Can You Build Tolerance by Drinking Small Amounts of Milk?
No. But you can learn your personal threshold.
The Reality / Science
Your body doesn't "build tolerance" to lactose the way it does to other things. Your lactase production doesn't increase with practice. What *does* happen: Your child learns which amounts cause symptoms and which don't. That's symptom management, not tolerance building.
Some people with mild lactose intolerance can tolerate small amounts (like a splash of milk in cereal). But this isn't because they "built tolerance"âit's because their lactase production is just barely enough for that amount. Their threshold was always there; they're just learning where it is.
"Lactose tolerance thresholds are individual and stable. They do not increase with repeated exposure." â Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Why the Myth Persists
Confirmation bias. A parent gives their child small amounts of milk daily. Some days the child feels fine, some days they don't. The parent assumes the "fine" days mean tolerance is building. But it's usually just normal variation in digestion, stress levels, and what else they ate that day.
Parental Perspective
You might feel pressure to "push through" your child's lactose intolerance. Don't. Forcing small amounts of dairy hoping for tolerance-building just means more days of discomfort. Instead, help your child learn their personal thresholdâand then respect it. That's not giving up; that's respecting their body.
Takeaway / Action Tip
- Tolerance building: Body produces more enzyme (doesn't happen with lactose).
- Threshold learning: Child discovers they can handle 4 oz of milk but not 8 oz (this happens).
- What to do: Track symptoms to find your child's personal threshold, then work within it.
- Don't do: Force daily dairy hoping for adaptation. It won't work and causes unnecessary discomfort.
Better approach: Use dairy-free alternatives as the baseline, and let your child choose dairy occasionally if they want to manage the symptoms.