Have You Ever Heard of Drinking to Much Milk?

Updated on November 29, 2007
R.T. asks from Dover, DE
15 answers

My daughter's doctor told me I need to cut my daughter's milk intake down to about 16 ounces a day she was probably having twice that. The doctor told me that the body can not break down all the iron & could cause her to become anemic. They wanted me to give her more juice & now she does not want milk. I do make her drink it even though she does not want it. Has any one ever hear of such a thing?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.E.

answers from Washington DC on

I hadn't heard of the too much milk but always mix my son's juice with 1/2 juice and 1/2 water so he isn't getting too much sweet and some water too. Also I give him ovaltine mixed with the milk if he is being picky about the milk and he likes soy milk too.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.C.

answers from Richmond on

I have 2 boys,19 and 15 yr,and a 20month old baby girl and YES,this is what the doctors are saying now!My dr also said 16- 20 ounces a day ,no more than 24and you are supposed to keep their juice intake to no more than 12,I think.My daughter prefers the juice however,so I water that down to about 50/50-I think this 'new'thing with less milk/juice is to try and get more water in them.Also like everything else moderation is the key,'cause even too much of a good thing,like milk,CAN be a bad thing...juice and sweets are not the only things that cause tooth decay....but too much milk also,go figure!!!.

thing with less milk/juice is to try and get more water in them.Also like everything else moderation is the key,'cause even too much of a good thing,like milk,CAN be a bad thing...juice and sweets are not the only things that cause tooth decay....but too much milk also,go figure!!!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.R.

answers from Washington DC on

Yes actually I have heard of this and my girlfriend's daughter is now anemic and they think it may have partially been because of all the milk she drinks.

My doctor told me the same thing when that's all my daughter wanted to drink. We introduced juice to her around 20 months and limit it to one cup a day mixed with some water so it's not as much sugar. She usually has 2 cups of milk and then the rest of the day it's water.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.D.

answers from Washington DC on

Cow's milk isn't that great of a food. It does have some vitamins, but they aren't vitamins that you cannot get elsewhere. Babies/toddlers/children on cow's milk are often constipated and/or have digestive issues that could probably be linked to their cow's milk intake. And, yes, the anemia thing is possible in children who drink a lot of milk.

Part of the problem is that Americans think that kids "must" drink cow's milk. This simply isn't true. Cow's milk is not a required food. It can be replaced by rice milk, almond milk or even soy milk (although that one should be limited). Water is the best possible drink for babies/toddlers/kids. It is what people are supposed to drink to quench thirst and provide hydration to the body.

Getting past the feeling that you are doing something wrong by taking cow's milk out of your child's diet is the biggest step. Do the research yourself and see if you can't find a lot of things that are wrong with drinking milk.

My son has have very few cups of cow's milk in his life and he is perfectly healthy, very active and gets plenty of calcium and vitamin D. There is nothing "missing" in his diet (except maybe more vegetables....but what kid doesn't need more veggies?).

A.
____@____.com

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

I.M.

answers from Richmond on

Too much dairy can affect the body's ability to absorb the iron in other foods. You could offer her soymilk instead, my son loves it, especialy the chocolate, and it has so much more good stuff than than cows milk. There is so little nutrution in juice, I try to keep juice down to one serving a day with the excpetion of the V8 Fusion, it's a combo fruit and veggie juice that's really yummy and has more good stuff than plain old fruit juice.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.E.

answers from Washington DC on

I actually had to do this to my 3 y.o. and my 23 month old. Their dr. also said something about if I didn't cut them down on the milk they would be at risk for rickets. But you might want to give her milk with her breakfast, lunch, dinner. And juice through out the day.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.D.

answers from Harrisburg on

If a child is drinking too much milk (or any drink, for that matter) they won't have any room to eat 'real' foods, so I have heard that too much milk is bad. I don't know about the iron not being absorbed, though. I was told that the thing to avoid is having them fill up on milk or juice before they've eaten other things, so offer a variety of foods at meals before bringing out the milk/juice, and give them water between meals with whatever snacks they have.

I don't know how old your daughter is, but at 12 months, we started our children on whole milk with meals plus one sippy before bed (probably a total of about 16 ounces) Water or juice are for snacks, unless they ask for water (water is always good). We have three meals with snacks between for the kids, so they get a good variety of foods/nutrition.

If they don't want milk, it's not a problem as long as they're eating other foods with calcium, protein, etc. I have three kids and only one of them really likes milk. The other two eat other dairy products, so I think it evens out - there's no reason to force milk if it's that big of a fight. My oldest (5 years old, now) prefers water to all other drinks, actually.

Hope that helps!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.M.

answers from Charlottesville on

Yes I have heard of this but just 2 weeks ago and I have a child about to turn 25. It is crazy. My twins just turned 1 and the dr says no more than 12 ounces a day. I couldn't believe it, I have never heard that before. But like I said I have been a mom for 25 years and honey you wouldn't believe the things that have changed then maybe changed back it is crazy. I don't think they can decide what is good and what is not. My girls love tea and they say that is bad too, they say it does the same thing with the iron or something. Sounds like you are a very concerned mom so I think you are doing fine. KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB!!

May God Bless

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Washington DC on

R.,
So many people give so much information. I think it is Great if you choose to give your child Cow milk. I agree that Whole Milk is the best. My doctor told me just last month no more than 24 oz of milk a day until the age of 3. She said too much milk will cause poor iron and vitamin absorption. She also stated that too much milk can cause Calcium build up in the Gallbladder. Too much Calcium in the Gallbladder can lead to Gallstones in anyone.
Much of the problem with Cow milk is in the process they use to pasteurize the milk causing a major breakdown in vitamins. Be careful on the juice. They really do contain a lot of sugar and depending on the kind, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Even 100% juice is filled with sugar. Of course your daughter wants the juice! She is very smart. Try watering down the juice! I use 2 0z of juice to 4 oz of water. We use local milk (Farmers Wife, Remington VA) and she gets from a small farm in PA. We use the Organic Whole Homogenized milk. I give my daughter a 7oz cup at Breakfast, Lunch & dinner. The milk has a very creamy/sweet taste. She would drink 35oz a day if I would let her. I give her water for her morning snack. (yogurt/cheese)For her afternoon snack she loves raisins or multigrain crackers. This is when she gets her juice. Sometimes I will take fruit/blender and make her a small cup of juice or throw some ice in it. She loves fruit smoothies!
Another thing I have researched and my doctor agrees. Drink ½ your body weight in pounds in ounces of water daily.
· For example, a 20 pound boy needs to drink 10oz. Nothing substitutes for water, not tea, not juice….nothing.
Hope that helps! Just asking shows you care enough! You are a good mom and your daughter is lucky
Jenn
Mom to Bryce~9, Austin~6, Taylor~15mnths
Step Mama to Nich~15, Christian~14

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from Richmond on

Calcium blocks the absorption of iron which is why the doctor warned you about giving too much milk. Vitamin C, however, enhances the absorption of iron so I have always tried to pair a high iron snack with a cup of diluted juice for my son who is now two. He tended to prefer juice over milk until I diluted it just enough that he likes them both pretty well and I can offer either and he readily accepts. Good luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.R.

answers from Washington DC on

i have not heard about this but it makes sense anything can be too much of a good thing. I do know that with childhood obesity and other things a lot of milk can be detrimental but too little of the good fat found in whole milk and whole yogurt is essential to good brain growth, namely the mylein sheath that allows the neurotransmitters to move impulese rapidily along the nerves is also essential.
With my daughter until she was 2 and after 1 she had a 4-6 oz glass of whole milk after eatting a meal. After 2 we switched to skim milk. Then only water throughout the day as her doctor said NO juice till after 2-3 b/c children fill up on it and it is high in sugar, even 100% and is a contributing factor to childhood obesity.
I would cut the juice with 1/2 water to start and increase to 3/4 water and she will drink less juice and more water. Also if she refuses milk(mine went thriugh this after my mother in law gaver her nothing but juice while she had her for 5 days) I would only allow milk after meals and No juice and then water later. She eventually decided to drink the milk.
I alos buy the OJ with vitamin D and she eats other milk products so at 4 I do not worry as much. My neice eats NOTHING with milk she hates cheese, and anyother milk related product so my sister gives her OJ with vitamin D and she eats broccoli(sp) everyday. So there is always a way to get in the vitamins needed.
H.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.H.

answers from Washington DC on

My dr always said, and I have read in books as well, limit juice to 4-6 oz a day and milk can be unlimited. If you are lucky enough that your kid likes V8 or some other veggie juice, this does not count towards the 4-6 oz. They should also drink some water, but I have never had great luck with that. My son will drink water only if he's really thirsty and I put lots of ice in it. I also dilute his fruit juice.....half juice half water.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.N.

answers from Washington DC on

yes, i had to cut down the amount of milk my kids were drinking and when i tried cutting it down they wouldn't go less. so i started adding water to the milk for example in a 6 oz milk i'd add 2 oz water that way they could drink 8 oz fluid.
you didn't say how old she is, but around the age of 1 they should be drinking 12 to 16 oz milk a day. it's ok if they drink up to 20 but i think that is plenty
vlora

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.R.

answers from Washington DC on

My kids doctor told me the same thing a few years ago. If she doesn't want to drink milk then don't worry about it. As long as she has milk products like cheese, yogurt or ice cream. It has the same nutritional value. They also have pedia shure.It is like a shake. You can ask the doctor if she is old enough.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.B.

answers from Washington DC on

All new studies say that cows milk is not good for humans because our body cant digest it. It is much better to give goats milk. But children over the age of three shouldn't drink cows milk at all. And if she has a good diet she will get everything she needs. Fruits and vegetables have more calcium and iron then milk. Plus she isn't getting most of the vitamins from cows milk anyway because our bodies cant process it. Hope this helps.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches