15 Month Old Does Not Want to Drink Milk

Dear D.,
Both my children were breast-fed exclusively, and also did not drink milk. They will now drink it occasionally, but we drink soy milk, and it's a bit lighter than cow's milk. You might try that. It has just as much calcium. It also comes in flavored varieties - chocolate, strawberry. Many juices are fortified with calcium these days, and they make calcium chews as well. (You might check with your doctor before trying those - my kids never liked them after the first few anyway.) I would say that my kids get the majority of their calcium from veggies. We eat a lot of broccoli, soy & spinach. Cauliflower and Kale also have a lot of calcium in them. And we always get the kid's vitamins with extra calcium. Flintstones Xtra calcium is the best.

Mainly - try not to worry too much. God designed kids to get their nutrients where they can - with a healthy diet. And did He really intend for us to drink another animal's milk?? :)

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Hi!

I have a 2 year old who doesn't drink milk. When we transitioned from the formula, she would drink milk in her bottle. When we switched to using only a cup - she never drank milk again. (she takes it only in her cereal)

I was very concerned - but her Dr said that as long as she continued to take her vitamins (the liquid poly ones) she was fine. Also, there are a lot of sources of calcium - cheese being one.

Hope this helps!!

H.

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I'm not sure if you tried fat free milk (skim milk). Both of my children were breastfed (one until 17mos and the other until 24mos)neither one liked the texture of the milks w/ fat in them, I guess they were thicker. They would drink the fat free though and I asked my pedetrician about the fact that reports said that children should drink whole milk. He said that children got enough fat in their diets now days they do not need the fat from milk. Now they will drink all types of milk. Hope it helps,
H.

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Hi D.,
Is it possible that he is allergic or intollerant(Unable to properly digest) cow's milk? Cow's milk is very hard for human's to digest, the protiens are quite large. Almond milk is rich in calcium and fats. You may try that. I did notice that you said milks but I was not sure which ones you tried.
Juice Plus makes fabulous food based supplements and the company has been arround for years. They do a lot of studies- outside of their company- with their products and the results are very positive.
I hope this helps.
R. George, CD(DONA),PCD(DONA)

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I would keep offering it. If he's thirsty, he will eventually drink. My daughter wasn't crazy about it at first either. Then, she would only drink it from a bottle not a sippy cup. Then all of a sudden she was ok with it in a sippy cup. As far as calcium goes, he can get it from other sources; cheese, yogurt, etc. Put milk in his oatmeal also. I would not recommend adding flavor to his milk, though. He should become accustomed to the regular taste. It's better for him that way anyway.

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D.,
My son hated milk at about the same age,,and has just recently said he likes it--hes 2 1/2. He will only drink it now with fig newtons or some type of cookie.
I wasnt worried about it though. I gave him flinstone vitamins and made sure he ate good. He loves vegetables,,which is so surprising to me considering I have to force my husband to eat them. Give him cheese, that has calcium. There are other sources of calcium. Dont worry about it!!
Good Luck!

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First Milk is NOT the only source of calcium. he can eat cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, spinach, kale, sardines, fortified w/calcium orange juice, etc.

Does this help?

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My son stopped nursing around 2 yrs old and he did not like milk either. He loves yogurt though (yoplait creamy or yoplait whips). We did orange juice that is fortified with calcium as well. Now, he will drink milk sometimes but he will always drink it as chocolate milk. Those are my best suggestions!

-R.

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D.,

You know how some kids have a very good instinct? Maybe he KNOWS he's allergic. I nursed my daughter for about the same amount of time, and she didn't want milk either. Over time, she got used to it. After her 2nd birthday, her speech slowed, eye contact began to drift, and developmental delays were obvious. We were told she was PDD (mild austism). I did some research and switched to a potato based milk (Vances Dari-Free has 35% RDA of calicum per 1cup serving-she gets 2 or 3 glasses) With in a week we saw a dramatic improvement in speech and social skills! I was totally surprised! I'm not saying this is why, I just wanted to share "our" milk story, and reassure you there are other ways of getting calcium besides dairy milk. Good Luck!

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D.,

You will have to provide the calcium in more creative ways. Try yogurt or smoothies. Cheese snacks are helpful as well as puddings and cream soups. String cheese have playful wrappings and some come in various twisted shapes which may appeal to your grandson. Look for these in the dairy section at your favorite grocer. Of course, mac n cheese is usually a winner! As he gets older, if his taste for milk remains the same, enrich some of his foods with dairy products...tacos, burritos, soups, baked potatoes, etc.

Best wishes!

Candance

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Actually that may not be such a bad thing. My pediatrician said that as long as the child is getting their calcium from yogurt, cheese, etc. that not drinking whole milk may actually be good for a child as long as he gets plenty of water. Milk (and other dairy) is actually the root of many sinus and other problems in children.

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Hi D.,

Have you tried adding to the milk? My daughter is the same way. But I started making her fruit smoothies in the blender. I also tried adding to the milk cinamon, cooked oatmeal, chocolate, vanilla (not all together) but basically anything that will alter the taste worked for me. Also, don't forget there are lots of foods rich in calcium besides milk. It might take a couple of tries but its worth checking it out.

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We did Ovaltine in his milk when our oldest would not drink it. Also, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, etc. have calcium in them. And don't forget the OJ fortified with calcium. We also gave him Tums to get some extra calcium in him too. Right now (at almost 5 years old), he drinks half regular milk and half chocolate soy (Silk).

Good luck!
K.

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Hi D.. My toddler will not touch milk when it's plain either. So what I have done is bought nestle cocoa, vanilla and strawberry flavor .I mix these in his milk and rotate the flavors. . I only add enough so that he can taste the flavor. He drinks it then ,with no problem.

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My little boy will only drink vanilla flavored soy milk. He has been intolerant of certain kinds of milk/formula since he was born.

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When I have problems with my kids going through a spell of not eating right or not wanting milk I can usually get them to drink pediasure. I get the offbrand at walmart since it is cheaper. My kids also love the kids Danimals drinkable yogurts. I just poke a straw through the foil top so they can drink it like that and not make a mess by tipping it up drinking it!

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My 13 month old daughter did the same thing. But, she loves yogurt. So, I give her Stoneyfeild farms Yo Baby Yogurt and Yogurt drinks. They taste DEVINE and they have no high fructose corn syrup, and they're organic. I know you can get the yogurts at Wal Mart, but the drinks have been tricky to find. I've found them at Whole Foods Market and Super Targets. Hope it helps!

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THE NUTRITIONIST AT WIC SUGGESTED TO ME THAT I SHOULD MAKE SHAKES FOR MY SON. HE TOO WOULD NOT DRINK MILK EXCEPT FOR CHOCOLATE MILK. IN A BLENDER MIX IN MILK AND WHATEVER FRUITS HE LIKES AND MAYBE A FEW CUBES OF ICE. BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH. IF THIS DOESN'T WORK YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH HIS PEDIATRICIAN. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK.

M.

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Hi. I have not drank milk my entire life. My calcium intake is 9.5 out of 10.2 because I drink fresh squeezed orange juice. Not the bottled kind. Buy oranges and juice them. Have him drink this on a dailey basis. If he does not like the pulp you can strain it. You can buy oranges buy the box at a flea market or farmer's market or wholesale produce or you can get them at the grocery store, however at the grocery store they don't sell large quantities.

M.

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Why do people think that kids HAVE to drink milk? They don't! If he won't drink it then he can get his calcium from other sources, orange juice is a great example.

Some people just aren't milk drinkers. There is absolutely NO reason why your grandson NEEDS milk. He does need the calcium and vitamin D. Milk is NOT the only source for that.

Hope this helps!

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My younger sister had this problem with her daughter. Her pediatrician recommended a formula that is made specifically for toddlers. It's made by one of the major brands but I can't remember which. It provides her with all the vitamins, etc. that she needs & it gave my sister much needed peace of mind. :)

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My son went through a phase like that and still wont drink a whole lot of milk. I was concerned about his calcium intake and talked to his doctor and he said its normal and that if he getting at least a measuring cup of milk a day hes fine. I did two things though, one i started adding nesquick powder to his milk once a day, it has added calcium in it and is healthy for them. That worked a little. Then i started buying the gummy vitamins for kids and he loves takin them cause they taste good, he gets two every morning and that makes me feel better about his vitamin and calcium intake. There may even be a calcium supplement and you might try some pediasure too. Hope this helps.
J.

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Hi D.,

I had a similar problem with my son. He was on soy formula, and when we took him off the bottle, he refused to drink milk of any kind or flavor. He liked yogurt and ice cream, so we gave him that as an alternate source of calcium. He's 4 now and only takes milk in his cereal. He's got pretty white teeth and beautiful hair, and he's as strong and active as any child his age.

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It could be that the regular milk is too thick. I gave my daughter 2% milk and a children's vitamin just to make sure she got everything she needed. You could also try Soy milk. My daughter loves the 8th Continent brand in Vanilla.

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I just read your question and its back from August but I skimmed through the responses and I don't seem to notice if anyone has mentioned that you could try goats milk. I have worked for a couple of vegetarian healthfood stores and this same question has popped up very often. Our children want to nurse well past 2 years, naturally, so this is an alternative that the grandson may adjust to. Also I noticed there was a reccomendation for chocolate or other sweetend soy milks. Although soy itself is an excellent choice and it comes fortified, the chocolate or extra sugar is a horrible idea. This will simply overstimulate the child and send them into a sugar rush followed by a terrible crash. This may be confused as a tantrum but its his body being overwhelmed by too much sugar. Maybe this helps...hope it works out.

have you tried mixing the milk with breast milk? also yogurt is really sweet and has calcium. worst case senario a LITTLE bit of chocolate ovaltine or carnation instant breakfast will make the milk sweeter

My daughter does not drink milk either. It is fine. As long as they are getting it from other sources. Milk, cheese, ect.

As long as he gets three servings of dairy a day he should be ok. That includes cheese, yoghurts, yoghurt drinks etc... Keep offering milk and eventually he might like it but if he doesn't want it no big deal as long as he's getting his 3 servings.

My daugher was the same when I stopped nursing her, I put sugar in her milk and then she would drink it..breast milk is sweet and watery, so maybe cut the milk with some water and add a little sugar to it...worked for us. He is also at a good age to eat yogurt and cheese and that will help with calcium

P.

D.,
Have you tried soy milk? Silk makes vanilla, chocolate, and regular. Also there is strawberry milk that you could add to the milk. I wouldn't worry too much it he doesn't drink milk. There are plenty other ways you could sneak it into his diet. Cheese, yogurt, pudding, juice fortified with calcium, shrimp, spinach, and arugula for just a few. Ask the pedatrition for a prescription multi vitamin.
Good Luck!
Jen

This should work for sure....my best friends Pediatrician recommended adding Carnation instant breakfast to her daugher's milk becuase she wouldn't touch it. IT WORKED! She drinks plenty now. It is fine for them and even has lots of vitamins and it makes the milk taste great. Good luck!

My son did this also at 17 months. I talked to the doctor, and he said if he was eating other things that had calcium in them then he was ok. He eventuall started drinking milk and loves it now.

I have not had the experience myself but I am a nursing student what we generally suggest is try Strawberry milk its really sweet even chocolate any flavor try giving silly straws silly cups have him help make the "special milk" even try warming it a little. If he still refuses just make sure you give him some daily vitamins and milk other ways yogurt, cheese things like that.

When our 2 year old nephew moved in with us 6 months ago, he didn't like milk either. We were also concerned with his calcium level. So, we started giving him more cheese and yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. That was until we discovered that he liked it to taste like a milkshake. We put milk with a teaspoon of vanilla with a dab of splenda in his cup. Not to worry, we slowly, very slowly have cut out the vanilla and splenda by putting less of each, each time we'd make it.
Now, he drinks his milk.
I hope it helps.
J C

You might try some of the drinkable yogurt, regular yogurt and things like that. Try adding it to oatmeal type foods instead of water. Then of course there is cheese, ice cream (in moderation), broccoli etc. There are lots of things out there that have calcium. Of course, you could check the children's multi vitamins also.

C.

My daughter did this same thing when I weaned her. I knew she could drink from a cup because she had been doing it for six months. She was just upset because she wasn't allowed to nurse anymore. (She was over age 1 and I wanted to get pregnant again and it was time to quit.) I tried all kinds of mixtures of breast milk, formula and cow milk and she just wouldn't do it.

I got a lot of advice about giving her chocolate milk or other sweetened drinks or sodas. My first piece of advice is not to do that. My friends who did that now have children who quickly learned to love the sweet or chocolate taste and demand it, (never did drink plain milk regularly,) then began to reject other healthy but blander foods for more sweets and chocolate. It does nothing but escalate the problem. It also doesn't solve anything because sweetened drinks / sodas can dehydrate and chocolate can interfere with calcium absorbsion. It is a lose lose solution.

I would recommend offering cow or soy or rice milk (whatever you do) from a cup and nothing else. Don't turn it into a power struggle and follow the child around the house with a cup. That just creates a rebellion. When I weaned my daughter, she did not drink one drop for 3-4 days and when she realized she wasn't getting to nurse anymore, (that I wouldn't cave into her demands,) she gave up and has been fine ever since.

I admit that I was sweating it the whole time, sure that she was going to be hosptialized for dehydration or her bones were going to deteriorate before my eyes from calcium deficiency. Neither happened. I did give her a lot of watery foods (soups, fruits, etc.) and calcium rich foods (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, salmon, broccoli, calcium enriched breads, etc.)

The only time she refused milk after that was after a trip to the dairy farm for a milking demonstration. After I assured her that cow milk is not the same as cow urine, she resumed milk drinking. :)

Best of luck,
S.

Flavored milk Strawberry,choclate which ever baby preferrs. Go- gurts smotties, Yogurt. V 8 even makes a smottie drink now. I know these don't sound as healthy as a glass of milk, But maybe after he starts drinking dairy products, wean out the flavor slowly.

My daughter did the same thing at about the same age. Our pediatrician said to keep offering it, especially when she woke up from a nap or in the morning, when she is likely to be thirsty. Also, he recommended we make sure she got calcium from other sources -- like whole milk yougart and cheese. We would feed her Yo baby yougart and she loved it. I have seen Yo Baby yougart in the organic section at Kroeger.

Around 18-20months, my daughter started to LOVE milk and, at 26 months she still does.

You can buy powdered milk and sprinkle a spoonful in what he will eat, like macaroni, soup, yogurt. WIC recommends this as a non fat, calcium boost. It is also good for pregnant and lactating women. If that doesn't work, try a good chewable vitamin. You may want one without iron. Vitamins with iron generally have less calcium because it inhibits absorbtion of the iron. Last, try some Viactiv chews, like women take. It's like a tootsie roll. Or calcium antacid tablets. I'd save that for last resort, though, so he doesn't confuse it with candy. Calcium is very important for bone growth. Try cheese or yogurt. There are alot of food and drink products on the market now that have added calcium. Hope this helps. =)

My 2 year old daughter breastfed until 13 months of age, and still will not drink regular milk if it is cold. She loves milk out of a sippy cup if I heat it up in the microwave, we do 30 seconds for 6oz sippy and 45 seconds for a 9oz sippy. You just have to shake the milk really well to prevent hot spots.

She is also very picky about which sippy she will drink milk from. She prefers one with a very smooth spout, and we use this particular sippy for milk only, so it's still kind of special like breastfeeding was special.

Good luck!

Have you tried flavored milk? Chocolate, Strawberry and Banana milk have just as much calcium. You can also get calcium from cheese and even ice cream and other food sources. I hated milk as a child and now I am having problems with my teeth. To this day I wont drink milk but I try to "trick" my taste buds. Hope that helps

While my daughter was never breastfed I did have a hard time getting her to drink whole milk over formula. Some things that I found helped were warming the milk, putting in a sippy cup with a familiar T.V. character (Blue's Clues, Mickey, Barney, Elmo, trust there's a cup out there for EVERYONE!) and it really doesn't hurt to put a spoonful of Oveltine to make it taste yummy. Hope I've helped just a bit...but if all else fails call his doctor and see if he would reccomend another form of calcium (vitamins,yogurt, cheese, etc...) until your grandson comes around...Good luck!

one of my kids was the same way, but i tried putting a little nequick in his cup for the first few days and now he loves drinking milk.