My 2.5 Year Old Does Not Drink Milk

My son was the same way. I told him he is too big for a sipper cup now and we got cups with the straws for him. He refused and cried. I caved in and let him have the sipper cup a little longer. Then I decided to add salt to his sipper cup without him knowing it and I then poored the milk into his cup in front of him. He took a sip and said it was rotten. I tasted it and said yes the cup got rotten now. So I let him throw out the cup and I then gave him the straw cup with milk in it and he tasted it and said that it tasted good and was not rotten. So he now drinks from the straw cups.
My sisters son will spit milk out but if you put chocolet syrup in it he will drink it all and ask for more. I know there is a lot of sugar in the syrup but it gets him to drink milk

1 mom found this helpful

Both of my children hate milk the only way I can get them to drink it is in there cereal. There Dr. told me to give them foods that have calcium like cheese,yougart, cootage chesse, and orange juice. There are some o.j. that have calcium. Good luck!

Hi A.,
Have you tried making her smoothies? My friends and I have gone throught this (for different reasons) and I started making my twin 17 month old boyz smoothies - I make them from about 75% milk and then add organic liquid yogurt (they love berry flavored) and even throw in some fresh fruit and give it to them in a training sippy cup made by "Born Free". I told some friends about it who were having the same problem and they tried it and it worked for them as well! You can do many varieties and, although it is a bit more sugar, it is worth it if it gets them to drink their much-needed milk!
Good luck to you and have a wonderful day,
-D :)

Smoothies are great. They even have a powder mix from Whole foods that you can add with Orange juice. Also, they have a powder suppliment that you can add to the juice that has the same nutrients etc. that milk has as well. Also a 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry quick or ovaltine to start is a good way. My son would only drink vanilla soy milk.

The same thing is happening to my 23 month old girl. I have added a small spoon of strawberry quik to her milk and put it into a sippy cup. I also will make a smoothie with fruits that she likes with ice, yogurt and milk. I also will give her gogurts which she loves. I give her anything that has calcium and vitamin D, just in different forms from milk. Good Luck...................

Hello,

Our son has not had milk since he turned three. We opted to take it out of his diet on a trial basis to see if it made a difference with his clear runny nose that he always seemed to have, his drooling and his recurrent ear infections. To our amazement we saw a difference immediately. He also began to talk, which he had not been doing up until that point. He has not had milk in 5 months. One of his doctors (a GI specialist) told me that kids should never drink milk because it is too difficult for their bodies to process. I don't know if I believe that, but I do know that it made a difference for our son.

Today our son gets all of his calcium from cheese, yogurt and a good liquid multivitamin (Liquid Health Children's) that I give him. His doctor said that is plenty.

Maybe try letting her pick out a special "milk cup" on her own.

Good Luck!

Our daughter would not drink plain milk either...and still doesn't at 4.5 years old. She drinks chocolate milk though and since she is active and eats other healthy things, our doctor is fine with it. As long as she's getting her calcium. The Horizon organic prepackaged chocolate milks are also great for her to take to school for lunch. They don't have to be refrigerated, but they taste better cold. Try them...

If you can get your daughter to eat green veggies with Ranch, like broccoli, kale, or snap peas, that is another even better way to get your calcium. My boys (4&6 now) since they were 2 I could get them to eat broccoli with the ranch and other colorful veggies and then I don't feel so bad if they don't get the milk. The veggies are a better source of calcium. I hope that helps, also maybe making smoothies with vanilla flavored soymilk, my kids love the different fruit and soymilk smoothies that I make sometimes.

Rice milk is a great source of calcium, vit. D, etc. You can buy it at Trader Joe's. My three kids love it.

I had the same problem with my daughter. The only way she would take milk was with a little chocolate syrup. Just enough for flavoring. It's worth a shot.

My two oldest children never drank much milk at this age. They too preferred water. In some cultures people don't consume any milk. It is perfectly fine to not drink milk. There are lots of people who don't drink milk by choice or because of allergies. Yogurt and cheese to make up for it, and foods like broccoli have calcium. Playing outside daily will also provide her with vitamin D. I wouldn't worry about it.

A.,
She will be fine without drinking any milk. My seven year old has never drank cows milk (she won't drink soy or rice milk either) but does eat cheese, yogurt, nuts and other foods which her dr says gives her plenty of vitiamins and calcuim, (I also use a daily vitiamin that contains calcuim found at Costco). If you are really concerned you can try the flavored milks (my daughter won't drink those or eat milk based ice cream either). You can always talk to your daughters doctor but I don't think they will say her not drinking it is a problem. Good luck
Amanda

Will she drink chocolate or strawberry (or other flavored) milk? My son will not drink milk at all (his dad doesnt either, he barely wets his cereal with milk and doesnt drink it up. Bothers his stomach) I dont push the issue, just ask occasionally(every other day or two) if he'd like milk and often he will say Choc or Strawberry or just no, he'd prefer water (which is what we, his parents, love to drink) or something else. I no longer worry, I just make sure the fridge is stocked with his/my favorite yogurt flavor - key lime! Also cheese sticks are available for snacking anytime (except *right before* dinner or after brush-teeth-time before bed). (He's 5 and helps himself to yogurt and cheese now, but you can make sure to offer them to her often.)

Another fun treat esp in the summertime is the Go-gurt yougurt in a tube (they just dont have the flavor we like oh well. and are way over-colored IMO) Freeze them, then they can eat them like they do like the Otter freezer pops.

Cow's milk is not the end all, be all for calcium and other important vitamins. We don't use cow's milk because DD is lactose intolerant, but make up for it by giving her vitamin-rich alternatives such as tofu, soy (and other forms of milk) smoothies, various types of beans (kidney, etc.)
This link is pretty anti-milk, but if you can sift thru the 'milk's mean to cows' part, you'll see several studies (even one by the Nat'l Dairy Council) that shows that milk can be more harmful to ones health than helpful: http://www.milksucks.com/index2.asp
There is also some information in there w/ alternatives to assure your child gets all the healthy vitamins/minerals she needs.

I wonder though if it's more of a control struggle you're seeing--perhaps she associates the bottle (and therefore milk) with comfort and is refusing it because you're taking away her bottle? Giving it back to her is reinforcing her behaviors--in her own young mind, she knows that you're reacting to her milk strike and will eventually give in if she holds out for a little while.
Hopefully the above information will put your mind at ease w/ your DD going w/o milk for a little while. I predict that, if she likes milk, she'll want it back once she sees she has only the cup or nothing as her choices.

Hope that helped some & good luck!

Hi Ann.

It might be helpful to know that us humans are not meant to drink cow's milk in the first place. A cow has 4 stomachs, our one stomach is not designed to digest cow milk properly, hence the reason for milk allergies, gas, bloating, mucus, allergies, etc. Goat milk is much better and properly Ph balanced. You can give your beautiful girl food items that contain the fat and calcium she needs. You want your children to drink milk for the healthy brain development, however Omega 3 fatty acids, a proven organic chewable multi-vitamin supplement and DHA is a much better alternative to consider, especially since she is not wanting milk. Sounds like her body knows what it needs to me. I get my BRAINIUMS which are gummy bear chewable organic supplements by Nutrilite (the worlds best vitamins/supplements). Brainiums contain the Omega fatty acids and DHA our kids need, plus my girls LOVE them! We also give the girls the Nutrilite Children's chewables, the Nutrilite vitamin C (we all need vitamin C antioxident properties and they help my little ones fight common colds by boosting their immunity too). We also give them the Fruit & Veggie chews because our kids simply do not get the recommended daily allowance of fruit & veggies (as a matter of fact, about 95% of our children in America are not getting the nutrition they need that's why we have increased incidents of allergies, asthma, diabetes I&II, osteoperosis (huge problem for girls 12-19 and growing) and ADHD, not to mention other diseases.

Soy milk is also an option, however I would caution you to educate yourself about soy and its effect on our adrenal glands. Supplementation is our family's choice. It's worth the investment in our kids health. You can find Nutrilite kids supplements and vitamins at www.bbu4u.com and you can educate yourself about Nutrilite at www.nutrilite.com. I am happy to answer any questions you have ###-###-####) and share my personal experience.

Of course, you will want to check with your pediatrician before adding any supplements to your kid's diet, however I cannot imagine any doctor not seeing the benefits of proper organic supplementation.

Cow milk it for baby cows. I'm sure there are also plenty of other alternatives you will hear about too!

Many blessings,
K. Nicole

You should explore other non-dairy sources of calcium. As long as your child is getting the calcium, it doesn't matter if it's from milk or not.

Cut and paste the link below for some examples.
http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/calcium_non_dair...

You can also give her children's vitamins. My son's pediatrician has prescribed a multi-vitamin with flouride.

Regards,

L. DeAndreis

Have you tried chocolate milk ? or Strawberry Milk ? Try taking her to the store to buy a special cup just for her and let her pick it out. Don't make a huge deal out of it... but only offer it if thats what you want her to drink. Or, try barganing with her..." drink that glass of milk then you can have more water "... at 2.5 she may understand.

My son does not like cow milk he will only drink rice milk. It comes fortified with calcium. Look at all the ingredient list for the food that she does eat and add up the calcium. Most things today are fortified and most veggies have a fair amount in them.

Hi, A.. Who told you that other dairy products will not make up for the lack of milk? That is not what my doctor says - my daughter drinks very little milk, maybe 6-8 oz a day (she's nearly 2) but my doctor said that because she eats lots of yogurt and cheese, it's nothing to worry about. I hope that makes you feel better, I think your daughter is just fine. The dairy in cheese and yogurt is more concentrated, so a smaller volume has all the nutrients of a larger amount of milk, including calcium. Good luck!

When I was a child I hated cow's milk, so I understand the aversion. Luckily there are plenty of other sources of calcium available to us, here's a list of them if you want to check it out. http://www.soystache.com/calcium.htm#Source

At that age my daughter loved hummus, a good source.

Vitamin D is made by our bodies when we are exposed to sunlight. Very little is needed. For a baby, 5 minutes a day in the sun without sunscreen is sufficient. A free and easy solution! http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/breastfeeding/...

Best to you,
J.

Even at the age of 2.5 my kids were capable of making food decisions choosing what they liked and didn't like, I was aware not to let any food decisions become a battle because they'd just dig in more. For instance, my daughter went through a stage where she said she didn't like mayonaise yet I knew she did. If you told her something had mayonaise she'd refuse to eat. So, I stopped telling her beforehand, she'd eat something and I'd ask her if she liked the "white sauce", she always said yes, just before her last bite I'd tell her it was mayonaise and she'd make a face and put the food down - it took her awhile to figure out it was the word she didn't like not the food.

If your daughter drank milk from a bottle you know she likes and tolerates it. Maybe she associates it with being "a baby", or maybe it's become a power struggle because she knows it worries you and gets her attention. I would start with putting two 1/2 full cups of both milk and water at her place during meals and then pay as little attention to what she does with them as possible, don't comment, touch or look at the cups. If she finishes her water perhaps she'll pick up the milk, if she asks for water give her water. Are the adults drinking milk with meals? Or, other times when she can see them? If after a week she's still ignoring the milk try switching to Soy or another type of milk 2%, fat free, or whole, and/or milk in a very different package than you usually buy. Tell her this is a new "different milk" that you're excited about and would she like to try because you think it tastes really good.

When my daughter was two she would wake up every morning rush to the fridge and sit on the bottom edge with the hersey syrup bottle on her lap asking for "choc milk". We didn't put in a lot just enough to change the color of the milk. Sure, it was extra calories - no fat though - but it was a way to ensure she got at least one big glass of milk a day. Eventually she got to the point that she was drinking unflavored milk and lots of it so it all worked out.

For your own peace of mind try giving her a daily multi-vitamin with calcium while you work this out.

My son did the same thing. It may not sound healthy but I went with strawberry and chocolate milk as well as vanilla milk shakes. Also, if you can find it, the small pint size cartons of milk served with a straw seemed to work. My son is now 9 and loves milk!

Stop giving her a bottle. She knows that if she holds out, you'll give in and give her a bottle. Supplement her with calcium until she begins to intake more dairy. My daughter never drank milk either, she was a strickly breastfed baby. When it came time to ween her and give whole milk she wanted nothing to do with it.(That was at 1 year old) By the time she was 18 months she'd ask for milk. Don't stop introducing it to her though.

I wouldn't worry too much. Check with your pediatrician to see how much dairy products your chid really needs. I remember it wasn't as much as I thought. As long as your daughter is eating cheese and yogurt, she should be totally fine. Kids just have phases and they outgrow them in time. Another suggestion is to add some Ovaltine to the milk to give it a more chocolatety taste. The also have calcium gummies in the vitamin section if that makes you feel better for a while.

I agree with another response, I think milk advertising has scared moms into it being a necessity. Fermented dairy products like Yogurt, cottage cheese & other cheeses have so many advantages over milk: it makes minerals more easily available for the body to absorb; it increases the amount of vitamins in the food and creates an abundance of enzymes, that most Americans lack in their diets that aid in digestion. My 2.5 yr old went from breast milk to water or water with a little juice added. He has yogurt everyday, cheese in quesadillas, or I do give him some milk in a chocolate protein/nutritional shake. I once had an exchange student from Japan and I'll never forget when he told me they have a nickname for Americans that meant "sour milk" because that's what we smell like to them!! I'd say were not were not digesting it very well and that can lead to lots of health problems down the road. Sometimes I think our kids are smarter than we are (=. So stick with the fermented ones.
K. (=

I personally would say that she is 2.5 and you need to decide how important it really is to you that she drink her milk. If you feel it is really important than don't offer her water. Tell her if she is thirsty she can drink her milk. Kids will not starve or thirst themselves to death. The only other thing I can think of is adding Ovaltine sp? or Nesquick to it, maybe she will drink it if it is flavoured. Those are my only ideas. Good Luck!

Hi Anne Marie!

Yogurt, cheese etc. are perfectly acceptable choices for dairy. Your daughter does not need milk. My daughter has a dairy allergy and has never had a drop of milk in her life. She's 5.5 and breastfed until she was 3.5. Now she does take a tsp of a liquid cal/mag supplement daily but otherwise gets her calcium from other calcium rich foods such as broccoli. I also have developed a sensitivity to dairy and have started drinking the orange juice that is fortified with calcium and vit. D. Kids actually don't need as much calcium as the doctors push. The worry is that without enough that they'll get osteoperosis as an adult but the reason we see so much of that these days is because our generation grew up engaging in activities that deplete clacium, such as drinking coffee and soda and not making sure that we do weight lifting exercises on a regular basis. So if you're teaching all those other good healthy habits throughout her life, she should be perfectly fine with yogurt, cheese and other sources of dairy or juice fortified with calcium. We actually obsorb calcium MUCH better from sources other than dairy because it is so hard for our bodies to absorb animal products. It's almost like chasing your own tail. If you're still concerned, pick up a liquid cal/mag supplement at a health food store such as Whole Foods. Good luck! P.S. You can also add milk into other things she eats such as oatmeal or anything that requires a liquid, pancakes etc. or blend it up with a strawberry or banana or other fruits she likes and see if she'd enjoy a daily smoothie! No worries! Good luck!

Don't worry. She'll get all the calcium she needs from the other dairy sources (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.) and remember that broccoli is an excellent source of calcium as well. Also, she can get the Vitamin D she needs simply from having exposure to sunshine - get her outside for about an hour each day and she'll be fine. Even if you can't get her outside, sitting in/next to a sunny window works. Does she eat cereal? If so, she'll be getting some milk that way too. Keep offering the milk in a cup - even different kinds of cups - put a cup of milk at her spot every meal, but don't push too hard and don't fret about it.

My now 6 year old daughter did the EXACT same thing at the same age. My pediatrician said it was fine to give her the calcium fortified Orange Juice instead. For a while she drank about 3 cups of OJ a day. After a year or so of OJ she gave that up as well. But she always has a lot of calcium in her diet from veggies (Broccoli is a great source - we eat it almost daily!) and cheeses and yogurts. She will occasionally ask to drink milk -- either plain or chocolate. I never drank milk myself growing up so I hated to make her drink something she didn't like either. Letting her decide to try it again on her own in her own time seems to have worked for us. She doesn't drink it daily or even weekly, but I know she eats healthy enough that I don't worry about it too much anymore. She is a very healthy little girl.

My 6 (almost 7) and 12 year old have NEVER drank milk. They don't need it for calcium there are many other sources.

Green leafy vegetables such as kale are as good as or better than milk as calcium sources. Other good sources include: White/Wholemeal bread, Taco Shells, Oats, Soyabeans, Tofu, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Pistachios, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Flax Seed, Carob, Carrots, Cabbage, Garlic, Parsley, Spirulina, Chives, Seaweed, Cauliflower, Okra, Cassava, Figs, Papaya, Rhubarb, Molasses.

All of these have calcium so if she has a varied diet she will get it. Here's a site that has how much is in each of these.

http://www.nomilk.com/calcium.txt

A great way to get kids to eat there greens (really good calcium and excellent nutrition) is to make a green smoothie.

Blend 1 cup water and a handful or 2 of spinach or kale and a banana till liquid. Add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen mango and blend again. It is great tasting (you don't taste the greens, just the fruit) It also is a nutrition packed drink. If they are picky about it being green, put it in a colored cup with a lid and colored straw so you can't see the green. My kids love it and I drink it too.

Hi A.,

Water is great for her! Most little one's don't like too much water already, so you're ahead a step there!

No worries about the milk yet! Does she eat cheese? As long as she gets that diary some other way, then she'll be fine. At her well-baby checkup they'll tell you if she's lacking in anything.

Does she drink milkshakes? You can always make her an "Ensure" milkshake to help get more vitamins. I do that for my 5 year old who won't take vitamins (can't blame him really...yuck).

Anyway, I wouldn't worry. Just keep trying, though. My 5 year old doesn't drink milk from a cup, only uses it in his cereal. But thankgoodness for that because he doesn't get any other dairy. Kids are just "weird" sometimes with their "pickiness". We just have to work harder to try and give them what they need. My older boy started being picky at 2.5, but when he reached 9 he began trying all sorts of things, and he eats great now!

You'll figure it out for her, she's just being a little picky right now.
:o) N.

Have you tried making smoothies? My son is a very picky eater, but every morning he will have a smoothie with milk (not sure how much), a bannana and a big glob of peanutbutter. I throw in two ice cubes and run it in the blender. You can make many variations on this, add yogurt, use any fruit your daughter likes.

Good luck!

I just spoke to my doctor yesterday about my son who just turned one. I was concerned about the vitamins as well and actually wanted to keep him on formula for this reason. The doctor suggested supplementing the baby vitamins along with the 2% milk, cheese, yogurt,etc. He said this will make up for any he may be lacking with regular milk. So I bought some and have yet to try it. My baby boy just turned one yesterday!!! Good luck hope this helps.

Try adding some chocolate. I did that with my first son and it worked like a charm. The doctor didn't mind either as long as he was drinking his milk.

Hi A.,

My son Philip did the same thing. When I weaned him from the bottle he wouldn't take milk from a sippy cup even though he drank milk from a bottle until 18-months. So I flavored his milk in a sippy cup with chocolate Ovaltine (has the most vitamins). I didn't flavor it too much, just to take away the regular milk flavor. That worked like a charm. My son is five years old now and the first thing he has in the morning is his chocolate milk.

Good luck,
J. in San Jose

Calcium fortified orange juice has as much calcium as a glass of milk. I also have a child who does not care for milk.

I am a mom of 4 ages 14, 10, 7 and 4.

My little guy pulled the same thing. I gave him BOOST. Comes in different flavors, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. He like the vanilla the best. Occasionally I would do half BOOST and half milk. Sneeky way to do it right from the start. Give it a shot. It really was good. Now he is grown to 12 years old and loves milk. Mostly in cereal I might add. Good luck.

Hi there,

Have you tried the "Nuby" sippy cups? They sell them at Walmart for a resonable price. I think the transition from bottle to sippy is a bit easier with this great cup. The nipple is soft (like a bottle, but a little bit different in shape) and then its attached to a regular cup. Maybe try that. I have a 2 1/2 year old and for a while I couldnt get him to drink much milk so I had the idea of food coloring!!! I would let him pick out which color he wanted and we added a couple drops to the milk. He thinks its so great to pick out his own color milk. (Also this is healthier than chocolate/strawberry milk all the time).I know they can be stubborn at this age. Dont worry if she only wants to drink out of a bottle-I am sure it will pass. Good luck!

I have a friend whose husband is a pediatrician and their third boy was the same way. What they did, which was extremely effective, was to mix milk with orange juice. It sounds kind of strange, but really it's good -- tastes kind of like an orange julius. I tried it at my house just for kicks and my kids think it's a great treat. Also, for myself being pregnant and all I am living off of Tums; my 2.5 year old gets one a day with mommy and loves them, they are a great source of calcium. I'd check with your ped for the green light on Tums, but I'm sure it will be alright.

I had a very similar problem with my child. My pediatrian told me to not worry about giving him milk. His words were "we are not cows, so he can live with out cows milk". I thought it went against everything I grew up thinking. My son is now 13 years old and is very healthy. He still won't drink milk.

Good luck.

J.

Chocolate has caffiene!!! Why don't you use CAROB instead? and besides...

COW'S MILK ARE FOR BABY COWS!!!!

Get your calcium from plant sources such as BROCOLLI and SOY BEAN products (tofu, soy milk, etc.). TAHINI MILK has a very high content of calcium. Try HALVAH It is sesame meal mixed with honey into a consistency of dough. Roll into balls. It makes a yummy dessert and she'll love it. Other good sources are FIGS, ALMONDS, and OATS.

So start her morning with oatmeal and soymilk. Sprinkle cut up figs and almonds on her warm oatmeal. Spread honey sweetened Tahini on her toast and there you've got the perfect breakfast loaded with CALCIUM.