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?

You are absolutely correct.

I *am* still breastfeeding, and DS eats lots of cheese. My ped suggested, in
view of those facts, that we give DS 2% milk rather than whole milk. shrug
Clearly it's a judgment call. Fortunately, DS isn't picky. We do give him
mostly 2% but sometimes he wants to drink *my* nonfat milk, and if whole or 1%
is what's available in a given situation, he'll drink that too.

And I've certainly never been advised of any particular number of ounces that a
child should drink. Does your doctor also advise that your daughter should
consume exactly so many grams of bananas a day? I mean, it's ridiculous.

It can be a little difficult, though far from impossible, to get enough calcium
from non-dairy sources. If your daughter likes cheese, though, that'll do it.
Or yogurt.

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2 yrs