Is my 13 month old having too much milk?

[Shanmoore]

Ds has always loved his food. Since we have now gone on to purely finger foods/ him feeding himself, he barely eats. I give him cereal in the morning and he will have a massive bowl and then feed himself a banana. Lunch he will have a sandwich of some sort and take a few bites if I'm lucky, throw on floor then have a yoghurt or bit of fruit. Dinner he will have some form of meat ie chicken ( eat a few bites) eat a fair bit of veg and a little bit of the carb (usually potatoes/pasta). He picks what he eats and its rarely more than a few bites. Most gets thrown on the floor. He has 7oz milk when he wakes up, 7oz for his nap and 7oz before bed. Should I cut down on his milk? Health visitor said this is a normal amount and anywhere from 10-24oz milk a day is right. I'm just concerned he would eat more if I reduced it. Any advice? What are your little ones having?

Yes, I’d cut down on the milk. The recommended 16-24oz includes dairy products like the yogurt that he’s having and of course the milk that he’s having with his big bowl of cereal.
This source www.madeformums.com/toddler-and-preschool/how-much-milk-does-your-toddler-need/ actually says :

“Beyond 12 months, solid foods have replaced milk as your toddler’s main source of nutrition. She still needs about 12 oz of milk a day (around 350ml) to provide calories and nutrients like calcium; this can come from drinks of milk or milk equivalents, such as cheese, yoghurt and so on.”

So if you go by this, the 21oz of bottle-fed milk + yogurt + cereal milk is at least double what he should be having.

Is he constipated? It’s a common problem when kids drink too much milk and not enough fibre. Another big problem is iron deficiency anemia.
Also, if you’re not careful, you’ll miss the prime window of opportunity to introduce him to new tastes and textures.

Okay thank you. He's not constipated at all. In fact he is a poo machine!! He goes at least 3 times a day. I'm not concerned about him not trying new textures and tastes as he will eat just about anything. It's more the quanities im worried about. I'll definitely cut down on the milk! Thank you.

Have you tried a day without cereal or with it flipped so cereal is last? Little ones can love a favourite food as much as adults!

Definitely cut down on the milk. I’d stop the first bottle altogether as the guidelines I’ve read say 10floz per day between 12 and 24 months.

Okay I've realised he defintely needs to cut down on milk. I've given him a few oz in his cup this morning ( we don't use bottles). I'll give him a couple more just before his nap and I'll give him 6oz before bed and aim for around 10oz per day then plus any dairy he has. He isn't a fan of cheese and the only milk he really gets is from his cereal or if he has a yoghurt ( sometimes he doesnt). Thanks everyone!

I think that sounds plenty. Don’t forget you can get calcium from things like fish with bones, so try salmon fish cakes made with tinned talon with bones or sardines in toast. Broccoli contains calcium as do chickpeas, hummus is great at this age.

Good fats can also come from cold olive oil or salmon, it doesn’t all have to be dairy

Oh and dired figs are a great source of calcium too, so try them as a snack or chop them up and add them to some porridge

How are you getting on now @Shanmoore?

@JiltedJohnsJulie Thank you for your advice. To be honest, cutting his milk down hasn't really made any difference whatsoever in the quantities he is eating. He still picks and chooses and only eats a few bites. But I do give him vitamins and always has lots of fruit and healthy snacks. He also loves broccoli, it's his favourite thing so I try and give him some often.

It may take a few days before he increases the amount he eats. He’s probably not used to feeling hungry and if he does get hungry, he’s been looking to milk to satisfy it.

Hi @Shanmoore how is your Little One getting on now its been a few days?

Px