Milk Vs. Formula

My daughter did the same thing but I discovered that she would drink the milk if I put it in a sippy cup as opposed to the bottle. Some babies have a very strong connection to the formula in the bottle and won't accept anything else in that form...
It also helped when we warmed the milk and if all else fails it does not hurt to throw a teaspoon or 2 of Ovaltine or even a small amount of chocalate syrup in there to give the milk some flavor.
If he still refuses keep in mind that while the vitamins in milk are important he will be fine without them for a bit...try dairy in other forms like yogurt or cheese (if the MD agrees, cheese can be a common allergy in babies).
Good luck to you!!

1 mom found this helpful

Dear D. ,
I had my son on formula until he was two and a half years old.
My pediatrician in Germany actually recommended that it was better to keep him on formula until he was three since it had more of all the necessary vitamins , etc. He said that to many people were rushing to put children on milk since it was more cost effective .The only thing is that in Germany they actually provide formula especially formulated for growing toddlers age one and above . I don't know if they have that here in the states . SO I hope that put's you at ease about your twins not wanting to drink milk. Give them time .Good luck

Some babys take longer to winged off of formula. Its ok that they are still drinking the formula. If u wanted to u could try them the formula thats the next stage up. I think the name of it is smart choice.. something like that. My son couldnt have milk and i still have to watch him. He is almost three years old and i have a problem with him going poo poo. To much milk and it stops him up.. So dont be alarmed if thats what they want then i think its ok..

Hi D.,
I, too, am the mom to twins. My son and daughter and 17 months old now. They had a hard time transitioning to whole milk as well. I started by mixing formula and milk little by little and they did great until they caught a bug. That set us back and we had to start all over. It was much harder the 2nd time. I had to add whole milk a tablespoon at a time and it took weeks before we were even up to half and half.

Another thing that I've gone to is organic whole milk. The taste seems to be better and they didn't notice it as much as regular whole milk. My son was also the one to be slower to convert than his sister.

I hope this helps! And congratulations on the soon-to-arrive!

A.

Have you tried putting flavored syrup in their milk? (Like strawberry or chocolate?) I had that same problem and my doctor told me to try that. And it worked. When I put the syrup in his milk he drank it. I didn't put a whole lot, just enough to sweeten the milk a little. After a couple of weeks, my son was drinking milk without the syrup.

i had the same problem. here's what we've done: we used a powdered milk. not just any though, nestle has one out called "nido". it can usually be found in the latin/international foods section, with other drink mixes, coffees, etc. and they have one called nido - kinder, which has added vitamins, so even better than milk. and it will save you tons of cash and trips to the grocery too! try mixing it with formula first with a little sugar added, then gradually reduce the amount of formula, then do the same with the sugar. good luck!

One thing you could try is to mix it with the Hershey's chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup to give it a little color and call it special milk! My son is 4 and he still won't drink milk. Do you give it to them in a cup or bottle? If bottle try a sippy cup!

i didn't wean my daughter completely off formula until she was about 18 mo. old. she would drink milk too, but not completely make the switch. she preferred formula in her bottle, not milk. she wanted milk only in a sippy cup! if you choose to continue formula (and you aren't doing this already), buy the store-brand formula at target or walmart! it's about 50% cheaper and if you compare the labels, almost identical ingredients to name-brand versions!
i would suggest taking them to the store and letting them pick out a "special" sippy cup that is JUST for milk. they aren't allowed to have water or juice in it, just milk.
also, try soy milk, it's much sweeter and they have other flavors like chocolate or vanilla and they have lots of vitamins that even milk doesn't have.
or just consider that they might not like milk ever! some people don't and that's not bad. they can get calcium from other sources like cheese and yogurt. or you could always give them vitamins.

My son was the same way, he refused to drink milk. If I made it chocolate or strawberry, letting him choose which one, he would drink it without a problem.

THEY ACTUALLY MAKE A FORMULA FOR TODDLERS NOW... IT IS MADE BY ENFAMIL AND IS CALLED ENFAMIL NEXT STEP WITH LIPIL. IT IS FOR TODDLERS UP TO 24 MONTHS. IF PRICE IS AN ISSUE I WOULD JUST TRY FLAVORING THE MILK WITH SWEET STUFF, OR TRY SOMETHING ELSE RICH IN VITAMINS SUCH AS DRINKS AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS.. HOPE ALL WORKS OUT..

I just want to post a KUDOS to you for juggling so much! I am expecting as well and I have a 4 year old boy...just one though...and I thought that was difficult!

Have you tried putting the milk in a fun cup? Maybe with a silly straw?

J.

When you give them the formula it's warm, right? And the milk is cold milk? Maybe it's just that they're not used to taking any type of milk that's cold. Have you tried serving warm milk to them?

And do you think that one of them might not like it and the other one is just doing it because he is? Maybe you could see if it's just ONE of them that won't drink it.

Or-maybe if you drink some milk and rub your tummy and say, "OOHH that's good milk!" or give yourself a milk mustache and laugh they will think it's funny for mommy to have milk on her face. Sometimes just changing the mood will change their minds.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I know that I'm just throwing "what if's" and "maybes" out there...

Good luck,
J.

I would try adding some chocolate to the milk. And if they take that than just slowly start adding less and less chocolate to the milk. What ever it takes to get them off of formula.

Hope it helps

Stop giving in, that's why they keep throwing the milk, b/c they know that eventually you will give in and they'll get what they want... I tried that with my son and he would try to argue with me and he's 6 but, it goes back to, "You will take what I give you or you get nothing!" He doesn't like that answer all the time but he takes it and goes about his business and he's fine.... Hun, you have stop giving in or it will continue, when they get thirsty enough they will drink the milk!! I promise, unless they are lactose intolerant and there tummies can't handle it..... Good Luck and let me know how it goes!!

~T.~

I agree with Wolfgang. Just keep using formula for a while longer and try again, They will get calcium from other sources like yogurt, cheese and vitamins if you are giving them. I think if you do some research, like at RealAge.com and other sites, you will notice that milk is not really a "necessary" food.

Maybe try powdered milk. That's what I use for our family to drink because it's more affordable and is nonfat. Maybe get it in the same canister as the formula comes in, it's about $5 of powder which makes 8 quarts worth.

I had very hard time getting my daughter to drink milk, so I started adding a little chocolate (I was using a very small amount of Nesquik, but my doctor said that was a no-no!) Anyway, she suggested using Carnation Instant Breakfast because it has all the nutrients in it. Now my daughter takes the milk with no problems. Maybe your boys would warm up to the idea of milk if it had a little bit of flavor to it!

Do you put it a cup or bottle? If they watch you they are aware you are trying to give them something different. Try making their cup/bottles in advance. Start by adding a 1/3 of it reg milk and rest formula. Little by little increase the amount of milk. Don't force it. Also try Pedisure if that doen't work. Good luck!
L.

I suggest trying to give them flavored milks or try soy see if they like that better.

I had the same problem with my son to an extent. He never took formula because I breastfed. When he turned a year old I wanted to introduce him to whole milk and continue to breastfeed as well. The only problem was he hated whole milk. I tried chocolate milk, vanilla milk, strawberry milk, you name it. Nothing worked except.....yogurt smoothies mixed with milk. Stoney Fields Farms Yogurt Smoothies with live active cultures and organic whole milk is the charm that works every single morning. He's now 20 months and doing fantastic!!!

My son was on formula until he was two because he was allergic to milk. We used the soy formula for the older babies, which I definately suggest(not the soy, just making sure you use the formula for 9-24 months instead of the 0-12). He couldn't have any milk products at first, but as he got older I noticed I could gradually introduce other dairy into his diet. He now can have milk without getting sick. His doctors all knew, of course, that he wasn't having milk and was on the formula. My point though, is that you can give them their daily calcium and dairy servings in other ways. Cheese, yogart, you could even try some flavored soy milk. Maybe they would like that more than plain white milk. Good luck.

mix a little tinsy bit of milk in their formula, then gradually add more and more. hope this works!

Try some Organic Soymilk. They have it at most grovery stores. It's sweeter than milk and good for them but not like formula. My daughter has been drinking it for 2 years and loves it. (She'll drink milk too if we offer it).

I had the same problem with my 1 yr old.He would not drink milk at all.I tried putting chocolate syrup in it,it sitll did not work. So my doctor told me to give him some pedi sure and he loved it,it comes in all kinds of flavors.It is very exspensive but it his all the vitamins that they need.So after a couple of months on that I tried the milk again and he took it with no problem but there was one catch it had to have chocolate syrup in it,but I still was happy because i did not have to buy that exspensive pedi sure any more.So try that.

Congratulations on the new edition coming to your family. If I were you I would make the bottles ahead of time with milk mixed with the formula and when they want a bottle then get it out of the fridge and hand it to them, they don't see you making it so they won't know the difference. If they see you then they know that you are doing something different and they want nothing to do with it. Good Luck and congrats again.

It might sound mean, but this is how I did my son on everything and it always worked out. From bottles to cups, from nursing to milk. I just did it cold turkey. He would refuse the new thing at first, but after a while (I think the longest he went was 2 days) he finally realized it was that was or no way. There will be crying and screaming and all that, just walk away. Put whatever you have to give (this case the milk) in their reach and walk away. Explain that is how it is going to be from now on.

Girl you are not alone, try chocolate milk or strawberry milk, my son was the same way and did not want milk until he was 14 or 15 months! But not to worry just try other ways of giving them milk like ice cream, or chocolate or strawberry milk, or make make smoothies,they will like it eventually.

Hi D.! I have a 13 month old son who also had trouble adjusting to milk (It still isn't his drink of choice -- he would much prefer a glass of ice water!) But here are a few things that I have done to help ease the transition. ( I apologize if you have tried many of these already). I began mixing milk with the formula to slowly get him used to the taste. I also switched to Soy milk (the vanilla kind) because it tends to be a bit sweeter than regular milk. My pediatrician was completely OK with this and said there is no problem with children being on soy as long as it is fortified with calcium and Vitamin D (which they are). He took to the soy milk better and then I started mixing that with whole milk and gradually just weaned him off the soy altogether. (It is expensive and I didn't want to be buying 3 types of milk for the family!). I wouldn't recommend making the milk chocolate or strawberry because you are adding un-necessary sugar and then you are just going to have the same problem weaning them of that. I am sure you have tried warming it or trying it ice cold.
On another note, my pediatrician also told me not to worry and that most kids will eventually drink milk after time and to just keep offering it and acting like I don't care if he drinks it or not. If they sense you are really concerned about them drinking it, they won't want too! But she also told me if he didn't ever take to milk, it isn't a big deal as long as he is getting the calcium he needs (500-900mg per day). This can come from cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, calcium fortified OJ etc. Double check with your pediatrician on this, but I have since heard it many times and read about it as well. Hope this helps!

Dear D.:
Have you checked them for allergies / lactose intolerance (they have a special milk for that)? Have you tried different 'grades' of milk (full, 2%, 1%, skim)? Have you tried to water the milk down? Are you careful about the expiration date? Have you tried different brands? I am 40, and I would throw some brands down...

If all fails, stick with formula for now. You can use orange juice with calcium when they get bigger, if they still don't like milk.

Regards,
W.

Have you ever tried using the Next Step Formula. It's made by Enfamil especially for toddlers. It kind of helps with the transition from formula to milk. It still tastes (I'm assuming here) like formula and has all the nutrients. I know Enfamil carries it and Similac and Goodstart. I was also told by my pediatrician that although milk is good for them, they should really be taking in alot of juice and water. It just a transition and don't take it to heart that your kids aren't on the same level as everyone else's kids. They'll catch on before they are two.