Getting Kids to Drink Their Milk

By Amanda Genge

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Do you remember your mother always telling you to drink your milk? It’s true that milk is a rich source of calcium and protein. Many growing children don’t get enough calcium each day.

Calcium is a major component of mineralized tissues and is critical for healthy bones and teeth. The recommended amount of calcium for children 4 to 8 years is 800 mg and those between 9 and 18 should have 1,300 mg daily – equal to about four glasses of milk a day.

Now that you have kids of your own, you see that it’s hard to get them to even touch a glass of milk. If your child won’t drink milk, it may help to find out why he or she resists it. Does your child not like the taste? Does it upset his or her stomach afterward? Or is your 9-year-old filling up on juices, sports drinks and soda?

Too much soda is bad news for bones

If your children are guzzling sodas, juices and sports drinks instead of milk, then you need to draw the line. Limit those drinks at home, and fill the refrigerator instead with fresh milk, water and calcium-fortified juices.

Drinking too much soda can lower the level of calcium in the body and may lead to thinning of bones. Experts are not sure why this happens. It may be because healthy calcium-rich drinks are being substituted for less healthy ones.

Also, kids who drink more soda than milk tend to weigh more, one study found.

Choose low-fat dairy for life-long healthy habits

Teach your children to make healthy choices. The American Heart Association suggests that all children age 2 and older should switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy products. This is important for maintaining a healthy weight as well as a healthy heart.

Milk alternatives

For children who aren’t big milk drinkers, look for other calcium-rich dairy products. Some ideas are yogurt, natural cheeses or milkshakes made with frozen nonfat yogurt or ice cream. Flavored milk is another alternative. Some non-dairy foods contain calcium, too, such as broccoli, kale, spinach, tofu and canned salmon. You can also serve calcium-fortified fruit juices.

If your child doesn’t like milk, is it because milk upsets his or her stomach? Find out by keeping a food diary. Write down when your child has dairy products, and then how he or she feels for a few hours after consuming the dairy. If he or she feels discomfort after drinking or eating anything dairy, talk to your pediatrician about the possibility the child is lactose intolerant. If so, switching to lactose-free milk may help relieve those unpleasant symptoms.