At what age do children no longer need milk? DD is 10.

[Mumma]

I have not drank milk since I gave up the bottle... hate the stuff. I have no baseline to compare when it is normal to stop providing milk.

MIL insists on giving two hot chocolates a day to 10 year old... (options low cal stuff) She feels she needs calcium.

At what age would you expect children to stop drinking daily milk?

:)

Mine haven’t drunk milk since they were toddlers. They have it on cereal and the occasional hot chocolate. I think milk on its own is vile as a drink and they’ve never been keen either.

Human children never NEED cows milk.

They do of course need calcium- this can be found in MANY sources, all of which are healthier than Options hot chocolate.
There really is no need for dairy, in fact many studies show the contrary.

My 17yo drinks milk a few times a week.!DS1 is an adult and still occasionally drinks milk whereas DD stopped when she started school.
I used to love cold milk and drank 2 pints a day until I left home. I can't imagine it now , I find more than a dash in tea too creamy.

The main reasons for children drinking milk is because it's a quick and easy way to get calcium and extra calories. They don't need to drink it as long as they have a generally healthy diet. I would probably encourage them to take a multivitamin if not already if they want to stop having it.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of dairy or milk. My kids on the other hand love it so they drink lots of milk.

OP's Dd is 10 though, so needs significantly more calories and protein than a toddler. I genuinely don't think this milk that is making our kids fat.

Soz @LaContessaDiPlump didn't scroll

Tell your MIL that in countries where milk consumption is extremely low, there are fewer incidences of bone fractures and osteoporosis

My son hasn't had milk since he gave up the bottle at 2 yrs old..won't touch the stuff.
He's nearly 16 and growing fine.

The best scientific evidence we have supports the idea that drinking milk helps prevent osteoporosis. Note: those of Northern European heritage are well adapted to drink milk throughout life, but many others cannot do so. Most Asian adults, for example, are lactose intolerant.

For example: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7699532

I'm 37 and I still love to drink milk! If you are of Northern European descent, then the fact you exist at all is because your ancestors adapted to drink milk. Homo sapiens likely wouldn't have survived here with that evolutionary advantage. So comparing us to other countries isn't helpful

My 10 year old son really only drinks milk and water. He drinks milk by the gallon, I'm considering buying a cow 😂. My 4 year old however, hardly touches milk.

DS(13) usually has 2 glasses of milk a day. He doesn't like fizzy drinks or squash, so his other main drink is water, with the occasional fruit juice.

I've always assumed it was good for him, and he is happy to drink it. I've always worried that I might have problems with my bones as I gave up drinking it at about 4. I do have other dairy products though and do have milk on cereal.

Until Mrs Thatcher stopped it, all schoolchildren, infant, juniors and secondary, had a free 1/3 pint of milk a day. Perhaps that's where your DM got the idea that milk is good while you're still growing.

I think I remember a study at one point which was concerned about teenage girls not getting enough calcium because they were avoiding dairy products to lose weight.

There’s a theory that milk pulls calcium
Out of your bones, which may be why in non Milk consuming countries like Japan, osteoporosis is pretty much unknown.

I have a nutrition BSc, completed last year and specialized on osteoporosis prevention!

The most up to date decent studies on osteoporosis prevention show that calcium intake up to the age of 25 is essential as this is when you reach bone maturity. After that you can take as many calcium supplements as you like (even prescribed by the GP) and drink as much milk and it will have no positive impact on your bone strength

So for children, especially girls, milk (or calcium supplement, yoghurts and cheeses have much less but still a decent amount) is essential in order to prevent brittle bones. Please encourage them to drink it. Maybe watch the sugar content in hot chocolates though?!

I’ll try and dig out the papers if I get round to it

@GoodHeavensNoImAChicken any tips for a late 40s woman? (Asking for a friend )

DM has terrible osteoporosis but she smokes, I know that my risk is hugely reduced because I don't, but I still worry about it. I never drink milk even though DS loves it and my dairy generally isn't high.

The japanese evidence appears to be their lifestyle as opposed to milk consumption.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1579574/

Sitting on a tatami mattress on completely flexed knees with frequent standing up, along with other household work, in a narrow home space may ensure a marked development of hip musculature and also provide skill in balancing oneself to prevent fails.

I'd be really happy if my DD was still drinking milk at 10. If you look at calcium requirements, they are quite high, relative to the amounts available in non-dairy food. I sometimes see magazine articles extolling the virtues of, say, broccoli, by saying it is 'packed' (always that word) with calcium. Well, relative to other vegetables, maybe. But in order to reach your daily requirement from green leafy veg alone, you would need to be eating your own body weight of it daily.

Dairy is by far the most dense source of calcium. For girls, especially, I wouldn't be seeking to reduce milk intake if they like it.

Cows rarely get osteoporosis I believe and don’t drink much milk as adults ;) Definitely no need for any dairy past weaning.

I think there are still lots of old school myths about diet needs around and this is one of them. I would point out to her the risks associated with artificial sweeteners which far outweigh any outdated beliefs of benefits of cows milk

You're comparing humans with cows, mrbob? Apart from the fact that we only have one stomach and would get v ill v quickly if we ate only grass, v few cows reach old age. They're off to the knacker's as soon as their milk yield declines below economic levels.

Osteoporosis is a serious disease. It doesn't just mean broken bones when you have a fall. Crumbling spines and ribs severely affect lung capacity and shortens lives.

I have a nutrition BSc, completed last year and specialized on osteoporosis prevention!

so why are you unaware that most adults can't digest milk by then?

I think its harmless, if you can still digest it, bust most people lose the ability to digest it during their teens, its only a northern european mutation that makes some people stay in the immature condition, and not grow out of this

Humans do NOT ever NEED milk from COWS.

...just think about it. It’s common sense.

If you are unable or unwilling to breastfeed then you need a substitute when they are babies - pre weaning. A 10yo is well past weaning.

we don't NEED any single one of any of the foods we eat.

We do need food

milk has a nutritional value to humans, until you can't digest it any more.

why get so het up about milk, not eggs, or apples,? we don't NEED any of them

Clairetree1 You seem to have misread GoodHeavens post. She says milk is important for children and beyond the age of 25 it no longer has any benefit. I am of African origin and became lactose intolerant as an adult (older than 25) - which is quite typical. Children of all ethnicities can typically digest milk as milk is the first food for children. Lactose intolerance in children even African and Asians is unusual.

OP I wouldn't have my MIL giving my child fake choc with sweeteners - tell her if she wants to give her milk then just plain milk or one a day with some decent cocoa powder.