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Milk does a body good, am I right? Well, as a parent I am always trying to find ways to get my kids to drink more milk. I have been parenting for almost 20 years now and I have figured out 5 ways to get your children to drink more milk. These are hacks that have worked for my family and can help your family too!
5 Ways to Get Your Children to Drink More Milk
Why Drink Milk?
There are so many reasons that I want my family to drink milk…more reasons then I can count! I am going to tell you the biggest reasons that milk is important for my family.
- Dairy milk is naturally nutritious—period. It just comes out full of amazing nutrients!
- Milk is only minimally processed and that makes me really happy as a mom! It is fresh…like farm fresh. If you read the ingredient list it won't take you long…because milk only has 3 ingredients!! Each 8 ounce serving has just milk, Vitamin A and Vitamin D.
- Milk packs a nutritional punch without hitting my wallet, LOL. There are very few foods and probably no drinks that I can buy my family that deliver so much nutrition for such a low-cost. Milk only costs about 25 cents per serving. 😆
Some Milk Misconceptions
I will admit that there have been times in my life that I had a misconception about something and later realized how wrong I had been!! Sometimes we just don't know what we don't know, right? I have found in my work as a registered nurse that there are some big misconceptions about milk!! Here are two of the big ones I have heard over the years…
- Some people think that milk has added sugar and that is not accurate. If you read the label on a carton of milk you will see sugar listed, BUT it isn't added sugar. This is the lactose (sugar) that is naturally occurring in milk.
- There are people who think that dairy milk and non-dairy milk are basically the same. Dairy milk and non-dairy milk are not the same thing when it comes to basic nutrition. Dairy milk is naturally full of nutrients and many non-dairy milks have to fortify their products to add more nutrients.
How to Get Your Child to Drink More Milk
Serve Milk at Meal Times
One easy way to increase your child's milk intake is to serve milk as the beverage at meal times. I will typically offer water or milk…period. Guess what my kids will pick?? Milk!! If you limit the choices offered it is more likely your child will pick a glass of milk to go along with dinner.
Offer Flavored Milk
Flavored milk has the same nutrients as unflavored milk. One of my kids didn't like drinking milk plain but was willing to drink it with a little flavor added. I thought the trade-off was well worth the benefit of my child getting the nutrients that milk contains.
Serve the Milk with a Straw
I don't know why the smallest change will make such a difference for some kids, but it happens. One of my more stubborn kids (name withheld, LOL) can be just plain difficult for no reason at all. There have been days she didn't want to drink her milk….then I put a straw in her glass and suddenly it was the best beverage she had ever tasted!! Please tell me I am not the only mom to use the straw technique, LOL!
Drink Milk at School
If your child eats the school provided lunch then they should be offered dairy milk as an option. Talk to your child about what they are picking to drink at lunch and encourage them to drink milk.
If your child takes a lunch from home to school you can send a thermos of milk along for their beverage.
Cook and Bake With Dairy Milk
I love to use dairy milk in my cooking and baking. It makes my dishes taste richer and adds more depth to the flavor. One of my family's favorite recipes is Broccoli Cheese Soup and it is packed full of dairy products!
Using dairy milk in cooking and baking will increase your child's intake of milk.
Free Cow Printable Color Page
All of this talk about milk has me thirsty for a big cold glass of milk! If there is something I want my kids to do it usually helps to sit them down and tell them WHY it is important to me.
I have a free cow printable color page for you to download. This is a great conversation starter for you and your kids. While your child is coloring you can have a discussion about the benefits of milk and why you want your child to drink milk. Just click the image below to download this cow coloring page!
How Do You Get Your Child to Drink Milk?
Do you have a fabulous tip for getting kids to drink more milk? Please share it!! Be sure to visit MilkLife.com for great content and recipes. Don't forget to follow MilkLife on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram too!
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