Melissa wrote:

Hello,

I am delurking. I have a 16 month old girl, and don't understand this
whole milk "push". It is the fat and calcium that the toddler's need,
right? Can they not get this from other sources? My child does not
like milk. I no longer breastfeed, but there are plently of other ways
to get fat and calcium into her diet, aren't there? Every pedi visit I
get asked how much whole milk is she getting, and I keep getting told
she needs 16 ounces. Any thoughts on this?



Fat, protein, and calcium. And yes, you can get them from other
sources. If your child
isn't dairy intolerant/sensitive, you can get them from other milk
products, like yogurt
and cheese. My 17-month-old does still nurse, but only 3-4 times in a
24-hour period,
and I doubt seriously he's getting 16 oz. from me. (I could be wrong,
of course.) He won't
drink plain cow's milk, although he likes it with a little chocolate
syrup - I would imagine
anything that makes it a little sweeter would make it more palatable to
a child. (I give
him only a few ounces of this a few times a week, because I don't want
him to get
in the habit of wanting sweet drinks all the time. I don't worry about
nutrients, though,
because he eats anything that isn't nailed down, including other dairy
products.

Clisby

Clisby