Daughter Doesn't like to Drink Milk

I hate milk too. My mom tried all my childhood to get me to drink it. I still hate it. There are other foods that have enough calcium and if you still feel she isn't getting enough calcium or vitamin D, give her a good, whole foods, supplement. We don't even buy milk anymore. My husband and son are lactose intolerant and my daughter doesn't like it either. We use Rice milk, almond milk and in small amounts for me, soy milk.

Hi T., I put a scoop of Ovaltine in my daughter's milk. It has extra vitamins and minerals, but not corn syrup as you'll find in most of the flavored syrup. Sometimes we do vanilla extract too. hope this helps!

My kids love Silk Vanilla Soy. Cow milk is for a 600 lb animal, not your kids. Yuk. Soy has more good stuff in it. It's worth a shot. They also have chocolate.

We're not big milk drinkers at our house either. We have some in cereal and that's about it. We eat enough other foods(veggies, fruit, orange juice, etc.) to get our vitamins. Don't push her, it's not necessary that it come from milk. Other veggies and fruits actually have more calcium.

HI T.!
There are lots of studies out there on why milk is not good for children to drink. She is getting plenty of calcium from her veggies and yogurt. Cow's milk is meant for baby cows and causes allergies and congestion in children. It is a misconception that anyone needs dairy. An alternative is almond milk which has good fats to help develop the brain. We do eat dairy but sparingly and use almond milk in our cereals. It was the dairy council telling us all that dairy is necessary for healthy children. When quite the opposite is true. Don't take my word for it, research it, and know it for yourself.

We've found it's better not to force our 3 year old to eat one particular food as it makes her even more adverse to eating it. If she'll eat cheese, go for that instead!

M.

My children can't tolerate cow milk. My doctor recommended drinking the Calcium fortified Orange Juice. Kids love it!

I would buy the yogurt in a tube at Trader Joe's and freeze it. My daughter prefers it to be frozen (could be that she does not like a smooth texture) Chocolate or strawberry flavor to squeeze into the milk and get her a straw or a spoon to drink. The flavors could entice her to drink some milk?????

My daughter did not like applesauce until I gave her a straw to drink it instead of a spoon~

Food should be fun~~~

Broccoli has a lot of calcium.

In traditional societies where milk isn't consumed much, real bone broth is the major source of calcium. It's SO easy to make! I would do research on soy products before giving many of those. For more info on broth and traditional diets, see
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/broth.html

Hi-
Have you tried adding flavoring to her milk--chocolate or strawberry syrup? Also, my kids love the orange juice with calcium (I think it tastes funny but I don't tell them).

Additionally we toss the Gogurt sticks in the freezer and they eat them like a popsicle since apparantly it is wayyyyyyyyyy better than not frozen....

Some children's vitamins have some calcium in them.

Broccoli is supposed to be a good calcium source and shock of all shock all 5 of my kids LOVE those little trees.... at the beginning we made a big deal of how cute and cool they are and raced to see who could eat theirs first.

Any combination of the above may get a full day's supply in her.
Good luck.

My daughter also went through stages of not drinking milk, and as long as they get other protein and calcium, it's not so necessary. It's great that your daughter eats so many other good things, especially protein. Remember things like broccoli and spinach also have calcium. Great that she eats cheese, maybe try new dishes with melted cheese on top, mac-n-cheese, and grilled cheese sandwiches. We also eat a lot of Chinese dishes with calcium-rich tofu (preferably organic - most USA soy products are made with GMO soybeans, which studies reveal cause health problems) - just add organic soft or silken tofu to soups or stir-fry dishes. You can also experiment with yogurt and ice-cream smoothies, creamy soups, oatmeal with milk, etc. I also found that just adding a small amount of chocolate syrup to milk helped my daughter drink more of it. You can also get calcium-fortified OJ and cereals and other products. Remember it also usually takes 3-4 introductions of a new dish before a child will decide they like it, so don't give up the first time you offer - offer it again after a couple of weeks. Good luck, though it sounds like she eats pretty well already.

If her body is saying 'no' to milk, I would respect that. There's lots of calcium in dark green leafy veggies, almonds, not to mention the cheese that she's eating. Google the calcium levels in different greens and just be sure to give those to her. If you think about it, greens are where cows get their calcium from to put in their milk in the first place!

Have you tried chocolate milk? Milk has the highest concentrate of calcium, so maybe adding something to it, flavored syrup just to get her to drink it.

having to drink milk is a myth. yes, it does contain calcium, yet broccoli contains just as much. if she is eating (raw is the best) fruits and veggies, she's good. also yes cheese and yogurt....

I try to trust my son when there is a food he absolutely will not eat. As he get older, I'm finding he has allergies and so I believe that it is his way of telling me early on that that particular food does not work for him.

Remember that spinach and brocolli have calcium, too. Look into what fruits and veggies have calcium and keep those in her diet. Also, fruit smoothies with yogurt "hidden" inside could be helpful. I think whey protein (for the smoothies) has calcium as well.
Hopefully, that helps a bit. We don't do cow's milk in my house, we do almond milk and it has some calcium, too. My kids love yogurt and eat it everyday so I have it a bit easier.
Good luck,B

T.,
That is wonderful! Milk is truly terrible! This country drinks the most milk and has the highest osteoporosis and disease! Why is milk so unhealthy? 1. Milk is designed to fatten a calf. 2. Even without the fat the hormones, antibiotics, etc. is unhealthy, and 3. even if you are drinking a fresh, raw milk from a neighbors cow, milk has a protein called casein that is absolutely linked to cancer and other diseases! It is also not correct that we get calcium from milk, it has a little, yes, but a serving of broccoli has more calcium.

so don't worry about the milk. We don't drink it at all! for more information please visit Dr. Pam Popper of The Wellness Forum at WellnessForum.com you can also email her any question you have and my number one favorite pediatrician is Dr. William Sears at AskDrSears.com. Also, ask me about whole food supplement that kids can get for FREE!
OH and another resource, is the Founder and Director of CACE: Center for Advancement of Cancer Education does NOT recommend milk. She is speaking in Phoenix next week if you'd like to hear her! We teach Dr. Sears LEAN kids program. Feel free to email me for dates.
S. Fritz
Health Educator
S.

Be glad! Cow's milk is one of most common food allergies and hard to digest. As humans we're not even supposed to drink it, we're the only mammal that switches to the milk of another mammal once we're weaned. Between the veggies, cheese and yogurt, your daughter is fine. Water is the best thing for her to drink. Stay away from sugar-filled juice.

Good for her! Cow's milk is not part of a human being's natural diet. The dairy industry is part of the government's attempt to control our population. There are many ways to get all the vitamins and minerals she needs without it. Avoid soy products, however, as the soy used to produce them is bathed in hexane (a chemical similar to gasoline). Read labels and become educated about what ingredients are in the foods you choose to feed her.