Aoife Hearne: Can a child drink too much milk?
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Milk is an excellent choice of drink and an important one for this age group. As you probably know, it is a valuable source of calcium and protein. Since calcium and protein are needed for normal bone growth in children, milk is not something you want to restrict from your child’s diet.
At this age, children need around 800mg of calcium each day. A half pint of milk provides just about 40% of your child’s daily calcium needs. Adding other foods such as yoghurt and cheese will ensure he gets all the calcium he needs daily.
While milk is a wholesome addition to any diet, it is critical we have variety in what we eat, and it’s no different for children. It is not unusual for children to be picky with the foods they eat at all ages, particularly up to the age of five. But the one thing I know for sure is that children are much less likely to try new foods if they are full at meal times. I remember my grandmother saying, 'Hunger is a great sauce'.
We don’t want children hungry all the time, but it is usual to feel mild hunger as we come up to mealtimes. Without that desire to eat, it is difficult for children and adults alike to be adventurous with new food.
Guidelines for the division of responsibility, introduced by registered dietitian Ellyn Satter, come into play here — the what, when, and where of eating is up to the caregiver. Whether the child eats the food or not is the child's responsibility. Therefore, as caregivers, our role is to provide food in a structured way throughout the day. There are obvious times when we eat in the day (for example, breakfast, lunch, dinner and some snacks), but there should also be times we don’t eat in the day. In essence, we want to ensure children are not grazing all day, including drinks such as milk.
Children tend to eat what they like and what is familiar to them. This familiarity plays a significant role in broadening accepted foods with picky eaters.
It takes time and persistence from the caregiver to help expand a child’s food choices. According to research by Dr Lucy Cooke from University College London, it can take up to 15 exposures to a new food for a child to accept it and 30 or more exposures for a child to actually like the food.
Make sure to avoid making the mistake of pressuring children to eat certain foods. Instead, continue to serve a wide variety of foods at mealtimes. Offering meals and snacks in a structured way throughout the day is a great place to start.
One final tip, courtesy of SafeFood: family-style meals are a great way to give children a sense of control over the foods they choose to eat.
- If you have a question for dietitian Aoife Hearne, please send it to parenting@examiner.ie