Is milk necessary?

[redneckhippy]

I'm a bit ahead of myself here, but just something I've been wondering. Is there a reason toddlers need milk after they wean from formula or breastmilk? As long as they are over 1 year old, is there any health reason they need milk or can they just have water and food?

 

[catty]

I dont actually think they need it, my friends child would not drink a drop of milk after a year old aslig as he gets calcium frim other areas - cheese yoghurts etc.
My son will not go a day without milk though its mainly a comfort thing for him and no matter what I try I cant cut it

 

[noon_child]

It is just an easy way to get the dairy they need. Whole fat cheeses and yoghurts will provide this but obviously they'd have to eat more of this is they won't drink milk.

Schools have just been told they need to start providing milk to children up to the age of 16 because people aren't consuming enough calcium (especially teenage girls).

My LO didn't like cows milk frill she was about 20months but I was still breastfeeding anyway so I didn't stress about it.

 

[MindUtopia]

I would say no, not technically. They need a certain amount of calories, fat (proportionately more than adults) and calcium in their diets, and milk is probably a pretty easy way to squeeze that in on a daily basis. But with a bit more effort and planning, you can definitely get all of that from other sources. I think it just tends to be a bit harder, but definitely possible, as there are plenty of kids who are allergic or intolerant or vegan or whatever who don't drink milk. So if your LO doesn't like it, I don't think it's worth forcing it, and there are definitely other options - oily fish, leafy greens, legumes or cheese/yogurt if you do dairy, plus just being mindful to add butter, olive oil, coconut oil or whatever to cooking to add in a bit of extra healthy fats.

 

[Snuffsan]

Not needed, but easy.