Dr. Nita ShumakerQ: My toddler doesn’t like milk. What else can I feed him?
A: While milk can be nutritious since it contains protein, calcium, and vitamin D, it isn’t absolutely necessary for a healthy diet. It’s likely that toddlers who do not like milk have a lactose problem. Most of these toddlers did not tolerate a milk-based formula if bottle fed, or some of them didn’t tolerate their mother drinking milk when they were breastfeeding.
The current recommendation from the Academy of Pediatrics is that children have two to three servings of dairy per day, not necessarily milk. If your toddler is lactose intolerant or simply doesn’t like milk, other dairy products like cheese, yogurt, soy milk, or almond milk can provide the same nutrients.
– Dr. Nita Shumaker, Galen Pediatrics North; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, & president, Tennessee Medical Association.