“How much milk should my 18 month old drink?”

Once your child is off formula, they should only drink 16-20 ounces of regular milk per day. Whole milk has no iron, and in excess quantities may decrease iron absorption in the gut.

For toddlers who are no longer drinking breastmilk, there is no physiologic reason why they should -- or need to -- drink the milk of another animal, including cow's milk. Cows' milk often causes health issues for toddlers, including constipation, skin rashes/eczema, lots of nasal mucus/phlegm/congestion, abdominal pain and discomfort. Toddlers who continue to drink a lot of cows' milk often demonstrate decelerating weight curves --- the cows milk turns to a semi-solid in the stomach, suppressing the appetite, but doesn't provide adequate nutrition to support healthy growth. Cow's milk inhibits the absorption of iron, causing or exacerbating anemia. The vitamins added to cows milk -- vitamins A and D, are "fat-soluble," so, drinking low fat or non-fat milks does not allow for absorption of the vitamins and they are just excreted.

Hi there,

Let’s reframe the question: What’s the appropriate Serving Sizes for Toddlers? I recommend you go to the family web page of the American Academy of Pediatrics, www.healthy children.org, and in their search window, search for “serving sizes for toddlers.” You will see that 2 to 3 four-ounce servings of whole cow’s milk at meal times should suffice.

Best regards,

Dr. T