drinking milk

[tdot mama]

Hello everyone!

I am not a HUGE fan of my paediatrician (we have different opinions about almost everything) but she has many many years of experience/ wisdom and is not quick at all to prescribe drugs (which is a hard quality to find these days).  Because of this, I choose to stay with her. My little guy is 21 months and I  am almost 6 months pregnant.  Because of the pregnancy, my body has stopped producing any substantial amount of milk and it hurts like hell to bf anyways (but I still let him comfort nurse to sleep at night). 

So my paediatrician asked my how much milk my lo was drinking everyday - I told her that I am no longer bfing (not by choice) and so she said that I need to make sure that he gets at least 3 cups of homo milk everyday.  But the problem is  - my lo hates the taste of milk.  I have tried everything - even putting chocolate mix in it and he still refuses to drink it.  I'm starting to get worried because he is on the small side physically and he probably won't get my milk until the end of December when I'm due.  I have tried almond milk, rice milk, oat milk -nothing.  He would rather drink water...  he throws down the cup, glass, whatever and then demands wa-wa...    I'm worried - should I be? 

[ThreeTwoFive]

He needs the fat and the calcium.  Milk is easy.  You can also do yogurt, cheese, broccoli, kale, spinach, oranges, tofu, peanuts, peas, beans, salmon, etc.

Avocado, olive oil, etc. for healthy fats.  

And pat yourself on the back -- 21 months of nursing is AWESOME!

[~Adorkable~]

yeah i would agree, just ask her or do your own research as to what milk is providing toddlers and think in terms of giving them that.

my 20m tins have never drank non human milk and actually have never drank any real liquid besides water and a few home made smoothies.

but they get tons of good organic dairy products, including drinkable keifer yogurt and all kinds of cheeses and cottage cheese is a favorite around here

i also make sure they have a good selection of healthy fats, and we do supplement with vit D in the cloudier months

basically what they need does not have to come in the form of a glass of milk, some would even say it is better if it doesn't. focus on the Ingredients and nutritional data, not the form. and be careful bribing them with super sweets, it sets them up in life for a unbalanced sense of taste

[Oread]

My doctor told me it was actually the fat in whole milk that is more important than even the calcium. Though calcium is important too, their are a lot of dietary sources of it. His advice was actually to give a maximum of 2 cups of milk each day, but my daughter hardly drinks any and he said it wasn't a problem as long as I make sure she is getting enough healthy fats. She drinks mostly water or juice diluted with water, and eats really well so I think she is getting plenty of fat and calcium through cheese, yogurt, avocados, etc. 

[rdehoff-us]

Yes I agree if the primary issue is the fat content from the milk, vitamins, and calcium there are plenty of other ways to get adequate daily amounts! I would do a little research into the exact amounts and next time you see your doctor let her know what alternative things you came up with, but also I wouldn't give up totally on encouraging him to drink milk. You may not see much success though. He may not ever like it, but it will discourage picky eating habits for later.

[JudiAU]

I think that honestly your ped is a little behind the times. Yes, a lot of toddlers get nutrition from cow's milk but the prevailing belief among even APA-loving fairly conventional peds (like mine) is that cow's milk is not necessary. Water + good nutrition are. Lots of kids these days do not drink cow's milk in any quantity. Sometimes they drink nutritious alternative milks (soy, coconut, almond, hemp) and sometimes they don't. Neither of my kids drank cow's milk in any quantity after they weaned.

There is nothing and I mean nothing wrong about leaving cow's milk behind if your kid does not like it and they have adequate nutrtion and hydration from other sources. Our ped was always delighted with their growth and overal health and the fact that they drink water almost exclusively. They eat plenty of protein, high quality fats, and whole grain carbs plus an abundance of veg and fruit. We aren't opposed to dairy and the kids eat quite a lot of yogurt, kefir, and cheese but I also think they are a lot healthier and tastier than milk anyway.

[colsxjack]

I agree that milk isn't necessary, as long as he is getting adequate fats and calcium.

We couldn't feed our DD dairy at all for a long time, and we just made sure she got lots of avocado, broccoli, kale, salmon and we had a calcium/magnesium supplement that the whole family drinks with their water at dinner.

And, if you are looking for a Ped. in Toronto who has all of the good qualities that you have in your doc...but also other great qualities, then you could check into the Taddle Creek Family Health Centre. That is where we go. We love our Ped there. It is located at Bay and College. Our Ped. is pro-breast feeding, pro nutrition, not at all quick to give meds, and she is very supportive of our decision to delay vaccination and even refrain from some of the vaccines.

[tdot mama]

Thank you everyone as always for the wonderful advice.  My son LOVES avacados!  he will literally eat 1/2 of one every day and has done this since he was very young!  I am looking forward to when my milk comes back in  just so that I can be totally sure that he is getting everything that his diet may be lacking (he can be a picky eater).  both DH and I are lactose intolerant so we don;t drink too much milk... and I'm scheptical as to why humans would need anothers mammals milk to grow and be healthy - if I were to bring this to my Ped her head would probably spin... I will continue to research the "good supplements" that they put back into milk once its all killed during the pasturization process, and ensure that he is getting a lot of those things.

colsxjack, I live in scarborough and work in markham... it would be a logistical nightmare for me to get to dt for doctor appts... but i would LOVE to have a ped that I can speak to openly about co-sleeping, ebf, extended breastfeeding, tandem bf, delayed vax etc... do you happen to know of any other peds perhaps in the suburbs?  Maybe I will ask in a new thread.  But I am soo happy to see that they do exist!!!

Thanks again everyone!