Your Preschooler This Month

Friday, September 1, 2023
49 Months Edit Child's Info Growing Up: The Preschool Years
My Child Won't Drink Milk Parents often tell me that once their child switched to whole milk from breast milk or formula (or started the sippy cup, or got sick, or went through any other number of transitions), he or she started to refuse milk. Why the concern over missed milk? Well, it's because milk is an easy way of providing a child's daily calcium needs (as well as some important vitamin D). In addition, milk contains a balanced mixture of protein, carbs, and fat to help meet a child's energy and growth needs. Preschoolers should get about 500 to 800 milligrams of calcium per day. Because milk contains about 300 milligrams in each cup (8 ounces), many children can get enough calcium simply by drinking milk with their meals. Other calcium sources such as yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified foods and beverages can also add to their daily total, so if your child continues to boycott milk, be sure to stock up on other calcium-rich foods. If the texture of the milk seems to be the issue, try different forms (whole, 2%, 1%, or skim), at least temporarily, to see if your child likes a richer or thinner drink better. You can also add milk to cereal, sauces, and other foods to sneak in the calcium. Using a bit of flavoring (such as chocolate or strawberry powder or syrup) can encourage a child to drink more milk. When used in moderation, the tradeoff of getting calcium, protein, vitamin D and more may be worth the little bit of extra sugar. I do recommend that parents add their own flavoring whenever possible though, because many premixed flavored milks contain much more sugar (and calories) than needed for a child to accept the milk. Sometimes milk refusal can be a child's body's way of telling her that she is lactose-intolerant. She may notice that her tummy hurts or she gets gassy anytime she drinks milk and naturally starts to avoid it. In these instances, choosing a lactose-free milk such as Lactaid, soy, or others may help keep a liquid source of calcium in the diet. Children who are lactose-intolerant may still be able to tolerate "processed" lactose as found in yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc., so you may not have to give up hope on all dairy products. Finally, a child may be allergic to the protein found in milk and suffer from pain, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash anytime they drink it. If you are concerned about a possible milk allergy, be sure to consult with your pediatrician or an allergist. The good news: Many kids outgrow milk allergies after a few years. Next Month: Motor Skill Development About Dr. Jennifer Shu Parenting Tips •  How to Shop for a Healthy Pantry •  How to Stop Your Preschooler From Biting •  5 Serious Symptoms in Children to Never Ignore •  How Much Screen Time Is Too Much? Connect •  WebMD Parenting Community •  Children's Health Center •  Parenting: 4 & 5-Year-Olds Community •  Raising Fit Kids Home  |  Conditions A to Z  |  Community  |   Parenting Don't miss an issue of this newsletter. Add WebMD to your email's safe sender list -- get instructions here. You are subscribed as asaislam93.parent@blogger.com. To unsubscribe from this email, or manage your individual email/newsletter preferences, click here. Please note that you may be asked to sign in to your account. To unsubscribe from all emails from WebMD, click here. WebMD Privacy Policy WebMD Office of Privacy 1201 Peachtree Street, NE 400 Colony Square, Suite 2100, Atlanta, GA 30361 © 2023 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.