I finally got my 21 month old to stop asking for milk in a bottle. Up until now, he would only drink his milk out of a bottle. We got new sippy cups that he calls his big boy babas, but will only drink a little and then put it aside. My doctor said not to worry, but I am worried that he is not drinking enough milk. Has anyone had similiar experiences? or any advice on how to get him to drink the milk. Thanks
I have 3 kids and none of them drank milk after the bottles were gone. My youngest who's 3 drinks at least 2-3 yogart drinks a day and eats lots of cheese. Don't worry about it, try other things with cheese, yogart, gogarts (good frozen as well) and fortifited orange juice (just limit the amount).
sounds like you are talking about my 20 month old. you name the cup we own it. I just in the AM put the cup on his tray and sometimes he will take a sip before he realizes its not water. We have no tried juice as of yet, and he loves his water. My Dr recc stopping by 2 , I try to make sure he eats cheese and yogourt just in case he misses a bottle and wont have a cup. we are down to 2 bottles if we have them, before bed and when he gets up.
Good luck, I am also curious as to the other responses.
I guess it depends on how desperate you are, lol. As others said, they don't have to drink milk, but can get the same nutrition in other ways. My son was breastfed, and never seemed to like milk. I tried it all--new cups, adding strawberry nesquick and ovaltine (which I had always sworn I'd never do!), even serving it out of a shot glass (it really wasn't--it was a shot glass-sized measuring cup). Interestingly enough, the shot glass worked the best! Then, when he spent a weekend at my sister's house, he downed milk, because her kids drink it. He was on a milk kick for about a week when he came home, but then went back to his old ways. I've sort of given up at this point, and he doesn't like yogurt either. So I give him cheese, continue to offer milk, and try to get creative--you can give pudding, made with whole milk. Also, I've started spreading yobaby between two graham crackers, which he seems to like. My son doesn't like smoothies, but you could try that, and even add in a bit of wheat germ and/or flax seed for an extra nutritional punch. Good luck!
My son never drank milk. It became such a daily hassle that I started adding milk to his food and gave him other foods containing many of the same nutrients. Now at 19 he drinks it by the gallon. It all works out at the end.
When I took my daughter's bottles away. she didn't drink milk for about two months. Now, she'll drink "treat milk" - I add the smallest dollop of chocolate syrup. It's a process - a little chocolate syrup is better than no milk!
From the time my son (2 yrs old now) was weaned from nursing/formula, he wouldnt drink milk. We tried chocolate milk, strawberry milk, soy milk, etc. Our Dr also said not to worry. He eats yougurt, loves eggs, milkshakes, and its a bit more expensive, but I buy the calcium fortified OJ and apple juice. Your son is probably getting more than enough calcium and vitamin D. Easier said than done, but DONT WORRY!
Hi J.,
At this age, to get the 3 cups of dairy recommended, you can count any cheese, yogurt, etc - it doesn't have to come from drinking milk. When toddlers move away from the bottle, milk isn't given as a feeding, but as a beverage in a cup with his meals and snacks, like a big person.
Hey J.,
It is perfectly normal for children to cut down on milk when the stop taking the bottle. Just give more dairy products yogurt, cheeses, etc. He will start drinking more it's just an adjustment period. Were you still warming the milk in the bottle? If you were then try just taking the chill out of the milk in the cup maybe he is used to the taste of warmed milk. But I wouldn't worry as long as he has a balanced diet he will be fine.
Yeah. Right. Try to get a 20 month old to eat collards and broccoli.
I used to put my son in bed at night with his cup of milk and leave. He would wait a while and then drink it all. But if I was watching him he wouldn't touch it. We did this for a couple of weeks until he got used to it now he'll drink it anywhere and with us around. Just make sure you brush his teeth before he falls alseep.
We are the only species that continues to drink milk after we are weaned. (Extreme example? Picture a person in a business suit going to a pasture and drinking milk directly from the cow's udder.) There are better sources of calcium than dairy that do not do harm to the body, such as uncooked collards (make a pesto out of them) and broccoli. Milk and meat are higher sources of pesticides than non-organic fruits and vegetables. Do research, especially the China study from local scientist T. Colin Campbell (I live in Ithaca, New York by Cornell) and see the difference with health and longevity for children and adults who exist on no dairy products.
J.
Mother of 4 grown sons, aspiring vegan and 20-year algae eater
www.enhancedmentalclarity.com
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Our kids also took in less once they went from bottles to sippies (for my son this was at 11 months). A lot less. But that doctor said that was fine and normal, and it was only temporary. If your main goal is to get him to drink more milk, you could try an open top cup, warming it up a little, a different sippy, removing the valve from the sippy, a straw cup, mixing with water to thin it out. Or you could try rice milk which is thinner too, fortified with calcium, it has the same nutritional content as milk. At 21 months it's common to take a sip of a drink and move on for a while. Keep offering, he'll improve. Good luck.
My kids acted like that when that went to sippy, but it was very short lived, I think it was just getting used to something different.
My daughter who is now 3 would only drink juice or water from a cup since she was 8 moths. She drank milk from the bottle up until 26 months because she would not drink it out of a cup. Since I took her off the bottle she never drank milk again. I just substitute by giving her yogurt & cheese.
Hi J....
Our daughter, almost 21 months is not a milk drinker either...much to my dairy farmer FIL's chagrin!! Anyways...I make sure Ava gets plenty of yogurt...she's not that big into cheese, and for dessert, she gets one little scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt...I also give her Enfamil Next Step, although the ped. says I can cut that out, it still makes me feel better...Plus for the vitamin D, I make sure she gets outside for a bit each day - weather permitting.
Best wishes,
J.
