How much milk should a 2.5yr old be drinking?

[pollydoodle]

It seemed so easy to find out how much milk ds should be drinking when he was younger but now he is 2 1/2yrs I can't find anything that says what the ideal amount is for him to be drinking.

He is a really bad eater but has always been good at having his milk, about a pint in total, half in the morning and half before going to bed. He is particularly bad at eating protein so I have been reluctant to cut back on the milk too much.

I've been to the health visitor about his eating and she reckoned that he looked healthy enough so he would grow into eating and she would check him again in 6 months time to see how things were going. His favourite foods are pasta with pesto on, olives, twiglets and garlic bread - the latter three things are occasional treats rather than food staples!

he is at nursery 3 days a week; there he will eat a bit more than he does at home but if it is something that he doesn't like he will not eat it rather than be bribed with sticker chart / pudding / etc. There can be weeks when he will not have anything from his morning bottle to tea time, refusing to eat breakfast and lunch.

So I guess my question is - has anybody got any thoughts or experience on whether it would be sensible to cut down on the milk as he is getting more than he needs to see if he will eat more or as this is one of his few decent food sources currently is he likely to suffer if he doesn't get the milk?

sorry this is a bit long winded!

16 onces i give 8 in the morning and eight at night found cutting back to this made my ds[2.3]eat a bit more he is a terrible eatter anyway but is the right weight and fit as a flee so ive stopped worrying too much.i give him one spoon of abidex every second day as i know he cant be getting the vitamins he should be out of the litle he eats

Hi Pollydoodle

Someone once told me that a 2 yo needs half a pint of milk a day but I would say that as long as he is healthy, you shouldn't worry about what he is eating/drinking (as long as it's not all junk and it doesn't sound like your DS eats much of that).

Everyone is different. I have 2 DDs - nearly 4 and 2.2 and they like completely different foods. DD1 won't eat yoghurt, for example but loves cheese and vice versa with DD2.

Oh yeah, DD1 takes one of those multivits jelly sweets every other day or so. Both have about 6 oz of milk before bed, also.

from the age of 1 the minimum is around 300/350mls (approx 12oz) and I probably wouldnt give more than a pint. These amounts also include any milk with cereal, in foods, in coooking, yoghurts, cheese, etc so they dont need so much as a drink. You could try cutting down a little and see if it makes a difference. You may be able to make up the difference throught his food anyway. Have you tried giving milk alongside breakfast to see if that makes him slow down the milk intake while eating his breakfast? My 14 month old has his milk in a beaker along with his breakfast cereal. My dd (4) rarely has milk as a drink and hasnt done since around 1 1/2 but she does have other sources of the same nutrients to make up for it.

Thanks for all your advice.

I'm going to try cutting down his morning milk and see if that has any effect...

Unfortunately the only other dairy ds will eat at the moment is from a costa coffee toasted mozzarella sandwich

But I have been giving him vitamins like you amy in the hope that it will go some way to getting all he needs into him.

Thanks again - I'll let you know how it goes!

My ds, now three, drinks about two to three pints of milk a day .. I kid you not. He's always loved it.

There's no compelling reason to cut down on milk. As the Milk Marketing Board used to say ... 'It's good for you.'

No reason to cut unless you find it really interferes with food intake.
On the other hand it's not compulsory either and there are lots of protein/calcium dairy free alterrnatives.

DS 3.8 has 1 pint a day (half morning/half evening still like a baby!) and strictly hates all other dairy.

I thought children under 5 were supposed to have 1pt per day and that is why low income families are given milk tokens at the rate if 1pt per day per child under 5? (I am probably horribly out of date though )

I agree though, if the amount of milk is stopping him eating other food then it is worth trying cutting down!