Drinking milk with meals

Bobbi Jean - posted on 11/26/2012

No need for milk with meals. If they drink it at other times, it is fine. One of my nieces never drank milk. She ate yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, and custard--with fruit. She is now an adult with a great bone density.

Teresa - posted on 11/21/2011

Why do they need to drink milk w/ their meals? Juice and such is not neccessary (not wrong on occasion, of course, just not needed).

If you want to wean off the bottle... try offering them the sippy of milk when they normally have the bottle. That being said, the 14 month old girl that I watch still has her bottle before nap and bedtime. I don't see anything wrong w/ that as long as they aren't sucking on it all day long, but none of my kids ever really had bottles anyway.

LEAH - posted on 11/21/2011

I don't think it's bad that they aren't drinking milk with meals. As another poster stated milk is pretty filling and that could be too much with a meal. Water is good for them anyway! Let them have milk when they ask for it. Otherwise, water is fine.

Liz - posted on 11/20/2011

12 month olds still have tiny tummies. It's probably just too much to have 5oz of milk and solids too. Milk is more like another meal to them.

Vicki - posted on 11/20/2011

I'm really confused by your question as I don't see what's wrong with water at meals? Why do they need to drink milk at meals? My boy only has milk when he asks for it, every couple of days or so, although he's still breastfed, so I've no worries about his intake.

I wouldn't bother with juice except for treats, it's bad for their teeth. As for timing of milk, let them have it when they want. Water with meals is fine. At 12 months my boy mostly drank from a sippy cup or water bottle. Now (2 and a half) he sometimes grabs sippy cups but mostly a normal cup or water bottle.

Ashley - posted on 11/20/2011

My 4 year old would rather drink water with every meal, it is just his preference. As long as your twins are getting the milk at some point don't worry about it. My husband also prefers water. Me and my youngest like milk. As for the sippy cup I have no advice as my boys never used bottles.

Medic - posted on 11/20/2011

Both of my kids drink milk with their meals, that being said my 21 month old just started drinking milk with her meals. She has drank water or nothing up until then. Like yours she would drink about 6 oz of milk out of a cup about an hour after eating right before she would take a nap. Even now sometimes she will ask for water with her meal and ask for milk after. My 5 year old is just the opposite, he will drink a huge cup of milk with his meals and then right after ask for a water bottle. I wouldn't really stress over it, there are more pressing issues to battle and as long as they drink it at some point its all the same anyways, Right?

Sharon - posted on 11/20/2011

My eldest has just turned 2. He gets a water bottle (not baby style bottle, but one like an adult drinks out of), or a sippy cup, or a cup (sometimes with a straw, sometimes without). Depends on the day, what I grab out the cupboard, and what he feels like drinking out of for the day. He rarely has juice, we give it as a treat, but would he drink it until it came out of his ears if I let him. Somedays I'll give him milk at breakfast and/or lunch, he'll take a sip here and there, but nothing major. He just prefers to sip out of his water during the day whenever he feels like it (he has access to it all day long, either a cup/sippy cup/water bottle). He gets a sippy cup of milk before bedtime and before naptime. That's when he prefers to have his milk, so I figure there is no harm him having it then rather than at his meal :-)

Michelle - posted on 11/20/2011

by 12 months we had eliminated the bottle all together I just used the no spill sippy cups for everything including bedtime and my daughter who is now 2 mainly uses normal cups unless she is going somewhere in the car