, i put ice water in a sippy cup - they can/will survive several hours without milk. especially with the heat beginning, they NEED water throughout the day. after my kids were weaned from breastmilk/formula, unless we were headed straight to a restaurant to eat and it was convenient, i didn't worry about having milk with us.

I would stop at Mcdonals and buy her a childs 2% milk (for around a buck and is about 8 oz) or I would go to Starbucks and get her a vanilla or chocolate soy milk (ok i'll admit it, I liked stopping at starbucks too lol).
Mine only drank whole milk for a few weeks before she became sensitive to it, but even if your child is on whole milk 2% while running errands wont hurt. You can also ask starbucks for a cup of whole fat milk and they will charge accordingly (they have it on hand). One time I made her a milk shake, but without ice cream. Just put milk and ice in my blender and instant milkshake.
Oh, and I always made sure right before I leave she has a cup of milk. That way it will take a little while before she wants it again.
We did a lot of traveling with her, and especially where I live (so Cali) there is a ton of traffic, so always have to be prepared. Hope this helps.

We used an insulated sippy cup. Kept it cool until finished, and I'd refill it as needed.

For cartrippen I had a cooler in the back with ice that I kept a half gallon in so I could refill it as needed. ((Trick, esp for multi day trips I'd empty out a screw top box of soy milk and replace it with the kind of milk he drank. LOVE the screw top. No spilling if it falls over.)).

For middle of the road stuff (aka not an hour trip, and not all day) milk boxes (horizon, etc.) don't need to be refrigerated. My son's hypoglycemic, and milk is *magic*, so I usually have at least a couple in the glove box, 1 in my purse, and up to a case in the trunk. If you get the chocolate kind it just equals hot chocolate.

If he has had milk before you go just take water and then he can have milk when you get home. Or, you can start with a sippy cup of milk and bring another with water.

It's the only way if you're giving him whole organic milk, otherwise you can stop by a convenience or grocery store. Also if it's not too often you can even buy the boxed milk/soy milk (more expensive)
For my son, I just give him juice boxes while we're out (not all day long)

It is ok to give him water and/or juice which is easier to pack. I would leave the house with one cup and then purchase what I needed while I am out. If I was on a longer ride, I would pack some to limit the need to stop often.

I'm one of those "weirdos" if you wish to use that term (fine by me:) that water is the only essential drink. My kids drink about a glass (6oz, not even 8 really) of milk a day if that and have done so since age one. At that age they may have drank 8-10oz instead of 6 but I NEVER travelled with milk, only water. I do try to only give organic but if we're out I will sometimes buy them milk, but this is really rare. They don't really like milk that much and are both fine with water. Research milk and you can learn more about it. There are pros and cons. I am not a total anti-milk person but do think it's overused pretty often in the U.S.

When we go out, I just buy the individual milk sippys. They sell them at the grocery store. Here is what they look like :

http://www.amazon.com/Horizon-Organic-Vanilla-8-Ounce-Ase...

My son loves them!

When my kids were that age, I made sure they had plenty to drink before we left and then took an empty sippy with me. When we stopped for lunch, I bought a milk(it's ok if it isn't whole) and filled up the sippy. My kids didn't get anything else to drink. Just out for a few hours running errands doesn't mean they needed a ton to drink. If we were doing something outside and it was hot, I brought along water.

Does your son like water at all? If so, just use water while your out and about and if he really wants one, just stop at the gas station and get one. That's what I do with my son.

I understand your concern, but a lowfat version, which isn't going to hurt him, will be OK if you are running errands. This is what you will get at almost all fast food places so it is easy, but expensive to get.. Straight from my pediatrician. Just make sure that most of the time he gets whole milk. I also took a box juice and used a holder for it until both boys learned not to squeeze the box.

Save the milk for the mealtime out of the car and only have water in car. Buy milk where you dine and then refresh the sippy with cold water as you leave. Spilt milk in the car is a big stinky mess, and the milk in the sippy warms up fast in the car anyways.

I agree milk is important (16-24oz) and mine didnt drink enough at just meal times. I had a diaper bag that was half regular bag for diapers and change of clothes and half soft cooler, so I was only taking one bag with me. I use water bottles with sport top and the frozen insert, and put them in a small cooler, then if the bottle goes in and out of the cooler, sits in a cup holder for a while on a hot day I know the insert is still keeping it nice and cool. I also took a half frozen bottle of water for me to sip on and that took the place of one ice pack, if you want a frozen juice box for an extra drink when milk is gone took the place of another. I like powdered milk for trips and camping not sure that it comes in whole milk though, but when he's older...

I use a thermos for mine when I know I will be out. It keeps it cold for hours and hours if you get a good one.

Good luck!

I don't travel with milk. I have a 14 mon old. How long are you out of the house? I assume you only have a whole day out just once in a while? I only carry water in the sippy cup. If the grocery store is a stop on your errands, you can buy a pint of whole milk there. If you are eating at a restaurant, I think they usually serve 2%. But, it's 2% just once. I don't think it would be a big deal to drink 2% just once.
We are not huge milk fans here. I plan to nurse until he's 2 yrs old.
Here's more info on how cow's milk is not nature's best food, only if you're a baby cow.
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/mar/dairy.htm
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1730342331/got-the-fa...

Powder Milk! I carried water bottles and then added the powder. I actually used the Carnation follow-up formula as my kids didn't like the powder milk. My brother uses the powder milk with his kids and they love it. Best wishes and God bless!

I just give mine an 8 oz sippy of milk during breakfast and let him carry that sippy with him in the morning. Then when we are out I give him water or watered down juice. He can have more milk when we get home in the evening. I usually give mine 16 oz of milk per day, a yogurt and a cheese of some sort. I have to do it this way bc he has to drink the lactose free stuff so getting milk out is not going to happen, and carting it around is a lot of work as you said. Mine is also 15 months and if we are out eating somewhere I will let him take sips of my lemonade or give him his own watered down. It works fine for us :D

The same as you are doing, although I will say in a pinch you can pop in to a gas station ( on the expensive side) or a grocery store.

Hi A.,
We did what you are doing, and also got a nice, metal thermos to fill a cup from.
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You don't have to give him milk all day long. Water is fine. Milk should be something you only give him like 2 times a day. Especially on days where you out and about. If all he likes to drink is milk and he throws a fit, tell him all he gets is water and if he don't like I. He can do without. If he gets real thirsty he'll drink it.