How Much Liquid for a 12 Mo. Old?

I had the same problem with both my kids. As soon as they could drink from a sippy cup, I took the bottle away. But they had been so attached to the bottle, they didn't want the cup. It was so hard to do and several times I just about broke down and gave them the bottle back! There were some days I could swear they didn't drink a drop. I tried different kinds of sippy cups and that helped a little but eventually it just got easier for them and I was glad I didn't back down. It takes time, and when you're a concerned mother it seems to take even longer! Try whatever you can to get her interested in her cup...give her juice in them or try switching up the type of cup. Give her fruit more often so you feel like she's getting more "liquid" in her diet. Hang in there because it DOES get better! :) If you get overly concerned, don't hesitate to call that doctor.

1 mom found this helpful

My mother and grandmother, my sister and my female in laws do agree on one thing: Most doctors don't know anything about raising kids. My 16 month old daughter still takes the bottle and she eats solid foods as well. She can also use a sippy cup and a straw. The bottle remains comfortable and easy for her to use. Why would I take that away? This notion that children are on some kind of a schedule that the doctor read about in a journal is absurd. Children develop differently and at different times. Encourage her to drink out of a cup "like a big girl" and "eat like a big girl" but don't take away the bottle just because you or someone thinks she shouldn't have it anymore. It is familiar and therefore secure. Also, it's something she's good at. Right? Think about it. Don't you like continuing to do the things you're good at until you master the next level? It's a weird transition for them. Encourage, but don't force something on your kids or take something else away. You wouldn't like it if it was done to you.

My name is Stacey and I also have a 16 month old named Avery. She is still on the bottle for that very reason. During the day she takes a sippy cup but I don't think that doctors or anyone else knows when its best to take our children off the bottle. The only time she still gets her's is at bed time with milk because she is the exact same way, she does not like milk in the cup. I say give it back and watch for cues from her that she starts leaving milk in it. Then take it down an ounce to that mark. Be sure to take it out of her crib when she falls asleep and replace it with her binky. Avery gets theraphy because she was a preemie and she says for a 12-15 month old they still need 10-15 ounces of whole milk. And 5-10 ounces of other juice,water, what ever. Hope this helps........................

Hi K.,
In my opinion she should have more food. Overloading on Milk, juice or water doesn't give them the nutrients they require. Thats like adults being on a liquid diet, we won't get very far.

As for the bottle/sippy cup ~ warm up the milk to the same temperature that you warmed up her formula to. I have even gradulally mixed milk in with the formula and then taper off. Like if she drinks 6 oz bottle then 2 oz would be milk and 4 would be formula, this is so you don't upset her stomach or make her constipated.

Kids require a certain amount of dairy everday but they can get this from cheese, yougurt, eggs, cottage cheese, etc.

My daughter is now 27 months but last summer she decided she wasnt going to drink milk anymore. She had transitioned from formula to milk pretty well at first and to a cup just fine. Then decided she wasnt going to drink milk all of the sudden. She drinks plenty of fluids. She never gets juice straight. I always put it in her cup half juice half water. But the doctor told me that as long as she is getting plenty of foods with calcium (yogurt, cheese, most green vegetables) and a daily vitamin with calcium she should be fine to not drink milk. I'm not sure about the vitamin with your daughter being only 12 months so you might want to ask your doctor about that part. But as long as she is getting enough fluids and the amount of calcium she needs each day then she should be fine.

Try warming the milk to room temp. My 16 month old drinks his from a cup better if it's warm. He finishes it in 10 minutes in the mornings. You may need to try different cups. My son likes the Gerber transistion cup for his milk. http://www.gerber.com/bf/products/transcup/index.html I take the plug out so the milk comes out more like drinking from a cup instead of a bottle. We use the disposable cups for his water & juice. I also agree with one of the mom's who said to be consistant. Hide the bottles & only use the transistion cup. Good luck!

My daughter just turned 1yo and she still takes 3 bottles of whole milk a day. I did transition her from formula to milk for about a week like previously stated from someone. She drinks 8oz whole milk at breakfast and eats cherrios, eggs, etc then eats lunch then a snack and bottle at 3 to4pm and then dinner and then a bottle at bed time. The Dr. told me to keep her on 24oz of milk products a day so if I don't give her three bottles, she has to have yogart, cheese, etc. I have tried to give her the sippy cup with milk in it and she throws it down. She even looks to see the color now. She LOVES ice water out of her cup but will not take the milk in it. I just keep trying and she will eventually take it. My Dr. said the only reason to take a bottle away at 1 is to help prevent attachment to the bottle. I do substitute her bottles sometimes for a snack of cheese or yogart if we are out. She doesn't seem to mind that at all. It's a better transition than giving her what she wants (milk) in a container that frustrates her. Don't panic they are grow at different rates and not all children react the same. My mother-in-law told me that I needed to take her bottle away on her birthday but I didn't agree. I would rather have a peaceful transition then have us both misserable for days. Babies instinctively know when they are hungry and if then need more. If your worried about her health, do what you know she will take and don't worry about what anyone else thinks. So she's still on the bottle, I know a few toddlers that are over two years old that still take a bottle and a sippy cup.

Best of luck, let your heart lead you.........don't stress out over what others tell you.

E.

I agree with Janet S. Both of mine HATED the sippy cup, but I wasn't willing to have a child that was starting to walk and talk still using a bottle. I took bottles away from both of mine by 9 mos. Neither appreciated it at the time, but after about 3 days (and absolutely no bottles) they figured it out and have been fine since. Just be consistent and serve EVERY drink out of the sippy cup. Not to worry, just as with food-when they are thirsty, they will drink and believe me she'll let you know when she's thirsty and or needs a drink. Good luck!

Hey K.,
I couldn't get my daughter to drink milk at first either. My doctor told me to mix it with breast milk or formula, whichever you used last, and then gradually remove them so it's just whole milk. It worked AWESOME!!!! My daughter LOVES milk now and asks for it all the time! I hope this helps. I started doing half and half and then reduced it to all whole milk. I think it took like a week or a little longer.

Well she needs the same amount of fluids that you gave her from a bottle.

Did I miss it? was she still on formula? You could move to the follow up formula in a cup instead instead of making her go cold turkey. Just substitute a cup for a bottle feeding each week including that night time bottle. Start with meal times first then snack times then the first thing in the morning bottle and then the bed time bottle.

I heard before that kids should get at least 24oz of fluid. How do you like working from home, is it a solid business. I am looking for something to bring in extra income.

Well for my two kids the transition from bottle to sippy cup went well with a Nuby cup. It has a soft spout like the bottle so it eases the transition, then once you've got her on that you can switch to another cup with a firmer spout (even less like a bottle), then to a regular cup eventually.

My pediatrician said no more than 24 ounces of milk a day. I would give my kids 6-8 ounces of whole milk 3 times a day (with each meal basically) when they were that age. And my pediatrician also said limit juice to 4-6 ounces a day, which is barely enough to halfway fill a cup! So I just watered it down big time, and gave them 3 cups a day of "water juice", which was about 5 ounces of water and 1 or 2 ounces of juice.
I am glad we did the watered down juice thing for 2 reasons: it saves money obviously! and also because my kids now both REQUEST water to drink when they're thirsty.

You can tell if she's getting enough to drink if she's having enough wet diapers during the day and her stools are soft and not real hard. Both of my kids struggled for a few weeks going from formula to milk, it is a different taste but she will get used to it soon. Good luck!

Hi there! My daughter, Meadow just turned one at the beginning of the month... she was eating (before we went to her check-up) solids three times a day, finger foods/baby snacks sometimes and about 24 ounces of formula (3 /4oz & 2 /6oz) *she has always been good about eating and we have always had her on a schedule. Now, after we went to the doctor, we took all the bottles away and just started giving her milk out of a sippy cup (she has been drinking out of a sippy since 6 mo. ~small amounts of juice and water)... at first we tried to keep the same "bottle schedule" during the day but that didnt work... so we just always have her milk in her sippy available to her... and when we are feeding her or when she is feeding herself the solids... after every few bites we remind her to "take a drink"... Meadow has started eating more solids as well *we moved her up to threes* I have been told that if her pee starts to turn really yellow than there is a problem and she isnt getting enough liquids, but that hasnt happen yet and we have been on strait milk *with water now and then* from the sippy for two weeks now... I think that if you just make it available all the time and remind her she will get the idea and get used to it... You know, Meadow seems to like her milk after it gets the "chill" off it... she was always served her bottles warm, so thats what she was used to, I guess... you can def. tell when she doesnt want it because she will trow it or shake her head no. Anyway, just keep at it with her ~ it is a change and babies get so used to routines...

Hi-

I asked my pediatrician the same question. The rule is that as long as they are having at least 2 wet diapers a day, they are getting enough liquid. Limit juice to once a day, and otherwise concentrate on water. She doesn't have to have the milk if she'll take calcium in other forms (4 servings a day of things like cheese, whole milk yogurt, etc).

I had the same problem.