When do they stop drinking milk?

[turtle]

My LO is 21 months and is starting to loose interest in drinking cows milk before she goes to bed at night. This is the only time of the day that she takes milk now and I am worried that she is not getting enough calcium... She eats cheese and yoghurt every day, but does anyone know at what age we should stop giving them milk? Anyone else experience this problem? Should I reintroduce at a different time of day?

Thanks for your advice!

[aussiegal]

I don't think it's a problem - kids generally know what they need and don't need. Milk at night needs to be phased out at some stage (tooth decay and all that - even if they brush) so why not go with it. If she's getting calcium from other sources during the day there's no problem. If you're that worried why not give her some milk during the day just to make sure.

[sophwillsmum]

Children need approximately 6ooml(600mg) of calcium per day. This can come in many forms, most notably cheese and yoghurt. Does your little one have cereal or porridge n the morning? It's amazing how much milk you can hide there. In an average day if your child was to have a bowl of cereal with milk(250ml), a tub of youghurt(250mg) and a cheeseick(100mg) there'syour 600ml without even trying. Neither of my kids( 6 and 3)took to cows milk after being weaned from breastmilk and this kind of idea always worked well for them.

[turtle]

Thanks both of you for putting my mind at ease, I feel much better now! All the best.

[capital]

If you are getting calcium in other ways, milk is not so critical. In hong kong you will be getting a lot of vit D from the sun. In our family we all drink milk, so I expect the children will always as well. Dairy is a big part of our diet ( mine and the children, my husband rarely eats dairy). Thier are lots of ways to get milk other than drinking it straight. I make my own yogurt popsicles with milk and yogurt. Rice pudding, other milk bases puddings, milk based soups. You can get calcium fortifies soy milk and orange juice.