I'm worried we're still giving him too much milk. He gets 8 ounces in the morning and probably two add'l 5 ounce bottles. Then a few ounces before bed, so probably about 18-24 ounces a day. This was what our ped says was OK at the 12 month check-up. When do you take it down and only offer as a beverage? TIA
Shoot! My 4 year old still drinks milk all day! She usually drinks about 2 sippy cups full in the a.m. and maybe another in the afternoon. She drinks juice and water too, but loves her milk! It doesn't hinder her appetite except for breakfast but she still has a cereal bar and a banana.
Our ped told us not much more than 16 oz total in a day b/c it's filling (and he needed to be eating more from all the food groups). I think you're pretty close to right on track, esp if your little one also eats healthy servings of fruit/vegetables/protein every day.
Our 2 kids go through almost a gallon a day. If he is eating food, sometimes they just don't though, then he is doing okay.
I know we drink too much milk and add the other dairy stuff on...I know we do too much of that food group. But I also think if we eat an otherwise sort of balanced diet that it is all good. My grand-kids are exactly 50% of the height and weight scales so I know they are not effected by the excess milk.
In child care we are required to put milk with each meal. Kids of different ages get different amounts, for example a 2 yr. old may get 4 oz. of milk in a cup where a schoolager may get a full 8 oz. of milk in their cup. But they get it with each meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they are still there when it is served. They get 100% juice with the snacks served, 4 oz. is still a serving of juic.
I think go by what your Ped said. A kid's milk intake can affect where he/she is at on the growth chart. For example, my son is very petite and at 6 he should still have milk with every meal. It has more calories than juice or water. Of course he also eats a meal with it. He still likes to drink a glass of milk before bedtime. So... if I look at how much milk in a day he takes it's probably actually more than your child is taking in with his meals and snacks and before bed.
However, my friend's daughter is sturdy and high on the growth chart. She is 3 and her ped said only one glass of milk per day. Then water.
So, like I said, if your ped says you're doing it right, then don't worry about it. After all, in the above example by their ages you would assume the younger one would have a higher milk intake. Milk is important in those first few years to prevent rickets and other bone diseases, so I wouldn't worry about it.
I literally just came from our ped's office about an hour ago-it was my daughter's 15 mo checkup. I asked this question because my daughter LOVES milk. She actually drinks 24-32 oz per day. Our ped said that 32 oz (4 cups) is max and anything below that is ok.
I was told anything from 16-24 ounces is a healthy amount.
