My toddlers are addicted to skim milk!

[want2Bskny]

I have a 3 year old and 2 year old and all they ever ask to drink is milk.

Thanfully not in bottles, but IMO, these new fangled sippy cups might as well be bottles!

I've managed to get them down to 2 1/2 cups a day -- but they could easily drink 4 a piece. DH feels skim milk is the better choice for them once they reached 2 years old, so we switched them to skim.

I'm concerned that my 3 year old is a little on the chunky side, and my 2 year old is very solid as well.

Do you think they should be drinking this much milk? Sometimes they don't even want to eat, just drink milk as their meal.

[Baerdric]

IMO, children need fat and should probably have full fat milk if they are going to have milk at all. Skim milk is high carb milk.

That said, if you hide your credit card they can't steal your car, drive down to the store and buy anything you don't think they should be having. This would leave them with only what you want them to have in the house....jk ;)

I know it's hard, but you are the adult, you choose what they eat and drink, not them. I promise you that even the worst complaining will be gone in a few days. At that age, if it's just that "we don't have any milk", they may not even notice.

But if you are concerned about their size, has your doctor said they were outside their size range? Children that age fluctuate widely in weight and shape, often putting on a lot of chunk just before a growth spurt.

As long as you are not letting them eat candy and junk, I wouldn't worry about anything that is not outside their age range. It's easy to worry about childhood obesity these days since it's always in the news. Concentrate on giving them real foods and moderate carbs and they will probaby be fine.

[jschwab]

Skim milk is a completely inappropriate food for toddlers, IMO. Kids need fat to grow on, for their brains. They also need the fat to absorb other nutrients like vitamin A. Another problem with letting them drink this much milk (and, believe me, we fell into the trap, too, so no judgement here) is that calcium inhibits iron absorption. Our middle kid ended up slightly anemic drinking so much milk. Now we have gone completely dairy-free, so it's not an issue in our house anymore but it's a bad trend, to be sure.

Janine

[ruthla]

I disagree with EVER giving anybody skim milk- I only use whole milk in my house. If somebody wants less milkfat, they can drink less milk.

If you REALLY want to give them lowerfat milk, at least use the 2%. Their little brains are still growing!

ITA that sippy cups are little more than glorified bottles. It's why I never made a big deal about weaning DS off his bottle when he was a year old. He's 6.5 now and hasn't used a sippy cup or a bottle in years.

I think I read somewhere that toddlers and preschoolers should drink 16-32oz of milk per day, which works out to 2-3 cups of milk. So it sounds like they're on track in terms of quantity- but IME whole milk is a lot more filling than lowfat or skim milk- they might be satisfied with less milk if they drank milk with fat in it.

I just double checked your location before making some comment about needing extra water in the summer, in case you were in the southern hemisphere. Wow- you're only about half an hour away from me! It's most definitely summer on Long Island right now! My kids are currently at the pool with my mom! :lol:

Anyway, make sure to offer them plenty of water so they're not just filling up on milk because they're thirsty. Just be careful that they don't get dehydrated if they completely reject plain water- try that first but if they don't drink anything within a few hours, try adding some juice to the water to give it some flavor. The goal is to have them drink water to quench their thirst, and drink milk as a "food" at mealtimes and/or snacktimes.

[Wifezilla]

They might not drink so much if you switch them to whole. Having them drink skim milk...is that really much better than just giving them juice?

[tlareina]

i live in Arizona and get WIC on my 2 boys on my 3yr old we are allowed 1% or skim milk and on my 1yr old whole milk and my 3yr old is under weight and short for his age according to their charts i don't understand why WIC would do that. does anyone else have that prob with WIC

[ruthla]

i live in Arizona and get WIC on my 2 boys on my 3yr old we are allowed 1% or skim milk and on my 1yr old whole milk and my 3yr old is under weight and short for his age according to their charts i don't understand why WIC would do that. does anyone else have that prob with WIC
I was very happy when I was on WIC that they "recomended" I get lowfat milk after my son turned 2, but the checks still let me get whole milk. I'm honestly not sure what I would have done otherwise- there's NO WAY I was going to feed that low-fat crap to my kids on a regular basis! Yet at the same time I couldn't really afford to not accept the WIC help. I'm sure I would have fought with them on it, but if I couldn't get checks for whole milk maybe I would have bought heavy cream to add to the milk before serving it or something.

[jschwab]

i live in Arizona and get WIC on my 2 boys on my 3yr old we are allowed 1% or skim milk and on my 1yr old whole milk and my 3yr old is under weight and short for his age according to their charts i don't understand why WIC would do that. does anyone else have that prob with WIC

That's criminal, since all the major professional organizations recommend at least 2%. Our family was on WIC, but between only being able to get peanut butter with sugar in it and all the fruit juice, we eventually disenrolled. Maybe states can have their own rules? In PA we were always able to get whole milk.

Janine

[want2Bskny]

Thank you for all for the suggestions.

I am going to try and move it back to full fat milk if I can. My DH is a firm believer in skim and is anti-Atkins -- will not easy since all he drinks is skim.

We gave them full fat until they both turned two, then were told by the pediatrician it was okay to give them skim.

I agree though, I think the skim makes them want more and is too low fat.

I am working on their overall diets as well. Here's what I'm trying to give them on most days:

B:
Eggs
Cheese
Small serving of fruit
Milk

or
Baby Oatmeal
fruit

or
Lox
Cream cheese
Low carb tortilla

S:
Cheese or Peaunts or fruit


L:
Protein (usually breaded chicken nuggets) or deli turkey
Green veggies (brocolli, peas, cucumbers)
Olive oil drizzled on veggies
Salad dressing as a dip

Maybe some string cheese

Trying hard not to give milk for lunch, found a water beverage with natural fruit flavoring that has only 3 carbs per serving.

D:
Some version of what hubby and I eat

Limit sugary carbs

Milk before bed.

Any ideas on overall food plan. My Mom says not enough fiber for the kids in this plan.

[want2Bskny]

I just double checked your location before making some comment about needing extra water in the summer, in case you were in the southern hemisphere. Wow- you're only about half an hour away from me! It's most definitely summer on Long Island right now! My kids are currently at the pool with my mom! :lol:

Anyway, make sure to offer them plenty of water so they're not just filling up on milk because they're thirsty. Just be careful that they don't get dehydrated if they completely reject plain water- try that first but if they don't drink anything within a few hours, try adding some juice to the water to give it some flavor. The goal is to have them drink water to quench their thirst, and drink milk as a "food" at mealtimes and/or snacktimes.

Thanks! I will work on that too.
Glad to know we are almost neighbors!!

[Wifezilla]

Fiber works to move things along by DAMAGING THE INTESTINES! Unless these kids develop constipation, I wouldn't worry about fiber.

[want2Bskny]

Any good ideas on low carb ways to give fiber to toddlers? My 3 year old is little constipated.

I'm offering veggies like broccoli and peas and cucumbers but maybe she's not eating enough?

(p.s my Mom is gloating about this slightly, she's anti-low carb)

[jschwab]

I would try more fat. My kids never had constipation after we added more fat to their diet and took out grains. In terms of fiber, they eat salad mostly and green vegetables and are very regular. Cutting out dairy has had a huge effect as well. As my mother in law would say "it's binding".

Janine

[ruthla]

Fat can help "move things along" as well as fiber- fat lubricates things.

If your 3yo is only "a little constipated" the first thing I'd try is more fluids- especially in the summer, it's easy to get slightly dehydrated, especially for kids who aren't used to drinking straight water.

If you've suddenly cut back on the fiber in their diets, you may need to back off more slowly until your child's GI system adapts. Maybe give the little one some peaches or pears to get things "moving along" rather than sticking to fully low-carb for littles.

Those meal plans look good, except for the "oatmeal and fruit" breakfast option. Without any protein and fat mixed in, that could lead to a hypoglycemic crash an hour or two later. Maybe make the oatmeal with milk, and/or or melt in some butter?

[capmikee]

I got so mad before we quit the WIC program. At the end we'd go to the store and they'd say "Only eggs? Don't you want the milk, juice, cheese, peanut butter and cereal?" Then we discovered pastured eggs and never wanted to go back. The more I learned about real nutrition, the more it seemed like they're crippling poor kids for life with fake food. It's more of a corporate welfare program than a people's welfare program - all that money goes right to the companies that make formula, juice and breakfast cereal, and the families are stuck with the expenses of asthma, diabetes, and food allergies. There is talk of reforming the WIC program, we'll see if it ever happens...

We never force our kids to eat vegetables. I'm a firm believer in letting their taste be their guide. They love broccoli and cucumbers. Many vegetables have anti-nutrients that are hard for kids to digest because their enzyme production is not up to full adult levels.

I agree about fiber: fat is much better for regularity and has no gut-scarring side effects.

[Baerdric]

I'm starting to agree that fiber is not the answer, but if you want it there are flavored chewable fiber tablets.

Also constipation/regularity is often a misguided standard. It is not necessary to have a bowel movement every day, the only standard should be if they are having painful bowel movements. In which case more water or a stool softener rather than fiber might be the fix.

[steph0203]

When my youngest was 2 she tested anemic and I was told that she was drinking too much milk and that 2 cups per day were sufficient. I only but whole milk because they need the fats. Apparantly the vitamin D in the milk can deplete their iron levels???

[Wifezilla]

That can't be right. The vitamin D is milk is so pathetic an amount...and usually destroyed by the time the consumer actually drinks it. Plus Vitamin D deficiency is popping up all over the population.

I don't know about the iron issue, but the vitamin D info you are getting sounds WAY off.

[GypsyClare]

Hey, Kathy!

Sounds like your real problem here is that you are going it alone--DH and your mom are opposed to your ideas of good nutrition for the kids, and that is going to make it a lot harder for you. The way I see it you have three options:

1. Persuasion: convince them, or at least your DH, that kids need fat and you don't think skim milk is good for them, etc.

2. Just do it anyway, even if they object. If you're the main caregiver, simply buy the whole milk and feed it to them, put butter on their oatmeal, give them full-fat dips for their veggies, etc.

3. Guerrilla warfare! Sneak fat into everything you can that they eat! LOL No, seriously, I was going to say: compromise. 2% milk is better than skim, offer veggies and fruits but serve some high-fat dip or spread like peanut butter or full-fat yogurt (yobaby?) with it, stuff like that.

Maybe the first step is just doing the research for yourself and being sure in your own beliefs. Then you can deal with it however works best for your family. You have the right to be an expert on your kids health and nutrition!

It's tough when you have strong dissenting opinions in the house, and you don't want food to become a battleground, but you also want what's best for your kids.

[Baerdric]

I sort of agree with GypsyClare, except for the sneaking part. :)

You have to do what you feel is best. If that takes educating yourself until you feel comfortable, or demanding that your husband learn and read, or even if you end up changing your mind - you can't stay sane doing things you think are bad for your children. Usually parent's rationalize a little bit of sloppyness in childcare by thinking it will help their child be more independent or strengthen them somehow, but diet is not in that category as far as I am concerned.

My son and I have had this discussion, and he disagrees with me, but I am the adult. We went shopping today and he wanted tostados and salsa. Not as bad as it could be, but I had to say no. His face just cleared up from the last indulgence, and I pointed that out to him.

When he is 18 or 21 he can eat anything he wants, but I am supposed to teach him to do what I believe. If I don't, can I really claim I believe it?

[ruthla]

That can't be right. The vitamin D is milk is so pathetic an amount...and usually destroyed by the time the consumer actually drinks it. Plus Vitamin D deficiency is popping up all over the population.

I don't know about the iron issue, but the vitamin D info you are getting sounds WAY off.
I don't think it's the vitamin D in milk that inhibits iron absorption- the calcium maybe? Or it might just be that milk is incredibly low in iron, and if a child fills up on milk, he or she won't be able to consume as many iron-rich foods.

[want2Bskny]

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to try upping their fat if I can for regularity and also making sure they are hydrated enough. I'll also try to add more fat to oatmeal breakfasts.

I can't thank everyone enough for the support and advice!

[steph0203]

Maybe your right, maybe it was the calcium. Its been a while. All I know is the Dr. said there was a direct link to low iron and overconsumption of milk in a toddler.

[jschwab]

Maybe your right, maybe it was the calcium. Its been a while. All I know is the Dr. said there was a direct link to low iron and overconsumption of milk in a toddler.

It's the calcium. There is even a special prenatal vitamin split into a morning and an evening, one with calcium and one with iron for this problem.But I also think filling up on milk means there is less room for other food.

[capmikee]

I don't think it's the vitamin D in milk that inhibits iron absorption- the calcium maybe?
I think all minerals tend to compete with each other for absorption. I'm pretty sure vitamin D actually helps absorption of minerals. Fat is necessary for the absorption of vitamin D. Vitamin D occurs naturally in milk, but it is destroyed by pasteurization. Then it is added back (to whole milk, at least) but the replacement is harder to absorb than the original.

My gut tells me it's more than just the calcium. Milk is a very complicated thing.