1 Year Old Does Not like Milk

From what my dr told me, milk isnt that important, my 3 year old was allergic to milk from day 1 until just recently (now its just an intolerence). they said not to worry, he got his calcium froma vitamin and calcium fortified juices.

If he eats yogurt and cheese, he's probably getting enough calcium. You could also try using the orange juice with calcium added.

My son refused to drink milk at first. He was both breastfed and formula fed. We kept him on the formula a bit longer. He too loves cheese and yogurt. I kept him on the formula so that he was still getting the other nutrients he needed. After awhile, we slowly switched his formula so that he was getting mostly formula with a little milk and then over about 2 months adjusted the ratio each week until he was taking just plain vitamin d milk. Now he likes milk, especially chocolate milk.

If your son was exclusively breastfed, this could be more of a challenge. I would recommend you talk to you pediatrician in that case to see if you should be adding a supplement (vitamin d and/or calcium) to his diet if he is not getting the milk. I know that they recommended they get about 24 ounces of milk each day but if my son was getting the yogurt and cheese, there was some leeway there. However, the fat in the milk is also very important for brain development during the second year which is why they want them on whole milk. That is why I would double check with the pediatrician to make sure he is getting everything he needs.

Good luck.

K.,
Hi. I'm also a mom to two wonderful girls 5.5, 4 and my little prince who turns 2 next week. I posted a great resource back in Feb. for another mom. I will repost it as written for you. Just remember that regardless of what anyone says (Drs. included), dairy is NOT a necessary part of our diet. And as it happens, our Maker actually gave us goats for milk and not cows. Theology aside, here's my calcium post...

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If he has a varied diet, you shouldn't worry. Dairy is probably the worst way to put calcium in your diet since pasteurized milk products have been altered by the process as to render the calcium almost unusable by the human body. Water is still the best way to hydrate. Avoid juice if you can, as it's not necessary for hydration, or nutrition.

Here are some options for calcium rich foods to add to his diet if he's not already eating some of them. Keep in mind the suggestions to avoid certain foods until appropriate ages. Also, organic sources are always best if they can be had.

The calcium contained in leafy green vegetables is more easily absorbed than the calcium in milk, and plant proteins do not result in calcium loss the same way as animal proteins do.

Calcium content of foods per 100-gram portion (100 grams equals about 3.5 ounces):

01. Human Breast Milk 33 mg (shown for comparison)

02. Almonds 234 mg
03. Amaranth 267 mg
04. Apricots (dried) 67 mg
05. Artichokes 51 mg
06. Beans (can: pinto, black) 135 mg
07. Beet greens (cooked) 99 mg
08. Blackeye Peas 55 mg
09. Bran 70 mg
10. Broccoli (raw) 48 mg
11. Brussel Sprouts 36 mg
12. Buckwheat 114 mg
13. Cabbage (raw) 49 mg
14. Carrot (raw) 37 mg
15. Cashew nuts 38 mg
16. Cauliflower (cooked) 42 mg
17. Swiss Chard (raw) 88 mg
18. Chickpeas (garbanzos) 150 mg
19. Collards (raw leaves) 250 mg
20. Cress (raw) 81 mg
21. Dandelion Greens 187 mg
22. Endive 81 mg
23. Escarole 81 mg
24. Figs (dried) 126 mg
25. Filberts (Hazelnuts) 209 mg
26. Kale (raw leaves) 249 mg
27. Kale (cooked leaves) 187 mg
28. Leeks 52 mg
29. Lettuce (lt. green) 35 mg
30. Lettuce (dark green) 68 mg
31. Molasses (dark-213 cal.) 684 mg
32. Mustard Greens (raw) 183 mg
33. Mustard Greens (cooked) 138 mg
34. Okra (raw or cooked) 92 mg
35. Olives 61 mg
36. Oranges (Florida) 43 mg
37. Parsley 203 mg
38. Peanuts (roasted & salted) 74 mg
39. Peas (boiled) 56 mg
40. Pistachio Nuts 131 mg
41. Potato Chips 40 mg
42. Raisins 62 mg
43. Rhubarb (cooked) 78 mg
44. Sauerkraut 36 mg
45. Sesame Seeds 1160 mg
46. Squash (Butternut) 40 mg
47. Soybeans 60 mg
48. Sugar (brown) 85 mg
49. Tofu 128 mg
50. Spinach (raw) 93 mg
51. Sunflower Seeds 120 mg
52. Sweet Potatoes (baked) 40 mg
53. Turnips (cooked) 35 mg
54. Turnip Greens (raw) 246 mg
55. Turnip Greens (boiled) 184 mg
56. Water Cress 151 mg

Best of luck,

Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

Hi K.,

I have some of the same advice - my daughter doesn't like regular milk (hates chocolate and strawberry milk), but loves milk when I heat it up (1 minute) and sometimes I add the Carnation Instant Breakfast (not a whole pack, just a small amount) and make a 'shake'. Although you can go without milk in theory, my thoughts are that it's a lot of work and also I'd rather start out with good habits (though I'm still working on that!).

Best of luck!
S.

Have you tried going back to the formula? I think that milk was 6-8 servings. But they say that they need the milk to help keep healthy bones.

Also talk to you doctor. They might have other ides also.

I would check with your pediatrician to see if the dairy products your son consumes are enough to make up for not drinking milk.

You ask if milk is really important to a child's diet. From discussions with our pediatrician my understanding is that between the ages of 1 and 2 a child gets necessary nutrients, fats and calories from drinking milk - whole milk is recommended. At age 2 and beyond switching to milk with lesser fat is recommended since children don't need the fat and calories of whole milk but they still need the nutrients. Our pediatrician recommends decreasing the amount of milk (and other liquids) children drink beginning at age 2 so that they don't fill up on liquids but rather rely on food for the bulk of their nutrients and caloric intake.

Hi K.

I have the same issues with my duagter Leah who is 20 months old. She did drink milk and then got the stomach flu and then never drank milk again. I also tried a variety of milk and soy milk. My doctor is semi concerned but was pleased that she drinks and eats yogurt and cheese. I try the fortified breads with added calcium and juice with addded calcium. The pediatrician also suggested a daily vitamin with added calcium.
It is very frustrating but some alternatives are helpful.

Good luck.

K.

I have 3 chn who have never had milk because I made the decision to not give it to them. I am aware of what they eat otherwise to ensure a proper amount of calcium. MILK is not a neccessary part of anyones diet. Humans are better off without diary as a whole...but I still love cheese!

I've got a healthy 4 year old and 2.5 year old that weaned from the breast without too much trouble but they refused milk as well. We are vegetarian, but do eat dairy products. They love yogurt and any kind of cheese - except swiss (cream, cheddar, cottage, soy). They haven't had any problems not drinking milk. After some time, they've started drinking vanilla soymilk. My son now drinks at least 3 glasses a day though some days he'd rather just have it instead of any food. We now go through 2-3 gallons of soymilk a week and usually the quart of milk is bad before we use it!

According to my daughter's doctor, babies over one should get around 12-16 oz of milk a day. I had the same problem that you had (her refusing milk from a sippy). One day, all I gave her was the sippy cup of milk. With no other options, she started drinking it. From that point forward, she'll drink it from a sippy.

Also, she likes it when I heat up the milk a bit. That might be something you could try out. My sis-in-law buys those drinkable yogurts and adds them to her son's milk. That's another idea for you.

Milk is very important for the development of bones and contains the essential fats too. Try to do the best you can and if he just flat out refuses, check with his doctor to see what you should do. I can't tell you if him eating just yogurt and cheese everyday would be enough, but I doubt it. Otherwise, I believe Mother's everywhere would pitch the milk. (It's a pain in the you know what,it spoils so easily and is way more expensive than gas (per gallon)). :)

AND as a side-note: he should be drinking strictly whole milk - unless he has a dairy allergy where soy would be second best.