How to Make Your Child to Drink Milk?

For numerous parents, grappling with their kid not drinking milk marks the start of the journey towards instilling nutritious eating habits. Embracing the reality that your child may harbor a dislike for milk is crucial, but there are many techniques to cultivate a love for milk consumption. Experimenting with flavored variations or incorporating milk into delicious smoothies can make them more palatable. Moreover, engaging children in the grocery shopping experience and empowering them to select their preferred milk varieties can foster a sense of ownership and increase their enthusiasm for drinking it. A steadfast commitment to patience and perseverance is important in gradually nurturing a habit of milk consumption in children.

Why Do Most Children Hate Drinking Milk?

It is confounding for many parents as to why their child hates milk, especially when he seemed to have quite an affinity for breastmilk when he was an infant. Even as infants, you might have faced the challenge of gently weaning away your little one from breastmilk and helping him adapt to formula-based milk or cow’s milk. This is primarily due to the large difference in taste that babies tend to taste immediately when comparing the usual milk with mother’s breast milk. Breastmilk tends to have a particular taste, colour and even smell, all of which are different or even completely absent in the alternatives.

Why Is Milk Intake Important for Kids?

Drinking milk is mentioned in nearly every hospital, by every professional and every parent, as an important activity for your little one’s growth, unless he is lactose intolerant.

• Doctors themselves recommend that kids should have a good amount of low-fat milk and other dairy products in the growing years. These provide the necessary nutritive elements, including calcium, which is extremely important to support bone development.
• Since children may not instantly develop the eating habits for a palate that provides them with all-rounded nutrition, there are high chances that they could face a deficiency of calcium, Vitamin D, potassium and numerous other elements. Rather than opting for supplements, milk is the best option in this regard, since it provides all of these in a great form.
• Milk is minimally processed when it is procured from the cow. The only process it undergoes is pasteurization, which takes care to remove any harmful bacteria present in it and make it safe for packaging, transport and storage. This helps keep the nutrients intact within it.
• Milk is natural. All its nutrients are natural. None of it is synthesised artificially, nor does it require the need to add any elements to boost its nutrition. This makes it the safest and greatest food item to give to your child.
• Milk in the mornings is a habit that has existed for a long time and with good reason. The presence of protein in milk provides the energy boost a body requires to function throughout the day. Which is why most child breakfasts make use of milk without fail.

How to Get Your Kids to Drink Milk?

To know how to encourage children to drink milk, there are a few techniques and strategies you can employ to break their initial barriers and introduce them to the tastiness of milk all over again.

• It doesn’t necessarily have to be milk. Start by introducing dairy-based food products to your child and let him develop a taste for those. With yoghurt, cheese and ghee, not only does he get the nutrition, but he will be more open to trying out milk due to them.
• Replace plain milk with various dishes such as milkshakes and smoothies so that he is enticed into drinking it due to the flavour.
• There are some interesting straws or quirky mugs you can get your child that you can name with superhero powers, which will get your child interested and lead him to drink the milk.
• If it is the smell of the milk, you can counter that with a slight tweaking of the taste. Adding vanilla essence, dry fruit powder, or different mixes can make it easier for him to drink it.
• Make it your little one’s duty. Ask him to go and make a glass of milk for himself and he will unconsciously drink it as well.
• Try to join your child in the activity. Keep aside your cup of coffee or tea for a few days and enjoy drinking milk with your little one.
• Don’t start by giving an entire glass of milk. Start with small quantities and focus on finishing them completely first.

How to Make Milk Tastier for Your Child?

Wondering how to make a child drink milk? Understand that many kids start drinking milk normally again once they get used to its texture, by tasting it with a variety of flavours. You can opt for a few such ways and make your child’s milk tasty, too.

1. Temperature

If you always give your child hot milk, flip it around and make a nice cold milkshake for him.

2. Pair With Biscuits

Put together your kid’s favourite biscuits with a glass of milk and let him dunk them in the milk and eat them.

3. Smoothies

If your child likes certain fruits, blend them with milk and create attractive smoothies that can have him gulping them down.

4. Breakfast Cereal

Cornflakes of various types and flavours are a great breakfast option. Mixing them with milk and sugar can help him get the milk he needs.

5. Milk Lollipops

Make your milkshakes and freeze them in different moulds. Surprise your kid with a lollipop as an evening snack instead of a glass of milk.

6. Flavored Milk

Experiment with adding natural flavorings like vanilla, cocoa, or strawberry syrup to the milk to enhance its taste.

7. Milk-based Desserts

Introduce milk-based desserts like rice pudding, custard, or milk jelly to make consuming milk a delightful experience for your child.

FAQs

1. Are there alternative options if a child doesn’t like the texture of regular milk?

Offer alternatives such as fortified almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk, which have different textures and flavors that your child might find more appealing.

2. If a child refuses to drink milk, how can one introduce it without causing resistance?

Start by incorporating small amounts of milk into foods they already enjoy, such as smoothies, oatmeal, or mashed potatoes. Gradually increase the milk content over time as they become more accustomed to the taste.

This was all about making kids drink milk. Figuring out how to get a child to drink milk can be a challenge for most parents. By opting for a few strategies and making it an activity where you join your child too, you can help him enjoy milk. Find quirky, fun ways to get your child to drink milk, and you won’t have to worry about any tantrums coming your way!

References/Resources:

1. Milk; Harvard T.H. Chan; https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/milk/

2. Månsson. H, Fatty acids in bovine milk fat (Food & Nutrition Research); National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596709/; June 2008

3. Thorsdottir. I, Hill. J, Ramel. A; Omega-3 fatty acid supply from milk associates with lower type 2 diabetes in men and coronary heart disease in women (Preventive Medicine); National Library of Medicine; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15313105/; September 2004

4. Wu. G; Dietary protein intake and human health (Food & Function); National Library of Medicine; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26797090/; March 2016

5. Hoffman. J, Falvo. M; Protein – Which is Best? (Journal of Sports Science and Medicine); National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905294/; September 2004

6. Kwon. Y, Lee. S, Cho. Y, et. al.; Is High Milk Intake Good for Children’s Health? A National Population-Based Observational Cohort Study (Nutrients); National Library of Medicine; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8541527/; October 2021

7. Vitamin B; Better Health Channel; https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/vitamin-b

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Health Benefits of Milk for Kids
Delicious and Healthy Drinks for Children
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