by Lindsay Weiss posted in Parenting

I cannot fathom this because I love a cold glass of frosty milk, but BOTH of my older kids have boycotted milk completely. Yes, they drank it as babies and toddlers but will no longer touch the stuff (unless it's flavored, which I don't want to do regularly).
Milk has always been the best source of calcium I know, and we need calcium in this family because osteoporosis runs throughout. Even in my twenties and thirties my bones tested positive for osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, even though I'm an avid milk drinker, calcium taker, and vitamin D lover.
I was in denial for a while, thinking the kids would eventually hop back on the milk bandwagon, but it's safe to say they've jumped WAY off and I need to get a handle on their calcium intake.

According to BabyCenter, kids need the following amount of calcium every day:
?Ages 1 to 3 years: 700 milligrams (mg) per day

?Ages 4 to 8 years: 1,000 mg per day
I googled a list of calcium-rich foods, but honestly, they're not very kid-friendly:
?Spinach

?Kale

?Okra

?Collards

?Soybeans

?White beans

?Some fish, like sardines, salmon, perch, and rainbow trout
Yeah, no.
BabyCenter has a better list:
?1/4 cup raw tofu prepared with calcium sulfate: 217 mg (The calcium content of tofu varies, depending on how it's processed. Check the label.)

?1/2 cup plain yogurt: 207 mg

?1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses: 172 mg

?1/2 cup fruit yogurt: 122 to 192 mg

?1/2 cup calcium-fortified oran...