Chocolate/strawberry milk: drink it or forget it?

i personally drink "Carnation Instant Breakfast Essential" in chocolate. its like nesquik but better for you (i get the powder form and mix it, but they also have the premade kind thats all ready for you just chill and drink). check it out,its REALLY good and chocolately but has vitamins and whatnot, it should be in breakfast or something similiar. and also add yogurt to your list to give her more options

I'm like you...chocolate milk is OK at restaurants as a treat but we never do it at home. While that's OK with your kids, if your sister doesn't have a problem with chocolate milk for her daughter and isn't worried about weight gain from it, then that's her choice. Seems to me like the weight gain will likely not be dependent on this issue alone - it will likely come at a later time in life due to bad eating and exercise habits in her primary household (and outside of your control).

If you feel strongly enough that you don't want to do chocolate milk in your house (because it's more work, because then your kids want it, etc.), then have a talk with your sister but be prepared with other options for getting her the calcium she needs. Yogurt would be a good alternative for dairy intake but does she eat plain yogurt? Some of the flavored ones probably have just as much sugar as chocolate in the milk. Does your niece dislike all cheese? Have you tried cottage cheese or string cheese? But remember that most cheese comes with a lot more fat than milk so, again, are you really imposing anything healthier by taking away the little bit of chocolate in her milk and replacing it with cheese intake!?!

I'm not for coddling when it comes to food but a lot of kids don't like the flavor of plain milk whether they've had flavored or not. Flavored milk doesn't have that much sugar (less than pop) and it gets them drinking milk which is a good thing. The other thing is that unless you're having her for mutiple meals, it's not like she needs to have all of her nutrional needs met in one setting so if she doesn't do calcium at your place, she can easily make it up at home.

I would be concerned if she's also getting lots of other sweets or unhealthy foods on top of the flavored milk. If she eats pretty well otherwise (fruits, veggies, whole grains, meats) then it's probably not a big deal. But if she also only eats mac n cheese, chips, cookies, processed foods, etc, then I would talk to your sister.

I would also suggest just getting some yogurt anyway. It's pretty cheap and it's healthy.

My middle daughter was much the same way. My oldest loves plain milk but the middle child won't touch the stuff. Finally we started putting sugar free Chocolate syrup in there and she drank it like there was no tomorrow. She is also a fan of the carnation instant breakfast, which is vitamin fortified but still has a ton of sugar in it.

Im the same way. I do not like plain white milk but i love chocolate milk. I say you give it to her as long as her mom is fine with it. I prefer a chocolate milk drinker over a none milk drinker any day...even with th extra calories

Chocolate Milk is actually healthier than Orange Juice in terms of sugar in it. And it's a hell of a lot better than fizzy drinks.

my stepdaughter is that way, but so long as she sees me put some in she's happy, meaning, she only gets about a 1/2 teaspoon from me and there are no complaints...

its not nearly as bad as you think and Hershey's makes a sugar free syrup.