Too Much Milk?

I agree with the amount you are giving him...the only thing I would watch is if he's eating as well as drinking...if he's not give him the milk either when he's half done with the meal or after...when my son was little he would rather drink his milk then he was too full to eat...by offerring it to him later he eats more and drinks less...

I have a son the same age and my ped said 20 - 24 oz. per day. Hope this helps!! It sounds like that's around what you're giving him so you should be good! I think most sippy cups are around 8 oz. good luck with baby #2!

Doctors say you should limit a toddler's milk intake to 20-24 oz. per day. This is because calcium inhibits the absorption of iron, so too much milk/calcium can cause some kids to be iron deficient. It would be better to give water or juice with meals and milk inbetween meals so your son can absorb the iron he consumes.

I had read somewhere a guideline -- remember guidelines are just that, something to go by. But it was 2 - 6oz cups of milk I do believe. Most sippy cups are about 6oz. Some days my boys want more milk and I am ok with that because usually another day they may want more juice or water and over a weeks time they are good. Usually the guidelines are so that your child does not fill up on milk. Sometimes my older boy would do that and we would have to not offer the milk right with the meal, but after he had ate a significant amount of food. I would say my boys usually drink 3 cups a day. I have noticed each of them go through 1 gal of milk every 5-6 days... As long as he is eating well and is getting everything he needs, I think that what your doing sounds great!

I agree with some of the other posters. About 24 oz. is the most that we were told to give our daughter who absolutely loves milk. She would drink it all day if we let her. Our doctor warned us that 24 oz. of dairy a day was the limit we should try to stick to. If she has too much on a regular basis, she can develop anemia (due to lack of iron in the diet) and need to be hospitalized. This can happen without much warning and all other things seeming normal.

yes, there is definitely such a thing as too much milk. milk doesn't have many of the vitamins and mineral that the body needs on a daily basis. by him drinking so much milk he will not be eating solids as much as well. also, whole milk has a lot of fat, so if her is eating lots of solids and drinking lots of milk, he probably is getting too much fat. he should have some water in place of some of the milk. we don't fill up on water, but we do on milk. i'm also not a big proponent of juice. a little mixed with water during the day is fine, but eat the fruits instead of drinking them. at his age apple and grape juice are the best.
mom of 2 delicious girls ages 14yrs and 9 yrs.

Hi Lynsey
Too much milk when you are talking about sippy cups seems like that would be hard to do.
Used to be they said kids needed a quart of milk a day. In 4oz. cups, which is what my sippy cups were, that would be 8 full sippy cups.
I was curious what people are saying today.
God bless you
K. SAHM married 38 years --- adult children 37,32, and twins 18.

My oldest daughter used to chug milk after her 1st birtchday too. She didn't like water or juice. At her 18 month checkup, she was diagnosed with anemia due to her high intake of milk. They should drink no more than 24 oz. I would definitely keep track of how much milk he is drinking.

That is not alot of milk. He is still a baby. Let him
enjoy. As long as he is eating he is fine. The only
problem with "too much milk" is that he would not eat
because the milk satisfies him. As long as he is happy,
let him be.

It doesn't sound like to much milk to me. As long as it is not effecting his meals then I would let him be. He sounds like a healthy little boy. I say if its not broken why fix it.

I think I remember my Ped. saying that 24 oz. a day was a good limit, but she was worried about calories more than anything else. Sounds like you're doing fine!! (She'd rather my daughter got her calories from FOOD than milk. :-))

toddlers should have a total of 16 oz of milk (or less if they are eating cheese, yogurt, etc) to get their recommended daily calcium intake.

At some point, too much milk / calcium can inhibit iron absorption which is important for brain development. I'm not sure how much is too much, more than 3 cups I'm sure; that you'd have to ask your doctor

Hi Lynsey, he should be having about 3 cups (8 oz measure) of milk a day. Having milk with each of his meals and a little milk at bedtime is normal. I'd be more concerned about your mention of juice throughout the day. At his age, only about 4 ounces of juice should be consumed. Too much juice is more of a problem than too much milk, there really isn't any nutritional value to the juice, it's a lot of empty calories. I would limit that to one serving of 4 ounces.
Good luck

Hi Lynsey,
My son is now 2 1/2 and at his second yr pediatrician appointment I was told that he should be drinking 8oz a day. It sounds like he is getting that exactly...so I would say keep it up.

All the best with #2!
A.

3 cups is definitely not too much! You can add in another cup or two if you want. As long as he's eating well, I wouldn't worry at all. :)

As someone who grew up in Wisconsin where milk is served and drunk with every meal and even in between - I don't think there is such a thing as too much if it is not causing any kind of allergy or digestion problem.

We all drank alot of milk and to this day I have never had a broken bone which I probably should have and I have only had 1 cavity in my almost 34 years of life.

I think its great that he loves milk so much because it will keep him away from the other sugary drinks. I hope my son comes to like it as much.

I guess the only other thing I would say is that I know some doctors are suggesting that at 2 years old they switch from whole milk to a lower fat milk - but I would ask your Pediatrician about that.

Lynsey,

I recall reading an article that you can give kids too much milk. I think the guideline was not more than about 20-24oz per day inclusive of all dairy products (yogurt/cheese/etc). Double check with your pediatirican.

It sounds like you are within that amount.

---K.

Our Ped. Dr. said that we should not give our son anymore than 30 ounces of fluid no matter what it is, per day. Otherwise you chance flushing out nutrients the baby needs. Hope this helps. But I'd ask your Dr.

our son is 3. LOVES his milk. our doc said 24 ounces a day in how ever many servings. i used to give one cup each meal but since he asks for it all day i sometimes delve out 4oz servings throughout the day.

My doctor told me 16-20 oz. Closer to 16 oz if he has other dairy. Sounds to me like you are giving him the perfect amount. My son is the same age and loves his milk also and sometimes goes past this amount. I say as long as they are getting other nutrients from veggies, fruits and grains and don't have a problem from the milk it is fine.

Hi Lynsey,

There is such thing as too much milk. I forget what the daily intake should be, but it sounds like most of the other posters are pretty consistent. My daughter LOVES milk. When she went for her 2 year check up, her iron was low and needed the extra iron in her vitamins. The ped said it was probably from the amount of milk she was drinking. If you are within the range, I wouldn't worry. Just make sure he is also eating food that is higher in iron if he seems to be drinking more than normal.

J.

Milk is certainly better for him than sugary juice. As long as he's not constipated let him have as much as he wants. When I was young women were told not to drink milk since it causes bursitis from calcium deposits. These same women today have osteoporosis from lack of calcium. I also have a problem with low fat anything for small children. If you research, children's brains need fat to grow and develop. Why deprive them of natural fat in milk and then give them cookies and chips with artificial fat? It doesnt make sense. Also 2% milk simply means 2% of the glass is fat. It does not mean that whole milk is 100% fat. Actually whole milk is 31/2% fat, so you really arent getting that much less fat. I worry about the processing of low fat milk and wonder what else is taken out and HOW it is done.