When your child does not drink milk
If your child does not like milk, try to find the
reason why:
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Is it the taste or temperature?
Are they feeling pressured to drink milk?
Is there a lot of attention put on them to drink
milk?
Are others at the table not drinking milk?
Does milk give your child an upset stomach or
diarrhea? Speak with your child’s health care
provider or a dietitian if this is the case.
Breastmilk: Continue to breastfeed as long
as you and your child wish. Health Canada
recommends that breastfeeding continues
up to a child’s second birthday and beyond
because breastmilk is an important source of
nutrition and may provide protection against
illness and disease.
Cow’s milk may not be needed if you are
breastfeeding several times a day. When
breastmilk is the main milk being given to
your child less than two years of age,
continue to give a daily vitamin D
supplement of 400 International Units (IU).
Milk is important
Milk provides energy and many nutrients your
body needs, including protein, calcium and
vitamin D. These nutrients are needed to grow
healthy bones and teeth. If your child does not
drink milk, they may not be getting enough
calcium and vitamin D.
Children over 12 months of age need 500 mL (2
cups) of milk every day if they are no longer
breastfeeding. Milk is the main food source of
vitamin D and an excellent source of calcium.
Since children’s stomachs are small, you can
divide the 500 mL (two cups) into smaller servings
throughout the day.
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Choose unflavoured milk that has 3.25% milk
fat (M.F.) for children less than 24 months of
age
Choose unflavoured lower-fat milk (2%, 1%,
skim) or unflavoured fortified soy beverage
for children 24 months of age or older
Do not consume unpasteurized or raw milk
because it can cause serious illness.
Tips to increase your child’s interest in
drinking milk
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Calmly offer milk to your child. Do not force or
beg your child to drink milk
Offer small servings of milk (125 mL or half
cup) at most meals and snacks
Set an example by drinking milk yourself
Try serving milk in a special coloured cup or
with a straw
Serve milk at a temperature they like. You can
try adding ice cubes to make the milk really
cold or try warming the milk
Let them pour their own milk from a small
pitcher
Ideas for adding milk to food
Add dried milk powder to food
While your child is learning to enjoy milk, choose
foods or drinks that are made with or use milk
such as:
Dried milk powder offers the same amount of
protein, calcium and vitamin D as fluid milk when
it is made as directed.
Breakfast cereals
Homemade soups made with milk
Mashed potatoes
Oatmeal cooked in milk instead of water
Pancakes
Puddings and custards
Milk-based sauces for pasta
Scrambled eggs
Smoothies (made with milk, yogurt and fruit)
Try mixing in two tablespoons of milk powder to:
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When making foods that call for water, you can
usually replace the water with milk.
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125 mL (½ cup) hot cereal (add after the water
and cereal are mixed)
1 hamburger patty or 4 meatballs
250 mL (1 cup) casserole, tomato sauce, stew
or macaroni and cheese
125 mL (½ cup) mashed potatoes
125 mL (½ cup) soup
250 mL (1 cup) pancake or waffle mix
250 mL (1 cup) flour in muffin or bread recipes
Mix 5 millilitres (1 teaspoon) of milk powder per
egg when making scrambled eggs or omelettes.
Non-milk food sources of calcium and vitamin D
Sources of calcium
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Yogurt
Hard cheese, cheese slices and cottage cheese
Soy beverage, fortified
Orange juice, calcium fortified
Salmon and sardines, canned with bones (mash up
the bones)
Almonds
Sesame butter (tahini)
Figs, dried
Baked beans, soy beans and white beans
Bok choy, rapini, spinach and okra, boiled
Tofu, made with calcium
Where to find more information
For more information and additional nutrition
resources, visit york.ca/feedingkids
For information about breastfeeding, visit
www.york.ca/breastfeeding
Sources of vitamin D
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Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines
and tuna
Egg yolks
Soy beverage, fortified
Some fruit juices (check the label)
Some yogurts (check the label)
Fortified margarine
See our Vitamin D for babies and young
children fact sheet for more information. Go
to york.ca/feedingkids and click on Nutrition
Resources.
To speak to a registered dietitian at no cost, call
EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102 or visit
ontario.ca/eatright
May be reproduced without permission provided source is
acknowledged. 2016.