20 Month Old Daughter Will Not Take Milk from a Cup

A bit direct, but it works!

So if I understand correctly, she still drinks her milk from the bottle...and you want to get rid of her bottle?

If you don't care about the bottle, life can go on as is. If you are tired of the bottle and want to make the conversion, simply end the bottle and explain she is a big girl now. THROW THEM OUT, so you cannot give in. If she gets her calcium requirement from other sources besides milk, i wouldn't worry about her drinking from the cup. If her main source of calcium is milk, then only provide milk in a cup to drink. Her physiological need (thirst) will win over her stubborness. It will only take 24 hours and you will have conquered this battle. Also, i would cut juice out completely from her diet. The sugar will do nothing for her...and will not help with the weight issue. Drizzle a bit of extra-virgin olive oil on her food. Find the least tasting one, and only add a little to her food...it'll help her immune system and give her great source of fats...hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

I might try a regular cup - I have a niece who never wanted a sippy cup. It makes it a little harder since they will have spills, just keep them off the carpet, haha.

My daughter never wanted milk out of a sippy either - only the regular cup. Good Luck!

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was a little over a year and we were switching her from the bottle...she is also very small (in the 5th percentile for weight), so we were concerned about her weight gain. We gave her a Nuby cup, and a Nuby straw cup - the straw cup worked at first and now she uses the regular Nuby cup. We also help her drink it out of a regular "adult" cup (paper cups actually work very well since they are not heavy and can be more flexible), which is messy sometimes but if you have the time to dedicate to it, it's worth it. It was especially hard because she saw other kids at daycare still with their bottles, but she eventually realized that the only way she was going to get anything was out of the cup. I know people recommend warming up the milk or flavoring it, as well...this didn't work at all for us (which was probably best in the long run because I don't want to be warming her milk up forever!). My dr. also had us stop giving her any liquid except for milk until she put on some weight - no water (she never drank juice). I hope this helps!

My little girl at 20 months did not take the milk from a cup either.She just turned 27 months,now she does.You can also buy the cups with the straws.On Easter my husband & I
told her the Easter Bunny is coimg to take your baba to give it to a baby that needs it.In return he is going to leave you big girl cups!The transition went very well.She is eating more & also talking more.Good Luck to you!

I know exactly where you are coming from... My son is now about 20 months and he just gave up the bottle a few weeks ago. He always drank water from a sippy cup, but totally refused to drink milk from anything but the bottle. For months I would offer it to him in a cup at least once a day. He would take a sip and throw it on the floor.

I selected a day when he was 19 months and made a committment to helping him give up the bottle. I used sippy cups with straws (Nuby) and made a big deal out of the 'big boy cup.' I gave him milk in the cup three times a day, and did give him one bottle before bed. For three days, he drank no milk during the day from the cups. He would cry for the bottle and I would tell him that the milk is in the cup now. It was hard.

Gradually, he would take more and more sips of milk from his cup. After about four days,he was drinking the whole thing. After one week, I started giving him a cup at night too - no more bottle at all. Now he is completely off the bottle.

So, for a few days his milk intake was limited, but he eventually accepted that the only way he was to get milk was from the cup. During the transition, I gave him lots of yogurt and cheese.

Good luck! I never thought my son would drink milk from a cup either. It just takes a few days and consistency.

IT sounds like you've gotten some sound advice already. I have two boys who are now 4 and 2. My oldest was attached to his bottle and took a morning bottle with milk until he was 25 months old. I had tried giving mild in every kind of sippy cup under the sun, including a variety of nuby cups. After I came home from the hospital I just took the bottle away and never gave it back. I don't know what happened during the few days I was in the hospital, but he started drinking milk out of the Playtex cups with a straw. On the other hand, my now 2 year old didn't really crave the bottle so I took it away (he wasn't really finishing his morning milk bottle anyway) around 17 months. Unfortunately though, I still can't get him to drink milk. Again, I've tried every cup and every flavor under the sun!!! My pediatrician said that as long as he is getting 500 mg of calcium (at 18 months it was 400 mg) he is fine. If you look at the percentage on say a yogurt, the doctor told me for his age to just convert the percentage to mg (5 % = 50 mg, 10% = 100 mg, 20 % = 200 mg, 25% = 250 mg, etc.) As long as your daughter is getting her calcium requirement I wouldn't worry about forcing her to drink milk. Also, there is something on the market called a chewy tube (it's T shaped) that my little guy really likes to chew on. Or like others have said, give her other chewy devices to ease her chewing needs. Good luck.

dont know if this would work since she already takes water in a cup. we got her a special cup, the nuby sport bottle one, very similar to a bottle. if i had tried a hard spout to start, she wouldnt have drank enough. when she asked for a baba, we said she could have a baba of water or a cuppy of milk and let her pick. she would cry for 20 seconds and then take one. in about a week, she was asking for a cuppy or milk. just make sure when you start a transition, do not back down. she WILL take the cup of milk when she realizes she gets nothing else(just make sure not to allow her to have cups of juice to fill her up instead of the milk esp with her weight).
we then took away the bottle and told her she could have the nuby cup of water or a sippy cup of milk. the bottle was gone forever. just so you know though, we didnt start this until she was 2, four months really doesnt make a difference. she might have better understand at 2 and be more interested in princess cups. good luck.

If she's still using the bottle then that has to stopped. Also if she's getting her milk intake from other sources besides the cup then let it go! To me it sounds like she still associates the milk with the bottle as to why she won't drink it in a cup. That's ok.

As long as she drinks milk from other sources like cereal, porridge or anything else then that's fine. Also have you tried using other things like chocolate syrup/milk to add to her cup of milk. Sometimes you have to disguise things in order for kids to eat or drink it. Plus what kid doesn't like chocolate/strawberry milk?

If you're concerned about her dairy intake there are other was for her to get that such as, cheese or yogurt. It doesn't have to be milk alone.

Let me know how things turn out.

Do not put anything but water in her bottle, and put juice and milk in her cups and give her both. She might protest, but she will probably give it up faster. I would also try using a kids sport bottle, but fluid can run out pretty fast. Try drinking juice boxes around her, and keep telling her how yummy it is, without making her try it. You may be able to trick her into trying it, since she's old enough to understand you.

Try a regular cup, hold it for her. Try enriched rice milk. people are not meant to drink the milk of cow's anyway. Maybe your daughter is just really smart.

Did you try a straw cup? I had the same issue with my now 2.5 year old daughter. I also bought one for my now 5 year old. I think having the older one using one, the "baby" wanted to be just like her big sister.

You can find them at Walmart, BJ's, etc. I bought the insulated ones from BJ's. My 2 girls still are using them (1 year later). It helps with the spills too.

Hi A.,

I had the same problem with my son at that age. Try switching to Vanilla Soy Milk. It is much healthier for her over cows milk. My son never liked cows milk and loved vanilla soy milk. He is now a very healthy 18 year old young man, plus was always one of the healthiest kids growing up. Do you give your daughter a vitamin daily?

good luck all will work out,

C.

Cheryl has a good idea about only putting water in the bottle, and only milk in the sippy. Now my youngest didn't like sippies for a while. He now drinks out of the ones with the straw because he didn't get the idea of having to turn up the cup to drink from it. He always had the Playtex bottles with the liner, so he didn't have to tip that up either. I had to let him know what was in the cup was good to even get him to try it. So pick the cup you think she is the most likely to be able to use, put milk in it, and add just enough chocolate or strawberry syrup to lightly flavor it. Dip the spout or straw of the cup in the flavored milk so she knows what the drink tastes like. Also, if she prefers her milk warm, warm it for the cup as well. HTH's.

the only 2 things that come to mind for me with my son,, was a sippy cup made by Nuby, the top is so similar to a bottle in how it feels, that it sorta weaned him to cups for milk as well, and I would warm the milk,always commenting on the warm milk..,,then after he was handling that well, I changed cups but still warmed it and when i gave it to him, i didn't focus on the cup, I would ask if he wants some 'warm milk' so thats what he was thinking about...

The nipple is pretty chewable too..good luck,,hope it helps... if all else fails, as long as she is getting her "dairy" in, it doesn't actually matter so much if she drinks milk.

Have you tried the sippy cups that have the silicone "nipple"? They are sold at Walmart. I know that I had issues with both of my girls drinking milk from their regular sippy cups. I tried these because the top of them are silicone, like a nipple (but look like a sippy cup), and they loved them. or even try putting a little chocolate or strawberry syrup in the milk.

You can try telling her that you're going to give the bottles to Santa's baby reindeer so that they can be big and strong for the Christmas trip. Tell her that she would be a big help to Santa. If you get her to agree, pack a box together, put the bottle in it and address it to santa. You can substitute anything for Santa and reindeer, Easter Bunny babies, or babies in far away places that need bottles, etc. You have to get her to willingly give up her bottles.

They actually have sippy cups that have a nipple like sipper. That is what my daughter used when she first switched to the cup. It's softer than the usual sippy cups, so you may be able to trick her! Also, enticing them with chocolate milk can work too, if you don't mind them having it. Good luck!

My 2nd & 3rd children skipped right over the sippy cup stage & went to the straw cup. I think they liked it better b/c the liquid flow is alot quicker than a sippy cup. Have u ever tried drinking from a sippy cup? Its hard work! My 15 mo old now uses the straw cup only & the bottle was taken away in January. I had no problems. He is in the 90th % for weight & height.

we had the same problem until very recently. every day i would offer her water in her regular sippy and the milk in a different type of sippy (tried all different kinds). usually she would throw the milk on the floor, but one day she picked up the milk and we never had to use the bottle again. in the beginning she would just take sips here and there, so i made sure to giver her extra cheese and yogurt in her diet, but now she drinks the required daily amount with no problem. unfortunately she will still only drink it out of one particular type of cup, which is one of the gerber 7-month starter cups, but it's a step in the right direction. my theory is that they'll switch when they are good and ready. good luck!

The fact that she will not let her bottle go and is shredding the nipples could mean she is missing her pacifier. The sucking motion is their way to soothe themselves and for the most part, milk is associated with coziness and sleep time and sucking. You may have to take the bottles away completely, cold turkey. Make it fun....tell her the bottle fairy came and took them away to give to another baby who was just born and needed them and that the fairy knew she was a big girl and no longer needed them. Set up a present for her one morning (sippy cups of course, with her name on them)and write a note in a different handwriting, wrap it all pretty and girly, make it amazing and facinating and tell her that it appeared in the kitchen and it had a card with her name on it. Open the card with her and read it(it will obviously be from the "bottle fairy" telling her she's a big girl...etc..)
Make it a big deal, make it fun, so she feels she is a big girl and must step up to the plate. You can paint her name on the sippies with glitter paint and other fun stuff from craft stores. As for her being underweight, try chocolate milk, strawberry milk or smoothies & shakes in a sippy cup, that should help her put on weight. Make them really yummy and tell her she can have these treats but only out of a sippy cup. Good Luck!

I never had a big problem with the transition from bottle to cup as far as milk is conserend, but a couple of ideas might be #1: milk takes on a funny taste when it is put into a plastic cup ( I won't even drink milk from a plastic cup ), and #2: try mixing chocolate with it, and decrease the mixture little at a time until she is drinking regular milk from a cup.( or strawberry if she doesn't like chocolate). I hope you have the best of luck!!!!!

We had the same problem. My son was 15 months with a bottle. He would take the cup, but wouldn't suck. We tried every brand of sippy cup. We used Avent brand bottles. Fortunately, all their caps are interchangable. We put the sippy cup cap on the bottle. He picked it up thinking it was a bottle and we haven't turned back since. He just took to it. Once he was used to the bottle/cup, we changed the container to a cup container. Now he's 2 and uses anything we give him. Our new favorite is the Gerber. It's an hour glass shape and chenges color. They don't leak at all. Love them.

"NUBY" worked for us with our son!
VERY EASY TRANSITION!
Also try straw sip cups, sucking the
straw uses different muscles and is
good for their speech.
(sorry if repeating an answer, don't
have time to read all the replies).
Try using the same color cup for
milk,(we went with blue). GOOD LUCK! :o)

It seems she relates the bottle and milk to comfort. If you took the pacifier away too soon. As I have said to other people you dont see many 40 year olds running around with pacifiers. I weaned my daughter from breast feeding with trident gum. If your child drinks water and juice from a cup then it appears that the milk and bottle and sucking are all ONE issue. have you asked your child at 20 months she should be able to communicate a preference. Seems if there is a weight issue as well she may be stressed out. You did not say how her appetite was. I dont think drinking milk is the greatest issue with regards to being less than robust which you seem to indicate is the case.

Kids! They sure are funny, aren't they? I had a hard time getting my little one to switch from nursing to a bottle/sippy cup. After many months of "suffering" (I say with a smile), we put a little strawberry powder in her milk & she made a great transition. Plus, after just a couple of times, you stop using the strawberry powder & they're fine.

Good luck!

hey A.,

I actually would recommend just letting her have the bottle for a couple more months...almost everything that we worry about passes so quickly. I worried about so many things with my first baby...when the second came along, I just worried less about specific time frames for everything...and of course, he's a very easy-going, happy-go-lucky baby (my first is a little more sensitive). I would just keep offering the sippys (mine also liked the ones with the straw) but not take away the morning and nighttime bottles of milk for a few more months.

Frannie

I'm not a doctor, and I'm not sure how underweight your child is...But what I would do (and have done with both my kids) is put ONLY water in her bottle. And ONLY milk in a sippy cup. Water gets boring pretty quick. And with no other option but to use the sippy cup to get something other than water, it doesnt take long for them to figure it out.
Of course, if she is really underweight, this may not be a good solution because if she is stubborn it may mean a day without milk.
Good Luck!!

hi have you tried putting some flavour in to her milk or warming it up in the cup,there is plenty of available flavours they dont have much sugar ...i am a mother of two a 6year old and a 16 year old..

Hi A.,

Don't sweat it! Sucking helps children hold information in their working memory, and chewing helps everyone organize ideas in our working memory. It's a huge job for a 2 year old! Her bottle's nipple chewing is telling you she needs to chew. Her brain is actually developing when she's chewing. Mylenation of the neurons is one of the many gazillion things happening in her little brain in addition to the language acquisition neuron explosion! If the Dr says it's a concern about pumping up her weight that may be a good focus, but also taking in your family's genetics. (Kids need more fat than we do. ----My family is just skinny, but just culturally, by chance, we happen to like nutrition packed balanced low calorie food and very little sugar as a general rule.)

Having a younger sibling who obviously drinks from a bottle still and is the baby who gets the babying attention, it's pretty standard for an older sibling to want to hang on to some baby things. You're very lucky that she's cool with taking away the pacifier, because that's huge for a 20 month old. There's a lot of pressure on our New York City culture to make kids grow up faster and do a tremendous amount at earlier and earlier ages. Keep the sippy cups around, when she's ready, I promise on her own, seemingly out of the blue, she will switch on her own. More importantly, it sounds like she may need a chewy necklace or chewing ring. They make them for preschoolers to wear at school.
Sing a lot and read a lot to your children and keep enjoying them--as it sounds like you already do. Don't succumb to the peer pressure of her friends. Children are wired to suck on things for mental and emotional balance and self soothing until their emotional and psychological development has them ready. Don't worry, there are plenty of children in elementary schools with a chewy necklace! If she has them now, she'll need fewer beers in college - it's actually that serious.

Hope this helps! Lots of love to you!

My daughter never took milk from a cup either. She loved milk in a bottle but never drank from a sippy cup. She is now 3 1/2 and still is not a milk drinker. I am not sure you can force the issue. We tried flavored milk which she will drink every once in a while but she really does not seem to like milk.

Good luck.

i had the same problem with my daughter. one day i just decided NO BOTTLE and took them all out of sight during the day (still sleeping during nap and bed with watered down milk) and she still wouldn't drink from the cup. a couple weeks ago i decided NO BOTTLES AT ALL and when i put her down for her nap i told her she HAD to sleep with her sippy cup and if she didn't want to drink from it that was fine, but she WASN'T getting a bottle back, there were babies that needed the bottles and she was now a big girl. it took about 2 weeks for her to go down without screaming for her bottle, but the screaming would last 2-5 minutes on and off until she'd fall asleep and now the only time she cries when going down is when she just doesn't want to sleep. she also now drinks her milk HAPPILY from the cup! of course she has no choice but to drink it from her sippy cup or have no milk, so she does so. during the 2 weeks that she had no bottles and refused to drink her milk from her cup i just made sure that i gave her plenty of extra dairy products....yogurts, cheeses, and her favorite english muffins with plenty of cream cheese on them! and she likes the regular ones just as much as the healthier ones (i think grain or wheat or something like that). also, when i make her eggs, i put 1/2 a spoon full of sour cream in them (if i don't have the sour cream, i put in milk) and sometimes top it off with a slice or 2 of cheese. her pediatrician said that it was great to have so many varieties of dairy to replace her lack of milk! also, give her cereal, and you may have to feed it to her, but at least that's some milk right there! i personally don't like her having whole milk because she liked milk so much so she's on skim (plus i CAN'T drink anything but skim, but she likes it) and her pediatrician said that as long as she gets enough fat (the good kind, like what's in all those different types of dairy i still give her even now that she does drink her milk) that it's good for her, and helps her when she's older and doesn't need as much fat in her diet, then i won't have to fight a 6-10 yr old to switch to skim milk lol. oh, almost forgot, macNcheese is good too (according to the dr.). i hope that these suggestions help you. i know they helped me a great deal (just helped that i enjoy plenty of different types of dairy myself and didn't have to fight thinking on how to fix this problem, just had to double check with her dr. to make sure i was making the right decision). good luck, take the bottles away if that's what you feel is right (and if she's tearing through the nipples, it is the right thing, you don't want her choking) and just replace with other dairy to "fatten her up" and one day (for me 2 weeks) she'll drink her milk the only way she can, out of her sippy cup!

Have you tried the Nuby brand it has a rubber top, very durable for chewers. it worked for me when i was trying to get my daugther off the bottle, it like a cup but with a rubber top now i'm in the process of using them with my 14 month old son. Hope this helps.

You can find the cups in walmart,family dollar where the baby stuff is.

Have you tried the straw sippy cups? Those worked well for us but it was not immidiate and took a little time.

Have you tried the NUBY brand sippy cups? They have a silicone nipple part, so it is a little like the bottle feeling wise, but is still a cup. That was how we got my son on to sippy cups. Good luck!