Talk to me about chocolate milk

anna7602 · June 2011

It looks like DD has outgrown her lactose intolerance. However, since she immediately got sick any time she had cow's milk or ice cream back in the day, she's gotten used to not drinking much milk at all (now we've been offering soy or goat's milk). She gets her calcium from yogurt, cheeses and other foods.

This past weekend, she practically inhaled her first mini bottle of chocolate milk, picked up at our local farmer's market as a treat. I really just thought of it as any other occasional sweet treat, but in talking to friends, realized that about half the toddlers I know regularly drink chocolate milk. So talk to me, does the calcium benefit really outweigh feeding your toddler that much sugar? Particularly if your child can happily get calcium elsewhere? Or is it good to start with chocolate milk and eventually transition to plain cow's milk?

swtt89 · June 2011

my ds recently had his tonsils etc out...he would not touch liquid anything....so I thought I would try Chocolate milk...inhaled it...my cousin is very strict on her kids and she gives her son CM all the time...figures it is better than nothing...

I eventually started diluting it down to more cow milk than chocolate and put it in a cup that he couldnt see through...

I say go for it!

amyjoy18 · June 2011

On the occasions that I do give DD chocolate milk, I mix it myself with the powder. It's mostly milk, but as long as she sees me putting the chocolate in she's happy.

CindiLu1 · June 2011

I think chocolate milk should be a treat and not an everyday thing since you can get calcium other places. I'd be worried that LO would never drink regular milk if it was flavored all the time. Like if you only give juice or soda then they won't like plain old water.

Of course you are the mom and can do what you feel is best. In the big scheme of things giving chocolate milk really isn't that big a deal.

lindsaymarieg@hotmail.com · June 2011

Carter has white milk at preschool and for breakfast and chocolate milk with dinner every night. I use the Hershey's syrup and don't add much to it. He really just has to see me put it in there.

The only time he has full on chocolate milk is at restaurants.

It really isn't that big of a deal to me.

KathrynMD · June 2011

DD drinks plenty of white milk, yogurt, etc. She does not have a calcium issue.

She gets CM as a special treat - so CFA, if we go to Starbucks, etc. About 1x a week she gets it. Occassionally, she'll get it at the grocery store too if she really bugs me about it and I forgot to steer clear of that shelf.

When ever she needs to take medicine we normally mix is w/ chocolate syrup and a splash of milk and call it a "treat" too - she inhales it!

June2007 · June 2011

I am surprised at the number of people who let their kids drink chocolate milk but not juice. I believe juice (remembering that all juice is not created equal though!) is a far better choice as an everyday (read:once a day) drink than chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is an occasional treat in our house, well we usually do choco-soy milk even though we dont have any intolerance or allergy issues but thats another topic completely. Anyway I agree with your view.

mistresscox · June 2011

DD gets chocolate milk as a treat occasionally. Certainly not every day, but every once in a while. That being said, that's her "candy" for the day-meaning she doesn't get any other sugary treats that day. If she gets candy/cookies sometime in the day, no chocolate milk and visa versa. I also mix the chocolate in myself to control how much goes in-store bought chocolate milk has SO much chocolate in it, when I mix it at home I just put enough syrup to color the milk basically. So my DD's version of chocolate milk is a very "watered down" version, but she's still happy.

I've also recently started giving her carnation instant breakfasts on the days where she won't eat before going to daycare because she'll suck that down instantly and she needs energy to run on there. I still count that as chocolate milk though.

2bearichards · June 2011

Both my kids get chocolate carnation instant breakfast every morning. It tastes just like chocolate milk, but has the added benefit of vitamins. (they are both very poor eaters).

FutureMrsCaesar · June 2011

cjcouple:

My kids do drink white milk but as a special treat I do give them chocolate. But I also will buy the premixed chocolate milk and add it to white milk about half and half and the flavor is still there but not as much of the sugar.

You could start by adding more and more white milk until you are at your desired comfort level. You may even be abkle to trick her into ful white after to lessen it a bunch

that's what I was thinking. we don't do any chocolate milk, but if we did it would be only in moderation like juice and I'm sure I'd 'water it down' with white milk. since she gets her calcium elsewhere it's not really serving a purpose other than a treat, like with juice it's better to eat the fruit than drink its juice, etc.

lmdbww · June 2011

I really dont see the big deal in it and honestly never really thought it was a bad idea because of sugar content. But, you got me wondering, so I googled some nutrition info and thought i'd post it.

For reference, I give DD Chocolate Pediasure (it's the only flavor that DD will drink and I give it as a supplement to her diet) and just switched her to 2% cows milk. I do give her juice but only if it's 100% juice, and not more than 1 cup a day.

Chocolate Pediasure has 23g of sugars in one bottle.

2% cows milk has 12g of sugars in an 8oz serving (There are 11g in whole milk).

If you use regular Hershey's chocolate syrup to flavor it, there are 20g of sugars in a 2 TB serving. When I give DD chocolate milk I dont even put 1 TB in, just really enough to flavor it a little bit. So let's guess 8ish g of sugars?

So really, over 8g of sugars a day? Not much to worry about, if you ask me.

CNAMamaof2 · June 2011

I actually asked the nutritionist at the hospital I work at about this. She said that any milk is better than no milk. And if its chocolate, strawberry, banana who cares, the nutritional benefits are still there and in a toddler, if they aren't over weight, a little extra sugar won't hurt them. If I was really that concerned, cut out a cookie or other treat during the day.

CNAMamaof2 · June 2011

June2007:
I am surprised at the number of people who let their kids drink chocolate milk but not juice. I believe juice (remembering that all juice is not created equal though!) is a far better choice as an everyday (read:once a day) drink than chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is an occasional treat in our house, well we usually do choco-soy milk even though we dont have any intolerance or allergy issues but thats another topic completely. Anyway I agree with your view.

I would recommend reading your nutrition labels. Milk not only provides calcium, but potassium, protien, carbs, vitamins A,C and D. Most of the carbs come from lactose, a naturally occuring sugar. Juice, and I'm talking 100% juice like Juicy Juice has only vitamin C, no protein and carbs. Milk is much more nutritionally complete.

redhead2466 · June 2011

Jamie Oliver calls calls chocolate milk "a liquid candy bar". The way I see it, and I know I'm OCD with food, is that I will make healthy choices for DD as long as I can. One day (soon) she will be off to school, at friends', or just down to the corner store and making her own decisions about what to eat.

They say the first two years are crucial in shaping childrens' food preferences. I'm going to keep making good choices for her as long as I can.

JOEBunny · June 2011

My kids both get chocolate milk. I use carnation instant breakfast to make it chocolate. It has added protein and vitamins. My kids are both on the really thin side.

I am not worried about it. It is not super chocolate. DD probably gets 1/2 a serving a day (about 75 calories), DS has some different issues, so doesn't drink as much milk and gets Boost plus, which has a whopping 360 calories in 8 oz.

ebb7 · June 2011

DD hates milk. I used to mix half white with half chocolate and that was the only way she would drink ANY. Eventually we got her to the point where we were only 1/4 chocolate milk and 3/4 white milk. I finally found these milk flavoring packets that are sugar and fat-free. I put a tiny sprinkle in her white milk and she now downs it (and I mean it is a miniscule amount). The flavoring come in strawberry, vanilla and chocolate malt. I love not adding any more sugar than I have to and she's still getting the calcium she needs.

ss+el · June 2011

I give it to DS on occasion. I just put a small squirt of Hershey's syrup in his milk. He doesn't know that it "should" be richer.

momtoRaegan041008 · June 2011

My daughter doesn't drink very much milk, she eats a lot of other dairy as well. When we buy chocolate milk we mix it with white. For my daughter I mix about 1/4 chocolate with 3/4 white milk.

segerama · June 2011

I haven't given my daughter chocolate milk yet. I am not opposed to it as an occasional treat. I wouldn't give it to her daily, though. Especially, if she is eating other sources of calcium. When I give her chocolate milk, I will make sure that it is organic and contains no high fructose corn syrup.

I am a teacher and am amazed by how many kids drink flavored milk everyday. I agree with Jamie Oliver, in that it is like a liquid candy bar.

June2007 · June 2011

June2007: I am surprised at the number of people who let their kids drink chocolate milk but not juice. I believe juice (remembering that all juice is not created equal though!) is a far better choice as an everyday (read:once a day) drink than chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is an occasional treat in our house, well we usually do choco-soy milk even though we dont have any intolerance or allergy issues but thats another topic completely. Anyway I agree with your view.

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/user/default.aspx?UserName=CNAMamaof2I would recommend reading your nutrition labels. Milk not only provides calcium, but potassium, protien, carbs, vitamins A,C and D. Most of the carbs come from lactose, a naturally occuring sugar. Juice, and I'm talking 100% juice like Juicy Juice has only vitamin C, no protein and carbs. Milk is much more nutritionally complete.

Juicy juice is hardly my standard juice preference, I even said all juice is not created equal. I'm not debating with you but I am of a different mind set about dairy as a whole but I am not here to change the mind of anyone so I wont elaborate. Anyway, suggesting to me to read nutrition labels is hardly necessary. OP asked for my opinion and I gave it. Chocolate milk is unnecessary for a daily drink for a toddler no matter how "nutritionally complete" you think it is IMO and for my children. We get our sugar in other forms so drinks need to be healthier I guess :-)

ETA: formatting yikes! I can't fix it on my phone right now.

Paigeo · June 2011

Chocolate milk for us is Chocolate Malt Ovaltine. I mix way less powder then the directions. That is mainly my preference though. Both DH and I are vanilla vs. chocolate people so it is rubbing off on DD. I don't see the big issue with chocolate milk. I think everything in moderation is key.

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