#MilkUnleashed

Most of you are aware that I have a special needs son, Aaron, and that one of his diagnosis is Failure to Thrive, and another is scoliosis. It’s not a failure to eat (that child eats a TON of food every day), but rather, he just can’t gain and retain weight very easily.

From the time he was very young, we have consulted with a variety of specialists and nutritionists. We keep a daily food log of what he takes in, and we aim for a high calorie count, ensuring all of his nutritional needs are met at the same time. It’s a delicate balance. We’ve tried a several things over the years from avoiding certain types of foods, to eating specific types of food, etc. and the only thing that really works is for him to eat a balanced diet and include unlimited snacks. He doesn’t necessarily LIKE the texture or taste of all of his fruits and veggies, so I tend to puree them and in sauces and casseroles.

Another thing we do, is have him drink plenty of milk with most of his meals and snacks. When he was homeschooled, this was very easy because I had everything he needed in the house. Now that he is going to public school, I send shelf safe milk with him. He doesn’t like the cafeteria brand of milk, and it’s only available to him at lunch. With boxes of shelf safe milk, he can keep them in his backpack, and when he needs to drink throughout the day, he can just grab one. I love that we have this option available and I don’t have to worry about it spoiling. Drinking milk is an important part of his diet because he needs to strengthen his bones, and milk can help the long term health of his spine, and considering our family history of osteoporosis, we all need to take preventative measures where we can, and milk is an easy method to help prevent that.

Shelf safe milk is available in the juice aisle of the stores I shop at, and I would encourage you to take a look at it the next time you are in the store. There are several flavors available, and organic options too. It’s ideal not only for lunches, but car trips, field trips, playing at the park, sports games or practices, preschool, or even to keep on hand for power outages during storms. You can find out more about what brands are offered, and where to buy shelf safe milk at the Milk Unleashed Website, Twitter Page, or Facebook Page.

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Milk Unleashed blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.