ok, heres my question . just when exactly did doctors decide that a child consuming more then 16 oz. of milk, in any form, in a 24 period was somehow dangerous ??? my daughters doctor, dr. maxwell-horn of mcv, came right out and told me that giving a child more then 16oz. of milk in 24 hour period was DANGEROUS. since when is giving a child milk dangerous ?? wheres the evidence and hard data, or is this just some weird fad among doctors ?
i did ask my daughters doctor why was milk supposedly dangerous, what study was done, where and why was she not willing to show me proof.from the expressoin on her face and her blustering, she wasnt used to be questioned by her patients.
to answer one of the responders question.. our daughter is.. 19 months, 2 days, 17 hours and 4 minutes. you dont forget giving birth in a bathroom especially during a snowstorm that had already dumped over two feet of snow in just a few hours. our daughter is not anemic, in fact her iron levels are very good, 13 something, we dont limit the amount of milk or milk based products that she consumes, she is very, very healthy.and very tall for a 19 month old, she is just shy of 3 feet tall . my best guess is that the good doctor is one of these ultra strict vegans that think that milking a cow is somehow abuse. i didnt ask for her opinion, i wanted facts.
my daughter is weighting in at 23 pounds, and 33 inches tall, so she certainly isnt pudgy, now, if my baby were 33 inches tall and 50-60 pounds, then the doctor MIGHT have had reason to be concerned about her weight, but i am not going to put my toddler girl on a diet just because its the latest thing.
What?!? Did you ask him "why?" I grew up on a dairy farm. We probably each drank 16 oz of milk (whole milk) at every meal. I have never been overweight, or had high cholesterol, or any other health issues.
I remember when my son was age 2 the doc telling me to cut down on milk because he wasn't eating other things and he was pudgy. Some school systems are actually banning milk in the cafeteria because of increased fears of obesity and fat and sugar. I find this ridiculous. They sell them cookies and juice but milk is the bad guy? As long her meal is balanced ignore this advice. I put this in the same category as no tv.
The only thing I can think of is that the milk would fill them up so they wouldn't eat other foods. And if they're not getting a good supply of the whole spectrum of nutrients, then *that* is unhealthy.
My sister LIVED on milk for the first 8 years of her life and is generally quite healthy and active.
Dangerous may not have been the best choice of words without giving you an explanation. Drinking more than 24 ounces of milk puts children at risk for iron deficiency anemia which can cause a host of problems including developmental delay. The anemia is related to the fact that it competes with iron absorption and can also cause gastrointestinal bleeding. I'd strongly consider following this piece of advice but discussing the communication issue with your doctor. You should be able to ask questions for clarity in a non-argumentative manner and get an answer that suits your needs for understanding.
When I was a kid, I read a newspaper article that said milk caused cancer. I gave up on worrying about cancer after that, deciding that living caused death and I'd better get used to the idea! [eyes rolling]
Anyway, I don't think it's dangerous, but I will share this experience. My youngest was a HUGE milk drinker. When he was 5 we had him allergy tested and it turned out he was allergic to cow's milk. The allergist suggested (although I don't really believe it) that it was because he drank soooooo much milk every day. Now he drinks goat milk and he's fine.
I would ask your doctor for the data that supports this. I'd expect him to get pretty fussy about "citing his sources" so be polite and cheerful...and persistent. If he can't substantiate his claim, then I would take it with a huge bag of salt. I would tell him that, too. A GOOD doctor will have no problem with this; a pompous, arrogant fool with bluster and demand that you bow to his superior knowledge. For me, if he handled this poorly, I'd find a new pedi. Will you ever trust his judgment after this?
Good luck!
Why didn't you ask your doctor this question? I would have asked him why right on the spot.
I suspect your doctor is not worried so much about the milk being ingested. The problem he/she is likely concerned about is if a child is filling up on only milk he/she is not eating other foods that make up a balanced diet. Milk is good in moderation, but it needs to be balanced with other foods. So the milk itself may not be what your doc is worried about. It may be that a small child with a small tummy may exclude other foods and try to fill up on milk alone. That would be bad over the long haul.
Never heard of that before!
In our family (my son, myself and all my sibs/ cousins/ aunts/ uncles/ parents) it's pretty normal for it to be half gallon per child per day.
Sounds crazy to me too.. My kids are HUGE milk drinkers!
I drink milk all the time, and eat diary products. Cheese can make you constipated, but I have never heard of milk being dangerous.
Ask him why. It's possible what he was saying was not expressed well, or lost in translation. The only thing that concern me about so much milk, is that kids should not be consuming their nutrition through any liquid. (That and the antibiotics and hormones on their young bodies.)They need whole foods, to get all their nutrients. The more liquid kids consume, the less food their body needs, and that's simply not healthy.
My daughter drank whole milk like a calf and never had any ill effects from it. I only bought rBGH-free milk. She's 21 now and still loves milk.
You should have asked him on what basis or study he got his information or it is just a personal view.
I have never heard of this.
I love milk myself since I was a child, and my son does too.
All I know is, we have not had problems from drinking more than 16 oz. in a 24 hour period.
In fact, I had more than 16 oz. just about 1/2 hour ago.
I am fine.
Or course, we buy/drink organic milk sans hormones.
Again, ASK him, what precedents or what studies or what PROOF he has, of this advice.
Then, how old is your child?
Well, you can die from drinking too much milk (google it)...but I don't think 16oz. comes anywhere close to too much.
When I was a child all I drank was milk. I LOVED IT.
Still do, but don't drink as much anymore-too expensive!
Doctors are not gods, they don't know everything, and they are subject to as much bunk as we, mere citizens, are.
Smile and shake it off. And go home and do what works for you. :)
It's not dangerous... but cow milk isn't exactly the healthiest thing to have lots of. Most humans have some sort of lactose intolerance to cow's protein in the milk - organic yogurts and cheeses are a better way of getting calcium from dairy products. Milk has lots of sugars in it too... another reason to stay away from guzzling too much milk, especially as a child.
Oh brother, they keep changing their minds about what's dangerous. 10 years from now they'll probably be saying they should get at least 16 oz. a day! lol
Like some of the other mamas, the only thing I can think of is anemia. My just turned 3 year old is borderline anemic and the Dr told me to limit her milk intake as it can reduce the body's ability to absorb iron.
well if thats true then its gonna help cut down on my grocery bill!
sounds like you need a new doctor!!!
This is the FIRST I've EVER heard of milk being dangerous....oh my!! we already know that life is dangerous!! WHY are they telling us that LIVING it is dangerous?!??URGH!!!
I know that TOO much fluid is dangerous....you can do what they call a dry land drown...where your body has TOO MUCH liquid and drowns.
There is so much about the whole "milk thing" that i'm in the dark about. When my youngest (now 7) was growing we were told to give her whole milk up until she was at least 5 yrs old b/c the brain needed everything it got from it. But now I'm told that children from I think 2 and up should have nothing but 2% - things are forever changing.
No clue! However, I do know that my son's constant ear infections cleared up when we stopped drinking milk. We get our calcium from almond milk instead.
Did he specify milkfat content? My son's pediatrician recommended switching him from whole to 2% as a long-term health measure. (He said my son no longer needed the extra fats and it's better for his heart and weight in the long run to curb the milkfat consumption.)
I have heard of doctors using words like "dangerous" to get your attention, when the danger is not imminent, more a "dangerous habit to get into."
That sounds kind of extreme. I have heard that kids drinking more than 24 ounces may not get a balance of other foods and could be low in some nutrients (especially iron). But a good vitamin with iron can balance that out. My kids drink milk but it is organic so no unwanted hormones or antibiotics. We switched to 1 or 2 % after age 2.
I'm not about to go research right now, but my dh mentioned something to me about new findings on the amounts of antibiotics and steroids in the average cow and goat milk. Maybe it has something to do with that?
3 of my kids drink too much milk, imo. We're lucky if a gallon lasts 2 full days, and it's been known to go in just one. Besides the fat and calories (obviously they need SOME fat and calories), the abx and steroids DO concern me. If I had a healthy cow in my backyard, I wouldn't give it a second thought.
Whoa, NEVER heard this before! My son is 2.5 and still drinks probably 16-24 ozs of milk a day! Dr. has said it's not a problem so long as it doesn't interfere with him eating real food.
the only thing dangerous i can come up with is anemia - i'm pretty sure that milk can decrease iron absorption(or something like that) - but to just give a blanket "milk is dangerous" comment seems a little ridiculous.
Thats a pretty bold statement to actually say its dangerous. Did you ask why, because I would like to know too.
Clearly I havent heard of this. Our Ped just said that children dont need that much milk and it might interfere with meals. Filling up on it instead of eating food. Is that dangerous?
My son is 4 and he still drinks 20 oz a day... but I have heard that anything more than that could be dangerous. Something about excessive calcium and kidney stones... I think...? Can't remember exactly... but I was told to limit him to 20 oz in 24 hours.
