Poll: Do your kids drink milk as a beverage?

[MamaT]

I have three kids who drink milk and three who do not. The ones who do drink milk usually drink it with desserts, but not with meals. They drink water or tea with meals.

[Ester Maria]

They pretty much never drink cow milk, especially since one of them has a mild intolerance. I guess they have about half glass bi-yearly or something like that LOL. As a family we generally do not really consume milk, except for an odd ingredient while preparing something else, nor are we much into dairy products. Most people faint when I tell them we do not really have yoghurts or cheese at home :D, and if we do, it is probabnly an exception. I guess we just dislike milk as a family.

 

While we are not really into milk substitutes, every now and then they have a soy milk, mostly because it is tasteful. For the most part they drink just plain water and some tea.

[TheReader]

I don't require it, and at times have had to limit it (ages ago, when my oldest would drink so much milk that he didn't want to eat).

 

Right now I have one who drinks a fair amount of milk (with or without chocolate added), one who drinks medium amounts but prefers juice and water, and one who doesn't drink much milk at all (interestingly, he's the one who used to drink nothing but....).

 

They all also drink plain water, juice (100% juice), juice w/water added, de-caf iced tea, hot tea, de-caf coffee, etc. We have a wide variety of juice here and they like to mix things up. I've never really worried over their diets as we keep healthy, balanced options in the home so whatever they chose from what we have here is going to be a healthy snack/meal.

[Rhonda in TX]

I said that I require it of them, but they typically drink it on their own. They almost always choose it themselves for breakfast, but at other times I will sometimes insist on milk over something like soda.

[Dmmetler]

Does "Loves chocolate milk, but gets it only when we're in a restaurant" count? We don't drink milk much at home.

[Giraffe]

DD drinks milk all the time - 1/4 chocolate, 3/4 white. More or less chocolate, she fusses. She's a character!

[Cinder]

I voted no milk. My dd actually does like milk, but she only drinks about 1/2 cup once a week. And she rarely asks for it; she'll just get herself a cup of water usually. My ds's dislike milk as a beverage. Ds1 has always disliked milk; ds2 used to like it when he was little but as he got older he stopped liking it. We do use milk in cooking and on cereal, though. We go through about 1 gal of milk (or less) a week.

[Anita in NC]

My kids are not big milk drinkers.

 

DS7 and DS11 drink milk once in a while, not daily.

 

DS14 will not drink milk and drinks soy milk instead.

 

We go through about a gallon a week since I have milk in my coffee and milk gets used for cooking.

[nukeswife]

We go through about 4-5 gallons a week here. My oldest is the biggest milk drinker. He never liked juice or soda, only milk or water for him. He prefers milk.

My youngest is my next biggest drinker. I don't have to force any of them to drink milk ever though.

 

ETA: for my oldest it is never chocolate milk, he likes chocolate but not in his milk, never has. My youngest would 8 times out of 10 prefer it is chocolate.

[Lady Florida.]

I don't require it, but ds drinks it every once in a while. Not often. I hate milk and can't even eat cold cereal due to the taste of milk. Dh will drink it now and then. In our house, milk mostly is used for cereal for dh and ds, and for cooking.

[KS_]

My kids do not drink milk, although they would like to :) I'm the one who doesn't think it's a good beverage, but do use it in cooking (and dh does have a glass sometimes). In the past when ds has had some, it seems to make him much more stuffy, and I've never been sold on drinking it for calcium. We also buy organic, so it's probably a good thing we don't go through that much of it or it would get very expensive very quickly!

 

When ds was little, I'd buy rice milk occasionally for him, and they sometimes will use their own money to buy the chocolate rice milk, but it's not a regular thing. Our main beverage is water.

[Parrothead]

Dh has to have a milk alternative.

 

Dd loves milk, prefers chocolate but will drink a glass of 2% milk if it is offered.

 

I like a splash of milk in my tea. Since I drink a lot of tea I probably get 1.5 cups of 2% milk every day.

[Desert Rat]

My boys both like milk. They are served milk at every meal. My oldest will ask for a glass other times of the day (or help himself). My youngest loves water instead.

[MissKNG]

We drink milk and water. With an occasional juice. NO soda!

 

My small girl is a huge milk drinker.

[Julie of KY]

I voted I require it, but they drink it by choice as well. I have one child who will only drink milk or water - refuses all else except for communion.

[sweetstitches]

oops, I goofed up your poll.

 

I voted they drink milk but I don't require it (which is true for one of them) but I should have also clicked on the milk substitute (which is true for 3 of them.)

[Melinda S in TX]

We have twelve milking does and are floating in milk. They can have milk when they want :001_smile:

 

I do have one allergic to milk, and she does without. We don't do milk substitutes.

 

Blessings,

Melinda

 

ETA-We drink water most of the time. Milk is like a side dish. They drink water with breakfast, but poor a glass of milk over their oatmeal. They drink water with their lunch or supper, then when they are getting seconds ask for milk. The only time they start out with milk is when you just can't drink water (like with cookies and cake), or if milk is the snack (egg nog or chocolate milk).

Edited May 4, 2011 by Melinda S in TX

[beaners]

My husband is severely intolerant, so for the first 6 months or so I only give "fake" (lactose-free) milk to the children. After that I slowly add in regular milk until I'm sure that we won't see anything explosive in the diapers or projectile vomiting. I prevaricate on whether I ought to let them have dairy sooner or hold off on it longer. The recommendations change constantly. For now I don't worry about foods that contain milk, but I don't give regular milk as a beverage in the beginning. Milk is the main beverage for my children, with water occasionally and juice on special occasions.

 

With my first pregnancy I was under orders from my OB to only drink whole milk or milk shakes because I wasn't gaining any weight. I didn't seem to have that problem with my second and third pregnancies...:glare: Now I only have enough milk to swallow my vitamin in the morning and leave enough in the mug to cool my coffee.

 

We've been planning on getting a pair of goats for a while, because my husband is okay with goat milk. I'm still not sure we have a good spot for them that isn't right near our neighbor's house.

[dirty ethel rackham]

My oldest is allergic to milk, so he drinks fortified rice milk. My other kids, though not allergic, never acquired a taste for milk, so they drink rice milk as well. I try to make sure they get plenty of protein through other sources.

[KristinaBreece]

I buy about 1/2 gallon per week for cooking and cereal snacks, so I do not have philosophical issues precluding milk . I am not a horrified "We are the only species who drinks the milk of another past weaniing!!!" type. We're also the only species who build skyscrapers, write books, or drives. What of it? We're not like other animals. lol :tongue_smilie: My kids do eat yogurt, cheese etc. Milk is never a drink here, although I would not freak out over someone drinking it. We are water people, and we are not super tall. ;)

 

The reason we're the only species that drinks the milk of another past weaning is because we're the only species who eat cookies. :lol:

 

ETA: Both of my kids drink cow's milk. Generally a glass with dinner & in cereal when they have it. (DS prefers dry cereal, so he drinks the milk & eats the cereal separately.) We also keep almond milk in the house because DH will NOT drink cow's milk. During the day, they drink water. With lunch, they drink diluted apple juice or almond milk. Oh, and when they don't have cereal for breakfast, they generally have a glass of OJ.

Edited May 4, 2011 by KristinaBreece

[Angel]

Nobody in my family drinks milk as a beverage. We do use Rice milk in our cereals and most of our cooking.

[shmily]

We have a child with a milk allergy, so we all switched to organic rice milk...even for cooking. They have rice milk with their cereal, but none of them actually drink it as a beverage. They drink water...and love it. Occasionally they'll get a small glass of organic juice, but mainly it's good ol' water for us!

[MeaganS]

Neither my husband or I drink like milk (except chocolate), but we require our 2 and a half year old to drink whole milk because it's one of the only places she gets fat. She doesn't hardly eat, so she needs as many calories she can get.

[Haiku]

We use almond milk but the kids do not drink it as a beverage--too expensive! It is used for cooking and cereal.

 

Tara

[ProudGrandma]

I do require that they drink milk, but they don't fight me on it either...and in same cases they request it...for example when we have run out of milk and I offer them water, they actually get upset...becasue they want to drink milk. I usually serve them milk for lunch and dinner every day.

[stripe]

The reason we're the only species that drinks the milk of another past weaning is because we're the only species who eat cookies. :lol:

What about all those dog biscuit bakeries? ;)

 

I don't "require" my children to drink milk (not sure what that would look like), but they do.

 

The kids I know in other countries who don't drink milk, don't because it's too expensive.

[Crissy]

We all love milk. I have been trying to eliminate dairy from my own diet, but the boys seem to have made up for my lack of consumption in the past few weeks. I'm still buying 5 gallons of milk every week.

[happypamama]

We pretty much only drink raw milk, and the kids do love that and will ask for it at meals. Sometimes they'll ask for water though, and they drink water between meals. I do not require milk but will offer it with meals if we do have raw.

[stephanier.1765]

My son is old enough to get his own beverages when thirsty (obviously, since he is 15) and more often than not he gets milk. Water is his second choice and then any juices we have on hand. Soda is way down on the list and he might have that once every 6 months or so. It might not even be that often.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

The reason we're the only species that drinks the milk of another past weaning is because we're the only species who eat cookies. :lol:

:D:cheers2:

[Rose in BC]

My son says he requires it :). He drinks a lot. As a family we go through a jug most days. He's the largest consumer in our home.

[In the Rain]

We use almond milk for cooking and cereal. We drink water.

[YourFidgetyFriend]

My daughter drinks milk about once a month. One day, she just decided she wasn't a milk drinker anymore and stopped asking for glasses. Last year, she started asking for her cereal dry. She does like chocolate almond milk, but I rarely buy it.

 

I love milk, but don't drink it straight anymore. However, I will have it in my coffee and do cook with it. I haven't tasted an alternative milk I could truly see myself drinking/using regularly.

 

Now, if we were talking about cheese that's a different story. Our love for cheese runs deep. My nickname as a kid was Mouse because I ate so much cheese. My mom has taken to calling my daughter "Mouse Jr." :D

[athena1277]

My kids' drink mostly milk. Ds can't have much juice without tummy problems, they don't like water much and I won't let them have a lot of junky drinks.

 

Sometimes I almost feel a little bad when we go out to eat and dd gets a soda (a special treat) and ds gets white milk. But that is what he would rather have.

[golfcartmama]

The kids drink almond milk with every meal eaten at home. No restaurants around here have almond milk, so if (rarely) we go out, they can have lemonade, water or sprite.

[beezus]

My dd and I both dislike drinking milk. My dh loves it, but recently discovered he is lactose intolerant. I generally use rice milk when I have to replace cow's milk in anything I'm cooking for him.

[angela in ohio]

I limit the girls to 1 glass/day. Otherwise, they would drink gallons a day. They drink water the rest of the time (by choice.) If we have cake or cookies (which require milk :D) somewhere late in the day, they have a second glass if offered.

 

The little guy gets that, plus two glasses of whole milk with Ovaltine each day.

 

I just gave up dairy, and I am dying without milk. I had been drinking it even though it would hurt my stomach... that's how much I needed it. I guess I'll never eat cake, brownies, or cookies again for the rest of my life. :(

[Brindee]

Do my kids drink milk?

 

Some do; some don't.

 

And I would nevereverever make anyone. Yuk. I can't stand to drink milk; never could. I was shocked when a couple of my younger crew actually asked for the beverage. I don't even know where they got the idea that you could drink it! As far as I'm concerned, it's simply an ingredient that goes into pancakes.

 

I voted "other".

:lol: You sound like me!

 

I've always hated the smell and taste of milk! My brother drank it a LOT! He told me I must be adopted cuz I didn't like milk! :001_smile:

 

My brother and sister also loved dessert (icecream, cake, etc.). I didn't like dessert either. I much preferred going back for 2nds (and 3rds, and 4ths... ) of the "real" food! Another reason my siblings insisted I was adopted!

 

So it's good to see there's someone else who actually didn't like milk either! :D

 

 

Oh, we use a milk alternative on cereal. Oldest and middle sometimes drink milk. dd, dh and I don't.

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

I've always hated the smell and taste of milk! My brother drank it a LOT! He told me I must be adopted cuz I didn't like milk! :001_smile:

 

 

 

I hated (and still hate) the smell of powdered milk. We were required to drink it in boarding school. :ack2:

[Brindee]

 

I hated (and still hate) the smell of powdered milk. We were required to drink it in boarding school. :ack2:

:ack2: Eeeuuuuwww! So sorry! Glad you lived through that! :tongue_smilie:

[jdarling]

At least one glass a day.

[AngieW in Texas]

My kids have a milkshake almost every day. I use a recipe I adapted from Hillbilly Housewife.

 

3 cups ice

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

 

This makes 3 servings.

 

It's not great nutrition-wise, but it isn't awful either. I think it's certainly a lot better than most milkshakes. It tastes fabulous.

 

I buy 1/2 gallon of milk every 2 weeks.

[mcconnellboys]

I have one who drinks tons of milk and one who won't touch it....

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm pretty anti-milk.

We receive an allowance of milk and the 1yr old is drinking some. Dumb reason but the only one I have.

Hubby has given it to the 5yr old a couple times since we have it. Again, dumb reason but he's not anti-milk.

Mostly, we just don't drink it.

[ocelotmom]

I rarely drank water as a kid except from drinking fountains. I drank milk most of the time around the house. We went through an awful lot of milk!

 

Then I went to college, where the only milk was the yucky reconstituted stuff that was mainly useful for putting on cereal, so I got out of the habit, never made it a priority to get back into it, and never really introduced it to the kids (they extended breastfed, so there was no pressing nutritional reason to do so), so they don't like plain milk.

 

DS has chocolate milk occasionally if we're out at a restaurant or something, and is crazy about most dairy products that aren't straight milk. DD1 was dairy intolerant at birth (I couldn't eat it while breastfeeding her), and, though she tolerates it now, she isn't particularly into it (though she'll eat yogurt with adequate sweetening, ice cream, and some cheese). DD2 is following in her footsteps so far.

[Sputterduck]

Yes. My son drinks goat's milk. He was born large and then his growth slowed way down. He had a very bad cow's milk allergy. At a fairly young age, he stopped having really bad reactions to cow's milk, so I let him have more and more over time. Recently, I stopped the cow's milk altogether and started him on two glasses of goat's milk a day. In following 2 months his growth was staggering. He is nearing his old height percentile that he was born with. I require goat's milk now because I think that cow's milk with his allergy stunted his growth and I want him to catch up. In fact, stunted growth is one common symptom of dairy allergy.

[MariannNOVA]

milk and water are all that is allowed.

[H.S. Burrow]

My kids love milk. They usually drink it with at least one meal a day, along with other random times that they are thirsty.

 

Me, blech. I don't like it. Except with the occasional chocolate chip cookie. :001_huh::lol:

 

 

Same here! Except substitute Oreos for chocolate chip cookies. :D

[PinkInTheBlue]

They drink milk on occasion but whenever they want. Not daily but probably as a voluntary drink a couple or few times a month. They use it pretty much daily on cereal.

[DusksAngel]

I have two that love milk and one that loathes it. He won't touch it or any of the alternatives.