What are your cow milk practices?

We are just starting to introduce cow milk this week and I have no idea what the standards are for this. How long can it be out of the fridge before you pitch it and how do you travel with it?

 

We don't travel with it. Only water in the car. Milk only at the table. We only have it out of the fridge for like a half hour in insulated sippies at meal time. We use one sippy a day so we are careful not to let it sit out.

 

Mine get cow's milk 3 times a day with their meals. I usually give it to them in their play area while I am getting food ready and then they finish it with their meal. If they don't finish it we put it back in the fridge if it hasn't been out for more than about 1/2 hr. I have thermos sippies for travel if we have to, but more often I just buy them a milk wherever we are if we're out for a long period of time.

 

My duo gets 3 bottles a day (yes, they are still drinking from bottles, but I don't care lol) and they guzzle it so I honestly haven't had to worry about it being out of the fridge for very long. I personally don't like warm milk, so I think that if they didn't guzzle it, I would let it sit out any longer than 1/2 hour. But I don't think that it goes bad in 1/2, I just would think it would be gross. lol

When we travel, I don't bring milk with me, we will just stop along the way and get a 2% in a small jug just for the time being.

 

We give our boys whole milk 3 or 4 times a day in straw cups, though they never drink more than 4-6 oz at a time, if that. We give them milk as soon as they wake up (around 6:30am) which generally tides them over until breakfast at 8am. They get milk at lunch and dinner, and then at 7:00pm we usually offer them a sippy of milk while they watch a dvd just before bedtime at 7:30pm (that one is mainly to make up for the small amounts of milk they drink at meal time). Throughout the day outside of mealtimes we just give them water.

Like others we usually just stop and buy a half gallon of milk when we travel. At my local grocery store I've also seen 8 oz containers of Horizon organic 2% milk that is sealed and can be left at room temperature until opened (they are $1 each). We have used those occasionally when going on a day trip for several hours for instance. But I think our boys prefer milk cold so we try to chill it in the fridge before leaving if possible.

ETA: We have always given our boys organic milk, and because of its pasteurization process (UHT) it isn't as sensitive to temperature. I still try to put it back in the refrigerator within 30 minutes, but if I forget and its been 45 minutes I know its still good so I put it back in the fridge if there is still a lot in their sippies. I've even read that organic milk doesn't have to be refrigerated at all, and I think in Europe its common for it not to be refrigerated, but that just seems icky to me so we always refrigerate it Here is an interesting article about organic milk.

 

They do sell that shelf stable milk in juice box like containers. It is organic. I never considered the connection.

 

I only give milk at meal times. If we are going out they get water or "juice". I water down the juice quite a bit, so it's more like flavoured water.

 

I also serve milk at meal times, but will leave it on the table for them, like others, for 30 mins or so before putting it away. We use watered down juice during the day and for going out and about. When we travel long distances we either skip milk or order it with our meals for them.

 

I never want to open a sippie forgotten in the car with old milk in it :bad: so it doesn't go in the car for us, either. I usually do milk in the morning with a snack then after nap. They might get it again before bed as well- mine prefer juice/water with meals.

 

Ditto that on one found behind the tv set in the living room. Don't ask me how I know.... :hush:

 

I found one under the couch that had rolled onto the heat vent... :bad: it went straight into the garbage. Thank god one of the twins didn't find it first.

 

Gross!

Thanks for the input! I am giving them organic milk so thanks for that info! Probably my one and only time when milk will not be available for purchasing is at church. We're Greek Orthodox and our service is looooonnngg, over 2 hours just yesterday. So I have to pack bottles/sippies for that. I guess I could just put it in a thermos.

 

Wow, that's really interesting! I never knew that about organic milk.

Like other PPs we only give milk at meals, and the boys only get water or diluted juice in the car. :good:

 

I let them drink milk while the sippy still feels cold, so probably 1/2 an hour.

What section of the grocery store could I find this?

When we are flying or at a doctor's appointment, I bring along those individual bottles of formula (Similac makes them) and just let them use those. I figure the occasional bottle of formula won't hurt them and they use those small nipples so very little mess.

Otherwise, I will give them milk if we are out during mealtime, but never in the car unless an adult is helping them hold the sippy.

 

My Whole Foods has cases of them in regular, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla--all 2% (Horizon brand), and some other brands. They put the cases in displays near the milk or in the juice aisle. My Kroger (regular chain grocery store) has the Horizon ones on the shelf in the natural/organic section. I can't remember what aisle of that section but it's only like 4 or 5 small aisles. They also have a different (maybe non-organic?) brand in the juice box aisle. My kids LOVE them. We buy the Horizon brand, and they are even totally cool with drinking them room temp (yuck for me, but they suck them down). They work just like juice boxes but aren't so prone to squeezing accidents and are more spill resistant.

The other brand I was thinking of is Organic Valley. They have them at Panera or Chipotle or both with the kids' meals, and my Whole Foods sells them.

 

I believe Costco also sells the Horizon brand milk boxes.