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That solution would have surprised me, quite frankly! I've not had to add anything to milk, it's the only thing that my son drinks without me having to beg him.

Does your LO eat yogurt or cheese? If so, I'd be tempted to add more to meals to get calcium in that way.

@Mrsbells: I absolutely would NOT add chocolate syrup to her milk! I'm appalled your doc suggested that. Honestly if it were me I would switch peds after a suggestion like that.

My nephew drank chocolate milk a lot because he would not drink regular cow's milk. He has HORRIBLE teeth and his dentist said chocolate milk added to it. The poor kid had baby teeth that rotted and had to put in fake teeth. Granted chocolate milk is not the only reason why his teeth are horrible but it is part of the reason.

I'm also a little shocked your doctor would recommend chocolate syrup!

We've mixed fruit/veggie smoothies with milk (50/50 and 25/75 ratios). I've also read that you can add a drop or two of vanilla extract to make the flavour more appealing. (That didn't work for us)

Otherwise, if your LO isn't that interested in milk but gets calcium through different foods, then I wouldn't sweat it :).

@looch: Most chocolate is considered 99% caffeine free. Basically the same amount of caffeine that is in other foods like peanut butter.

I love the idea of maybe blending up your own strawberries to add flavor though!

Whaaaaaat?

No, i don't give flavoured milk. LO hates milk too, but i add it to her morning oatmeal. I'd also rather mix it in a smoothie than put chocolate SYRUP in it.

@Mrsbells: Yeah, Lala would not drink anything but breast milk. We tried rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, you name it. I was approaching getting stressed out about it, but she happily ate cheese and yogurt, so we made sure she was getting her dairy requirements that way. We also stopped mentioning it to our pediatrician

@Mrs. Jacks: Heh. I like you.

To to OP - Yikes! That's suggestion makes me worry a bit about your doctor - I don't know if I'd continue going to a pediatrician that couldn't come up with better ideas than "Oh just add some chocolate."
I wouldn't worry about it that much, honestly. No milk is better than sugar filled milk!
Does she eat other dairy products? I would just try to make sure she's getting enough protein and calcium from other sources and give up on the milk.
I grew up vegan, and was a very healthy child without any dairy products. I know it's possible to raise a healthy child without milk.

Eeeep, I don't like that suggestion at all! If the don't want to drink milk or eat diary they can still get their calcium from so many other sources! Do your research! Diary is not the only sources of calcium, and the research can be quite confronting.

I drink a glass of chocolate milk every morning, and I can report that I am not obese. I give it to my daughter whenever she'll drink it, which is rarely. If you make it yourself you can just add a drop, and you're only adding a tiny bit of sugar. I don't think it's a problem at all, and I'm a pretty big whole/homemade food geek.

@Mrs. Jacks: No, I understand the point, and I'm very familiar with the argument. My personal conclusion was that there is a lot of room to feed healthy, whole, low sugar foods, and to also drink chocolate milk. I am VERY concerned about feeding my daughter in a way that sets her up for a lifetime of healthy eating, but at some point I decided not to go overboard. I really like that balance.

About the original point, no, I'd not be likely to flavor three bottles of milk a day with chocolate. If it was utterly irreplaceable in terms of nutrition, I might consider it, but at that point I'd likely look for other sources of protein and fat.

Yeah, my daughter was never a huge milk drinker either. She eats a lot of yogurt - and lately we've been putting in those little green pouches - so easy and tidy. I give her plain whole milk yogurt, and sometimes I mix in some ground nuts or almond butter for extra healthy fats.