How much WCM does LO drink (and when)?

umdbride

We're a couple weeks away from the 1 year mark, but we're starting to introduce WCM in a straw cup at meals to get DS exposed to the flavor, etc. 

I read that AAP recommends kids drink between 16 - 24oz of WCM a day. I'm planning to nurse in the morning and evening but based on that AAP amount, he'll still need to drink at least 10 oz of WCM during the day. 

DS is not a big drinker even with bottles of BM (most days only about 6-7oz, even if I send more).  He drinks even less from the cup, so I'm struggling with how we'll get him to drink that much, especially if we're supposed to drop the bedtime nursing eventually. 

So, how much milk does your LO drink and when/how do you offer it to them? 

LindseyJW

i think 16oz of milk is a whole lot! even after my son stopped nursing at 31 months he never drank that much milk.

we nurse 3-4x/day (3 on weekdays, 4 on weekends) and LO drinks maybe 4oz of soy milk on a good day...usually she will have 2-3oz of soy milk after dinner. she drinks a lot of water and gets plenty of good fats and nutrients from other aspects of her diet.

umdbride

Thanks!  That's what I was thinking too.  At this point I guesstimate (between nursing 2x and giving between 7-9oz of BM to DCP) that he drinks about 12-14 oz of bm a day. He eats great and we try to give yogurt every day so he gets some dairy there - he's about 22 lbs so I feel like he's doing well even though the oz seem low.   

I think if we didn't urge him to drink during the day he'd probably drink even less. Like on weekends he's content to nurse in the morning and before bed, and only sometimes before naps (if we're out and about he has no interest, other than a few sips from the cup at meals). 

kastle

Sprout drinks 8oz when he first wakes up & then has some more as a snack in the afternoon (anywhere between 4-8oz).  He has no more than 16oz of milk in one day, some days it's less.

 

preissless1

I just asked my pedi about this, and he said ideally to get 24oz in him in a 24 hour period.  He said that he'd be happy if I got 12oz in him, since some kids just don't drink as much.  So far he takes about 4oz when he wakes up, 6oz in the morning at DC, a few sips during lunch, another 4-6oz in the afternoon at DC, a few sips at dinner and then between 4-8oz before bedtime.

WinesNotWhines

M used to drink very little milk, but he's gradually started to drink more. He used to only drink a couple of ounces a day. Over the past month, he's started drinking a bit more - I'd estimate he usually drinks 8-12 oz a day, but sometimes up to 16 ounces.  He also eats one yogurt every day.

We offer milk with his morning snack at home, and then I send him to school with 10-12 oz of milk in a cup. He usually doesn't drink all of that though. I offer both milk and water at dinner, and he drinks a little of both.

 

umdbride

Thanks - it's really helpful to hear what others are doing.  I feel like there was so much info on BF but now I'm totally in the dark on WCM.  We'll be discussing at our 12 mo pedi appointment too, of course.

pixieprincss

DS drinks no cow's milk. We don't intend on every starting him on it as a regular thing. There are other ways to get calcium that fit in better with our family's eating habits (spinach, almonds, dry beans, oranges, cheese, yogurt, still BFing, etc.) I am lactose-sensitive and cannot drink cow's milk. DH drinks some and uses it on cereal, etc. but I would be happy to just give it up in our house.

hoping4sticky

I have the opposite problem with T, she would drink a gallon a day if I let her, iron absorption is the main concern with too much milk. She drinks about 8oz in the morning, 4 oz, before nap and 8oz before bed. She gets water throughout the rest of the day.

If your LO is not drinking a lot of milk, just make sure they are getting the calcium and fat from other sources - we do full fat greek yogurt (fage total), pb, avocado for fat and spinach and kale for calcium.

umdbride

Thanks ladies - I really dislike milk and have grown up just fine with minimal amounts of it, but that never crossed my mind

smacb

We had a hard time initially getting my son to drink cow's milk.  I gave him YoBaby smoothies.  He loved those and then transitioned him from those to milk

NicoNiko

Since he turned one (he is now almost 18 months), my son drinks about 10-12 ounces per day. Pedi said its fine since he eats yogurt and cheese a lot.