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Parenting

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Original poster

Too much milk for 2 year old?

23 replies

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 08:44

Hi, my nearly 2 year old drinks a LOT of whole cows milk. 10 oz at bedtime, 10 Oz at about 4am and usually another 10 Oz across nap times / morning demands etc.
so approx 30 Oz over 24 hours which is a pint and a half I think (sometimes more)
I am worried it is affecting the amount he eats, I've been looking it up and it's hard to find info on milk requirements once they're 2. I've been thinking of swapping to semi skimmed milk hoping he will be more hungry if I do this...
I will have a check up with our HV soon so will obviously discuss this then but was wandering how much milk other people's 2 yr olds drink?

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NotMrsTumble · 29/03/2015 08:51

My nearly 2 year old is a milk monster too, drinking up to 30oz a day, and I did switch him to semi - skimmed, about 8 weeks ago. Can't say it's made a huge difference to how much he eats, but then he generally eats well unless he's ill. In all honesty, he'd drink a lot less milk if it wasn't in a bottle still , anything for a quiet life really need to work on that.

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 08:56

Yep ours still has a bottle too ?? !
He was moving onto a sippy cup when he was 1 but I couldn't get him to drink the recommended amount of cows milk so switched back to bottles!!
It's definitely a comfort thing, we only give it to him to get him to sleep... And have another baby on the way in a month so trying to work on thugs like this now eeek!

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Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 08:56

*things!!!

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wetsnow · 29/03/2015 09:00

Could you try reducing it by an oz every few days?

ABroads · 29/03/2015 09:04

Funny enough, DH and I were just discussing that this morning. My 2 yr old ( just turned 2) still gets a 6 to 7 oz bottle morning and night and milk in cereal, and we're thinking of how to get him off it. I think I read once they should be getting around 20 ozs per day for calcium, but if eating cheese/yogurts etc can have less.

I'm not worried about how much milk he has (as he has a good appetite and is a good weight), but I want to get him off the bottle. Both my DH and I work full time so any of these big changes are difficult... And we are reluctant to 'rock the boat' if he's happy. But we do recognise the longer it goes on the harder it will be.

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 09:08

Good idea wetsnow :-) I've tried giving him half bottles but he just yells MORE MALK! Reducing gradually is a good idea, I'll switch to semi skimmed first and then do that :-)

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Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 09:12

All sounds healthy to me aBroads :-) I know what you mean about the bottle though.
Mine was a boob monster until 15 months so I swapped back to bottles to get him off the boob, I'm scared he'll try and get back on if I take the bottle away! Haha!
20 Oz or a pint is what they recommend from 12 months but there's not as much info once they turn 2 :-/
Sounds like your little one is doing brilliantly though :-)

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dementedpixie · 29/03/2015 09:15

From age 1 they only need around 300mls (10ish oz) and shouldn't take more than a pint as it can suppress the appetite for other foods.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 29/03/2015 09:19

Id switch back to sippy cups. It may reduce the amoubt he takes but isnt that what you want? You could make it up by adding it to foods - cereal, scrambled egg, milk jelly.
Id also give a portion of porridge at bedtime,and cut the 4am feed. Itll take a few days of hard work but worth it imo.

ABroads · 29/03/2015 09:19

Thanks Barbamamama, he is a happy healthy cheeky little monkey (thankfully, we are very lucky with him!!)... He does shout for more milk usually when he finishes his bottle.. But we just distract him with a book or something and he soon forgets. We know he's had enough!!

insancerre · 29/03/2015 09:24

Stop using bottles and stop giving him milk at 4 am. He doesn't need it.
He is not a baby anymore.
Is drinking milk tied into sleep and bedtime for him?
At least you're not giving him toddler milk, which is a complete waste of money

afreshstartplease · 29/03/2015 09:36

Doesn't too much milk affect iron consumption?

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 09:43

Yes insincere it is given to him so he goes to sleep. I've never heard of toddler milk, he's never had formular of any kind as I BF till 15 months, the bottles were the easiest way to get him off the boob for me but I should switch back to cups.

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BinToHellAndBack · 29/03/2015 09:50

I was where you are about a year ago - we hung onto bottles for AGES because he just didn't drink enough from a sippy cup (and swapped to semi-skimmed) .

In the end I said to him that he was too big for bottles and took him to the shops to choose a new sippy cup just for milk. His milk consumption dropped for a couple of months then picked right up again!

He now drinks about 2 pints of milk a day! Except that it's not neat milk - I've gradually watered it down so that he drinks it happily 50:50 with water as 2 pints seemed a bit extreme (and did stop him eating).

Superworm · 29/03/2015 09:58

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/milk-dairy-foods.aspx

Tells you everything you need to know

300mls daily between 1-3 years and that includes all dairy so yogurts, cheese etc. Having more can mean they are filling up on milk and not getting a the carbohydrates, fruits, veg and proteins needed for development. Nutritionally milk can't provide enough for them past a year.

The children eat well and have loads of milk and can carry too much weight because of it. Milk is fatty and high in calories. It's a bit like us living on lattes or milkshakes - it's going to effect you one way or the other.

dementedpixie · 29/03/2015 10:01

milk isn't fatty. Full fat milk is only about 4% fat. Too much of it can fill them up and put them off other foods though

Mrsteddyruxpin · 29/03/2015 10:03

I have a bottle addict here too. Actually didn't give him it this morning and gave him sippy cup with water but I don't know how long this will last. I have a new baby and when he sees me feeding him milk, he roars.

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 10:03

Thanks super worm really useful info :-)

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Flingingmelon · 29/03/2015 10:40

Watching with interest.

If people are reducing the morning and evening milk, are they giving anything else instead or just waiting for breakfast proper?

DS wants a sippy cup or two of milk and then goes back to sleep for an hour so we can get up at a civilised 7:30. I really don't want to lose the extra sleep by getting up for breakfast at 6:30

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 17:11

Ok so he had milk from a sippy cup at nap time with no complaints... Will try my luck with it at bedtime too :-)
No idea how we're going to drop the 4/5am milk though. REALLY don't want to get up with him at that time!!!
These obstacles are never as bad as you think once you challenge them though... I hope

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ThinkIveBeenHacked · 29/03/2015 17:16

What side of 2yo is he on? Nearer 2 or nearer 3? Could you try a Gro Clock - when the sunshine comes up its time for Morning Milk, but if you see the night time star its still sleep time?

Original poster

Barbamamama · 29/03/2015 18:33

Hi thinkivebeenhacked, he's 2 in a couple of weeks. We've actually got the gro clock but it is currently set for 5! (Changed today thanks to the clocks going forward) planning to keep edging the time back :-/
It's defintely going to be interesting when we have a new born I'm 6 weeks!!!

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goldeline · 29/03/2015 18:53

I'm so glad I read this, I've been feeling guilty about DS (17 months) still drinking from a bottle. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

I would say 30oz is quite a bit, and the night feed is the one I'd be looking to drop If I were you.. mainly because not having to get up at 4am would be rather nice! I was still BF when DS dropped his night feed and we did it cold turkey. A few very long nights followed but it's so worth it. Good luck

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