How Much Milk Is Too Much??

I have the same issue. I have an almost two year old son who asks for chocolate milk at least six times a day. I try to give him milk or water but sometimes he freaks out. Usually he freaks out actually. I am trying to work him into other stuff but its hard. I say whatever works good luck!

I was told too that my boys were having too much milk but I think you only have to start worrying when their weight drops too much.

J. W,
I would try to see if he drinks that much milk if you lessen the amount of times you put chocolate in his milk. I first am curious if he is craving the milk due to defeciency or if he is craving the milk because of the chocolate. Generally speaking they let you know what they need, so I am sure you are doing a great job. The only concern to me is too much chocolate can be bad for teeth, getting into a habbit of needing sweets, the calories can eventually start adding up as well. My son drank a gallon of milk daily and is a strong healthy 18 year old boy now, milk is better than koolaid or soda and sometimes even juice unless you are very picky about what types to buy. I would also be concerned if they don't drink water to help flush their systems, my son always drank one glass a day until he was 2 then we went to 2-3. This also helps them have an easier time using the restroom.

It sounds like a bit too much. You don't want him to get totally filled on that to where he's not hungry to get other protein, veggies, fruits, grains, etc. Also, there is going to be quite a bit of sugar in the chocolate milk that isn't necessary. I would recommend switching to regular milk because it would be so much healthier for him and it would also probably make it so he's not drinking so much each day. He's probably guzzling it because it's sweet and yummy and a treat. Just occasional chocolate milk is what you should really be doing. Excess sugar can lead to childhood obesity.

Our little guy (20M) varies. Somedays he drinks a lot of milk, somedays just a cup or two. Our ped sug 20-24 oz as a goal, and (50% diluted with water) 100% fruit juice only as an occassional treat.

We limit choc milk to restaurants only, which we frequent about once a week.

Hi J.,

There are probably a few things to be aware of:
1. The amount of sugar in the milk itself and the syrup. My girlfriend son who is a milk mongar just had a root canal at four because of all the milk and suagrs sitting on his teeth all day. Not to mention refined sugars supress the immune system.

2. The amount of calories your son is getting each day and balancing them.

3. Getting the rainbow of fruits and veggies each day is very important and molding his taste buds to like these foods. Now is the time to build a foundation for the future.

Here's some great info: http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/Plan/PreschoolersPl...

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=6

Good luck!

L.
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Unfortunately, you really should cut back. The milk and the chocolate have so much sugar that isn't really good for him. My kids were huge milk drinkers as well, and the doctor had us cut back. They really need to get their calories from more varied sources, along with all of the vitamins and minerals from other food.
If he is drinking regular chocolate milk with syrup, I would start by switching it to a chocolate instant breakfast powder. At least, he will be getting nutrients from that.
Also, you may want to institute a rule that he can only have water with meals?

Hi J.,
When kids are learning about new food tastes and textures it isn't a good idea to allow them to limit their intake to just one thing. Of course he is going to choose the chocolate drink over anything else, who wouldn't. Start weaning him from the treat drink and replace it with other things. I bet that soon you will see an improvement in his willingness to try new things and eat healthy.
And don't worry so much about what is "right" for everyone else. Do what feels right for you and enjoy the ride :)
Take care,
B.

Milk is good for them - better than juice, but too much milk can actually interfere with calcium absorption, so it can be a bad thing. Add all of that sugar from the chocolate on top of that and it can be bad for his growing teeth. Try to limit the milk to one glass with each meal and give water in between meals. Also, if you can cut down to adding chocolate to only one cup of milk per day, that will wean him from the sugar. Good luck!

YES!!! So far I've had 3 milk mongrels. The fourth is undecided. Like the other posters, my children's doctors have said to cut milk intake back. I was actually very surprised that when I offered water instead of milk (when they came from playing asking for milk because they were thirsty) they drank it down. They didn't turn their noses up at it like I thought they would. My theory is that when they are truly thirsty, they just want something to quench the thirst. When they are hungry or just craving something, that's when they pitch a fit over water. Most of the time they just drink what I give them now, though. Also, I switched my kids from sippy cups to regular child-sized cups around 2 (for meal times). We moved into a new house when my twins turned 2, and they would take their sippy cups of milk and spit the milk out at each other getting it on the carpets, couches, walls, etc. They lost their "roaming" privileges and can now only have something to drink at the table or counter. Now, all of my children drink from regular cups at mealtimes. Even the youngest (18 months). She gets a sippy during the day sometimes still, but only one or two total. I'm saying this about the regular cups because it really helped cut back on the milk intake just because they had to drink it at the table or counter. They didn't want to take time out from playing to sit and drink when they really weren't that thirsty. So now, they get about 3-5 5oz cups of milk a day. And sometimes they ask for something else, so it's not always milk. Maybe give it a shot. I also agree with everyone else about the chocolate. If you have to give it to him, change it to something more nutritional (carnation breakfast, ovaltine, etc...). Good luck!

Amelia was drinking a lot of milk and our pedi had us reduce it because she was not eating well. After we reduced it she started eating better. He told us kids should not have more then 16 to 24 oz of milk products per day. We now give her more water then milk

Yes he should cut back. My daughter was the same way with milk and juice. So at her 2 year check up I asked the doctor about it and he said she needed to cut back. Now my daughter is very healthy and in the right weight range. She is 28 1/2 lbs and is 3 feet tall. (yes that is tall for a 2 year old) But the doc. said she would eat food better if she didn't drink so much liquids. He also said now that she was two she didn't need to still be on whole milk. which is nice cause now I don't have to buy two different kinds of milk. Anyways I would cut back some. Maybe give him his meal first with no drink then once he has eaten a good amount of it let him have his milk. It's ok to give him water with his meal now too. Which is what I do if my daughter has already had a lot of milk that day.

Hi J. -

Dont sweat some of the harsh responses you've received. Learn to trust your "mom-sense", it prompted you to write in today.

With that said, at your son's age, if chocolate milk (or even plain milk) is his main source of nutrition, then he is drinking too much of it. He's getting a lot of empty sugar calories which is why he's not eating regular meals. When you cut down on the chocolate milk, he will eat more of the healthy foods you feed him. You may have a bit of a fight on your hands, but be patient and most of all persistent.

My youngest son refused milk at 12 mos old so we moved to transition formula. Since 2, the only milk he will drink is Horizon vanilla milk in a box. He even stopped taking milk in his cereal. To help you compare, I only give my son one box of the vanilla milk maybe 2 or 3 times a week. He gets most of his calcium from other dairy foods like cheese and yogurt, and occasionally ice cream or a Carnation instant breakfast. I also give him a daily calcium gummybear supplement recommended by my doctor.

Here's my suggestion to wean him off of the chocolate milk -

First off, start using less and less chocolate in his milk. He won't know the difference and will quickly become accustomed to it. So, if your at McDonalds and he wants choc milk, buy an extra white milk and mix them in a cup. Secondly, don't make milk his "go to" drink whenever he is thirsty - offer him water or diluted juices some of the time. Lastly, give him milk after his meals rather than before.

I hope that helps you!!

C.

First off, GET RID of the Choco Milk. If anything give him regular milk. As stated before you mind as well be giving the kid a candy bar.

Second, give him a cup(your choice on size) of milk with each milk. If he asks for a drink in between meals give him water.

I have a milk-mongrel who is now 8, she still would drink her entire fill of milk instead of eating. But we limit the milk until after she eats.

The schedule that I keep with my near 2 year old is this:
If he wakes up between 4:00am & 6 am he gets a bottle of milk. If he sleeps until 7 am then we skip the bottle. He gets a cup of milk with Breakfast, and Lunch. And then he gets a cup of milk about 3-4 pm (afternoon snack kinda thing, but it comes with a food snack like goldfish) Then he gets one with dinner and right before bedtime. I figure he gets a 4 oz cup of milk about every 3-4 hours. But he drinks lots of water in between. And with it being warm outside, he is starting to go longer and skip "milk sessions" and go straight for the water.

To much milk won't hurt them at this age, but don't start them on chocolate milk, notice the sugar content. It will hurt them in the future as that is what they crave. My brother did that with his kids and they are not only huge, but they have a VERY hard time eating anything healthy. Or if it is healthy, they had enough sugar to make it very unhealthy.

My kids drink Milk 90% of the time. We go through 6 to 8 gallons every 2 weeks. The amount is around 9oz per cup. I figure milk is better than the sugar juice that they could be drinking. If he is healthy, then he is fine. He will get the nutrition he need. I say don't worry about it, let him have as much as he wants.
Also, I think it helps them have stronger bones. There have been many times that my kids should have had broken bones and they don't, I was told it was because I allowed them as much milk as I do.

My doctor always says to give them the drink after they eat so they don't just fill up on liquids. My son is the same way. He would rather drink than eat.

Yes, it sounds like your child is drinking too much milk. In fact most 2 year olds drink too much cow's milk (breastfed 2 year olds are another story since breastmilk is a better food for humans). Although milk is healthy, too much of it makes a child too full for other important foods. And worst of all, drinking too much milk can lead to a form of anemia (lack of iron in the blood). My best advice would be to continue to give him milk when he asks for it, but give him about 1/2 a cup instead of a full one. If he finishes and asks for more then give him water (you can flavor his water with a little fruit juice, but too much fruit juice is bad too). You can gradually reduce his milk consumption to about two 8 oz servings a day (or four 4oz servings) and that will be a good amount for him. Go to mypyramid.gov to find out more about what your child should be eating, it is a really great website.

Don't beat yourself up about his diet too much though, it can be a real challenge to get kids to eat healthier, I have one daughter who does great and loves veggies and one who I have to sneak her veggies pureed in other foods or she will eat none! Kids can be really stubborn about food so we just have to keep trying.

I would definately cut the chocolate milk WAY back. My kids get one cup of Choc. milk a day MAX! Even for white milk my 4 y/o probably drinks 2 cups a day, and my 6 y/o prolly drinks 4c. My 1y/o drinks like 1/2 a cup, but is still nursing. But at the age of 2 a child needs to be eating mostly solids.

Does he drink any water too? I would take away chocolate milk to be a treat and limit it to 2 oz, or maybe try carnataion instant breakfast so at least he's getting some protein and vitamins. I give my son a sippie of water, milk, and juice every day. I try to alternate until all 3 are gone by the end of the day. My kids can only have water throughout the day, and special drinks after their meals. This also helps with not finding a sippie cup of milk 2 days later.

Get rid of the chocolate milk. It is like giving him candy to eat all of the time. Use regular milk.

Our dr said between 16 and 24. Talk to your dr because there is such a thing as too much. Our daughter LOVES milk too so we really have to watch her as well.

I am not positive, you should Google and ask your Dr. but I think it's between 20-24oz.. might be as much as 30 at age two. From a mom who's son doesn't eat a lot, I was told by Children's Feeding Clinic to offer milk/drinks only after the end of the meal. We do flavored milk but with Carnation Instant Breakfast for additional calories and nutrition. Regular chocolate milks will be a lot of unneeded sugar -- . But we needed to try to get most of his meal/nutrition from actual foods and not milk -- which will fill up your child but not give enough nutrition or calories.

Good luck

Our doctor still has our almost 3yo on whole milk. I think it's pretty standard to have whole milk at least until the 2nd birthday. However, that much fat is really going to fill him up fast. As far as the chocolate, I'd start weaning him off it. You can go gradually. 3 parts chocolate to 2 part white, then half and half and then 1 part chocolate to 3 parts white, until he's drinking white. The sugar in the chocolate is a lot, especially for how much he's drinking. We allow chocolate milk as a special treat, but not on a regular basis. In fact, I think it's been about since Christmas, and our kids drink plenty of milk. You just have to get them used to it. For eating more, we find it's very effective to limit milk, whether it's one drink at the beginning of the meal, or wait until halfway through. GL!

It is great he is such a great milk drinker! I say take it away until he has eaten half his meal though. I think the standard at his age is 24 oz a day.

My pediatrician actually told me that my kids should be drinking three 8 oz glasses a day. That doesn't happen. They like milk but actually prefer water, so at dinner they have a big glass, they eat yogurt, cheese and lot's of other dairy so we are all good there.

I definitely wouldn't be giving a 2 year old a 10 oz cup of chocolate milk though. One chocolate milk is more then enough. If he won't drink milk otherwise make sure he gets his dairy from somewhere else.

Give him milk DURING dinner or after he has completed half instead of allowing free range drinking too. That will help him get what he needs from other sources like veggies and fruits.

He needs fat for his growing brain, but he can get it from all sorts of places. Make sure he is drinking 1% milk too as he does not need whole milk at all, that has tons of fat in it and if he is drinking 40 oz a day that is extreme.

I think it's pretty normal for a child to want alot of milk. Both my children where milk-a-holics:) I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of milk but I would definatly cut down the Chocolate milk, one cup a day as a treat with a snack or something seems sufficent to me. If you're still worried about the amount, you could try introducing juices or even water to his meals and snack times. Or, try giving him a smaller cup full of milk. It's slim, but there's a chance he might not notice and drink less. Or, when all else fails, ask the doc. But like I said, mine drank alot and they seem to have grown up ok.