My 19 month old son suddenly wants his milk all the time. I used to give him about 7 or 8 oz. 3x/day. Now about 6 or 7 times a day he is saying "milk", "milk" and going to the fridge for me to get it. He drinks it from a sippy cup, no bottle.
Is this a phase? Growth spurt? I have cut his ounces in half and sometimes water it down. He never really asked for it before except for in the morning and after bath in evening. Now he is all milk all the time!
Any ideas?
I have no problem giving him the milk, it just seems that it has doubled in the last few days the amount he is consuming. My ped says he should have between 21 and 24 ounces a day and he has doubled that. He is not a tiny child either, weighs about 34 pounds, always off the chart for height and weight This is not shocking to us as My 9 year old was/is the same way. But the 19 month old has been constipated the last few days. His appetite is good, not much of a juice drinker. Mainly water or milk. I was just thinking it was a growth spurt, but maybe I need to give the ped a call tomorrow.
Maybe both. Should you ask your doctor about this? It's hard to know when it's a need or just a stage. Of course, your son could want worse things.
Ah. My daughter was a milk maniac at that age as well and I had a similar post with similar responses.
Don't worry. This, too, shall pass.
It could be a growth spurt. Is he still eating his meals? If he isn't eating, I wouldn't let him fill up on milk, but if he is eating well, let him have it.
My son was like this from 2years to 4 years. And I think it was because of growth spurts. He grew from one of the smallest kids in the class to one of the tallest, and he's LEAN. Now at 5, he prefers water to milk. Our doctor also gave us the recommendation to try to keep milk at a particular level - about 24 oz per day, which meant we always tried to pair it with meals, but offer it toward the end of the meal, after he had eaten most of his food. In my mind, this would keep expanding his taste for a wide variety of foods, and get more nutritional variety vs. just filling up on milk.
I notice the same trend in my 20 month old daughter. Besides her brother's name, "MILK" and "MORE" are her favorite words!
My son is JUST like that... WHENEVER he is hitting a growth-spurt or having major developmental changes.
I give him milk.
He tanks it down.
I do not withhold milk from my kids.
Our Pediatrician has NO problem with it.
My son does not use it as an emotional crutch or for comfort.
He is like this when he is growing, majorly.
I KNOW this about him.
And he is healthy and grows like a weed.
I find that your body craves whatever it is that it needs. If he always wants milk, he may not be getting enough calcium that his body needs.
Is there a reason you dilute it? Are you worried about the amount of milk he is consuming because of constipation, upset stomach, or because you're going through milk "too fast"?
He is a growing boy and needs strong bones. I would be delighted if my son always wanted milk vs juice or soda.
I think I'm lucky that my son drinks water all the time, but I sure wish he would ask for milk, sometimes.
I just went through this with my 24 month old - for about 2 months. I think it was a growth spurt combined with a lot of changes (vacation and then back to school for big brother). He also takes milk from a sippy but he does drink it warm. Honestly, I tend to ignore the pediatricians and figure that if he has a well balanced diet and isn't fat then he is okay.
C.
