Milkis the first food any child is introduced to. It is a powerful food that promotes rapid growth and development, boosts your child'simmunity, and aids brain development. It contains a variety of important nutrients that are beneficial to babies, toddlers, and developing children. A glass of milk or other milk products like cheese, ora bowl of yoghurt, canhelp your child develop and grow.
Milk is also loaded with several other vital nutrients such as:
- Calcium and Phosphorous – supports bone and teeth development.
- Vitamin D – Apart from sun exposure, milk is one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which plays an important role in bone health.
- Vitamin B12 – helps in keeping the nerve cells and red blood cells healthy.
- Potassium – maintains healthy blood pressure.
- Vitamin A – boosts immunity.
- Vitamins B2 and B3 – efficient conversion of food into energy.
How to make milk more palatable
Milk is filled with multiple vital nutrients but most children dislike drinking their normal glass of milk. This is a cause of concern for all parents. Your kid, who seemed to enjoy the taste of breastmilk and perhaps most likely threw a tantrum when you tried to wean them off breastfeeding, is now throwing a tantrum at the mention of milk. This is because breastmilk and cow milk have entirely different tastes and smells.
However, trying to force your child to drink milk will make them dislike it more. If your child is going through a picky-eating phase, you need to think outside the box and develop new ways to integrate milk and milk products into their diet.
Go the cereal way
Breakfast cereals are an excellent way to ensure that your child consumes the recommended amount of milk per day. They are filling and come in a range of flavours making the milk taste better. You can graduallyincrease the amount of milk in the bowl, and your child will not notice the difference and will happily drink the remaining flavoured milk.
• Make a smoothie
Blend fresh seasonal fruits, milk, and a couple of spoonfuls of yoghurt. This dense, creamy, and vibrant glass of smoothie, overflowing with flavour, is sure to increase your child's interest in drinking milk. It also ensures that your child consumes fruits that are in season. It's a complete win-win situation!
• Play around with different milk products
If, in case your child is fussy and refuses milk every morning, you can add a variety of other milk products to their diet to spice things up a bit. A bowl of yoghurt, cheese, paneer, even shrikhand or lassi – whatever makes your child happy.
- Make ice lollies
- Blend their favourite fresh fruits with some milk, add a natural sweetener such as honey (if required) and freeze them in ice-cream molds.
- Fruity, milky, icy lollies make for a great snack during summertime. Your kids will love it!
- Froth their milk
Another simple but successful way to ensure they drink their milk without fuss is to add an exciting textureto their regular glass of milk. A milk frother is a low-cost appliance that is readily available these days. It will keep your child interested,regardless of the milk beinghot or cold.
● Milk-based dishes
Breakfast with a glass of milk isn't the only way to get your kid to drink milk. Adding a milk-based dish like kheer, payasam, phirni, or kulfi, now and then, will keep things interesting.
● Make it a storytime
When your child is eating breakfast, keep them engrossed in an entertaining story to ensure that they finish everything on their plate and drink the last drop of milk in their bottle. This activity will also reinforce your bond with your child.
Making sure your child not only drinks milk but also enjoys it every morning can be a challenge, especially when they are fussy. To ensure that your child receives the proper nutrition from milk anditsproducts, try these fun strategies.
