About DS drinking milk

[darwinsbabe]

I have a DS who is almost 3.

My DH drinks water all the time and we encourage my son to do the same but he always refuses and asks for milk instead. Even with the lure of diluting juice he will opt for milk. My DH thinks he drinks too much milk and not enough water and gets worked up about it. I'm just glad he's drinking and it's something healthy.

Aibu to tell my husband to calm down and continue to let my DS drink milk?

my daughter is ten she has been on a steady diet of milk and water and now has moved onto the occasional cup of decaf tea. the little monster hates brushing her teeth and I told the dentist this and she said well she has the cleanest teeth I have ever seen. its because she drinks so much dam milk so let your child drink away and if they are getting fat don't give them whole milk its pretty much common sense if they like it and its not hurting them then let them drink it

There we go, discussion over. Silky's daughter/monster hates brushing her teeth but drinks dam milk and thus all is well with the world.

Cow's milk is very healthy, if you're one of the minority of the species who are able to digest it. It's a source of potassium, protein and vitamin B12. The fact that it wasn't designed for us (or, more accurately, didn't evolve for us, rather some of us evolved for it) doesn't change any of those facts.

There are some people who have objections on ethical or ick grounds, but that isn't the same as it not being healthy. And it doesn't sound like your DH falls into that category.

That said, I'd still make sure he's happy to have water because it's much easier when you're out and about.

Fwiw My Dd is cows milk protein allergic- the nut milks are all ecologically appalling, (a litre of almond milk has about 6 actual nuts in it and loads of sugar and artificial calcium, pesticides, food miles...certainly as bad as if not worse than uk dairy) hemp milk and oat milk are more palatable and more ecologically sound.
However if she could have dairy (any dairy) i would be giving her that- it is healthier and more calorie/nutrient dense than the alternatives. I have to work extremely hard to make sure my dd gets enough calcium/vitamin d in her diet as well as calories, and try explaining to a two year old why she can't have cake at a birthday party?!?!? So to be honest the whole fad for 'dairy is scary' i have very little of time for. We domesticated cattle a very long time ago and in the main have adapted to eat cows milk. Its not unhealthy and is quite hard to drink too much of. It is predominantly water so not going to dehydrate (good grief)- No big deal.

Perhaps the child is reacting to the fuss being made?!? Ignore, ignore ignore, dont give options, water down - any of those- suspect dh getting knickers in a twist makes it all the more fun to refuse anything else.

I read somewhere that milk is the most hydrating thing to drink!

I don't get why people get up in arms about cordial or fizzy drinks but are happy for their kids to drink gallons of milk with nearly a teaspoon of sugar in each 100ml

Kerala I don't understand- most of the alternative milks contain MORE calcium than dairy milk? And far less sugar

It's nice to see a balanced post Elisaveta

I have lactofree milk because I have tried nearly every milk available and not one of them tastes nice in tea IMO, and I really don't like black tea

Of the plant milks my preferred option is oat milk. I really dislike soya milk, but I like Rice Dream to drink on its own. However I don't buy it due to the arsenic concerns. We have some cashew milk to try and some hazelnut milk, more out of curiousity as I don't really like hazelnuts.

My main gripe, however, is that most "minority milks" are only available in 1 litre cartons, and I often end up throwing some out because it has gone off.

Fwiw My Dd is cows milk protein allergic- the nut milks are all ecologically appalling, (a litre of almond milk has about 6 actual nuts in it and loads of sugar and artificial calcium, pesticides, food miles...certainly as bad as if not worse than uk dairy) hemp milk and oat milk are more palatable and more ecologically sound.
However if she could have dairy (any dairy) i would be giving her that- it is healthier and more calorie/nutrient dense than the alternatives.

You don't have to substitute cows milk with fake milk though! you don't need any milk. Although oat and nut milks are both really easy to make (and sugar free) and you get to use the pulp in baking etc

Getting calcuim elsewhere doesn't have to mean get it from fortified pretend milk. You can get it from solid foods if you are a bit conscious of making sure you regularly eat good calcium sources.

I read somewhere that milk is the most hydrating thing to drink!
absolute tosh! 100ml of milk gives you 100ml of fluids.
How would it give you more than that?

It was part of a BBC programme Tinsel. I have a vague memory of people drinking water, juice and milk after exercise and then some experiment being done that showed milk was the most hydrating? I'm not sure how/why but I'm sure that was the result.

Milk is better at rehydrating than water....Milk stays in the system longer and has a high number of the electrolytes lost when sweating, compared to water.

Both you OP and DH have valid points. Milk does hydrate but full fat milk also has calories so the volumes need to be regulated. Too much milk will suppress the appetite and as other PPs have said, can lead to severe iron-deficiency anaemia (as these kids don't eat enough of everything else to be nutritionally balanced). But you say your DS eats well so you probably have the balance right.
By the way, I am from a cattle-rearing people. We all drink and eat lots of dairy and like the Masai, most of us are lean. dairy on its own is unlikely to make you fat

Can't bear this hydration billshit. Thirsty? Have a drink. Sorted.

Blimey, that spiralled!

No you are not being unreasonable, Ethics, veganism aside (thats one for you and no one else) , milk is incredibly good at re-hydration, a lot of top athletes are now switching to it as an alternative to isotonic drinks. have a look at this.
www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11506028/Why-its-much-better-to-drink-milk-after-a-workout-than-water.html
Also remember to buy full fat NOT semi or skimmed, Full fat is 96% FAT FREE yes seriously, contains no added sugar, sweetener or chemicals and helps with bone growth teeth, etc etc, Compare this to soft drinks, squash or anything else really and milk looks like the ultimate health drink. Tell your husband to drink more milk instead of chlorine, floride and who knows what enriched tap water ...

Milk is for baby cows 😒

Well honey is for bee's. Eggs are chicken foetus' etc etc. Just because It was designed for something else, does not make it disgusting or nutritionless. (Is that a word? )

DH gets totally pissed off and thinks he'll be getting dehydrated confused

What does he think the main component of milk is?

absolute tosh! 100ml of milk gives you 100ml of fluids.How would it give you more than that?

You don't think all fluids are equally hydrating, do you? And you're calling tosh at other people?

"You don't think all fluids are equally hydrating, do you?"

Well, unless you are seriously dehydrated and genuinely lacking sugars and salts then yes. And this does not happen to well fed healthy developed world children between breakfast and lunch. Whatever the soft drink manuracturers tell you.

I'm not talking about anyone in specifics, but not all fluids are equal. And obviously some are better for you than others.

Are you the user - previously charis who believes that drinking water is harmful and causes cells to explode so is somehow shunted away from the gastric mucosa and this intercellular fluid by a special channel that means it is excreted by the kidneys unchanged - i.e. as water? Completely unaffected by the body's hormones that control fluid and electrolyte homeostasis?

If so, I'd be fascinated to hear how milk is absorbed

*intracellular fluid

also found that it has pus in 😁 which was the final straw (cows get mastitis just like us- they can't tell the farmer to put that milk somewhere else, Cows with mastitis are treated with antibiotics and their milk goes down the drain.

I have the opposite problem. My 8 year old has always refused to drink milk (breast fed till around 3 and half though only at bedtime from 2 years old) he does have milk on his cereal. He doesn't like yoghurts or cheese either. So I do worry about lack of calcium. (He won't eat any veg either!)