Taking Away Milk to Have Child Eat Better

I agree with Debi.... kids at that age don't need milk. That is an American habit, not a need. Yes, it makes sense to reduce the liquid calories to get him to eat other stuff.

Maybe you just need to have a bunch of little foods available all day. He might be a grazer. You can always keep his "lunch" or "dinner" in his own tupperware container and what he doesn't finish goes back in the fridge and if he wants a snack pull it out. He can still sit down with you at lunch and dinner so he gets into that habit, but he doesn't have to eat much.

You doctor is the best judge of if your son is healthy and getting enough calories. But milk is not a requirement. Calcium is.

I went through this with my daughter. My doctor said that as long as the child is eating one meal a day that they will be fine. My daughter is still a picky eater and usually won't eat anything but milk in the mornings still. I have put her on the Arbonne Children's Hybrids. It gives them their daily fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. I can give you more information about them if you would like. It is a powder that you mix with water. Or you can freeze them into popcicles. Hope this helps.

Kids do not NEED milk, they do need calcium. At 1-3 years of age he should have approximatly 500 mg/day. This can be in any form- Calcium enriched products such as OJ, waffles, and bread are wonderful. Along w/ cheese, yogurt, even chocolate milk.
Most 2 year olds don't eat well. Don't stress. The more attention you give him the less he will eat. Offer him 3 meals plus 2 small healthy snacks (a yogurt, fruit, goldfish crackers...) a day. Period. Set the kitchen timer. When the eating time is over it is over. No cajoling, begging or bribing on your part.
There has never been a case of malnutrition reported in children who are offered food.
My oldest child didn't eat dinner from about 18 months of age to 6 years old. He is fine :-)

D.

My 2 yr old doesn't eat much either. I figured out that if I put an empty plate in front of him and wait for him to ask for some of my food, he'll eat everything I give him off of my plate. It's probably not the best long-term solution, but it works great for me. I think he just likes to be in control. He also eats better if I let him scoop out his own seconds. Hope this helps. It also helped when I limited him milk at breakfast only ... water the rest of the day.

I was worried with my 3 year old because she doesn't like milk very much. I thought as long as she was getting yogurt and cheese she was fine. Our pediatrician said that although they do have calcium, other dairy products are not a substitute for milk. They have Calcium they lose it when they poop without the Vitamin D that milk provides, so he said. Talk to your doctor to see how he feels about taking the milk away because ours was very clear that milk is necessary in toddlers. In fact he told me to put whatever (strawberry or chocolate flavoring, etc) I had to into it to get my oldest (3) to drink it. He said that not getting enough milk at a young age will cause osteoporosis when they are in their 20s.

We also have a 2 year old 'milk-aholic' at our house, but the doctor said she was fine unless she drinks more than the recommended amount per day (and I can't remember what he said that was). However, I know that she drinks at least 12 oz a day and the doctor said that was fine.

To get him to eat, try to make the meals fun by letting him help when possible (stirring, pouring ingredients, etc). Plus, I try and always have fruit on hand because my girls love it and I usually give it with breakfast & lunch. I would also really limit the amount of snacking he's doing. If he gets cookies after leaving an empty plate at dinner, that is not teaching him anything. Make cookies a dessert after meals when he's eaten well and give him (somewhat) healthy snacks during the day like fruit, veggies, crackers, applesauce, etc.

I hope something I've said helps. Please remember that no matter how well intentioned moms are by giving advice, your doctor always knows best so give him a call. I hope you get the answers you need soon.