Transition from Breastmilk to Regular Whole Milk

Updated on June 06, 2008
M.T. asks from Tehachapi, CA
39 answers

Does anyone have any tips? I have a 15 month old and he has weaned himself to one nighttime feeding. After offering regular milk numerous times a day, he continues to refuse regular milk. He does eat yogurt and cheese, but won't take milk. I'm worried he's not getting the necessary nutrients/fat from milk. Some advice I've gotten included trying a transition formula before whole milk. I tried that and there was no way he would even come close to trying it after smelling it.

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So What Happened?

Sorry it's taken me this long to respond, but it's taken this long for the transition to occur. A big thank you to all of your wonderful replies/advice. It was so encouraging to read all the different experiences regarding transitioning to whole milk. It has taken a long time for us, but the trick for us was going to 2% milk with a teeny bit of Ovaltine. It has worked like a charm and I'm sure the heat has given my son an appetite for a nice cold cup of milk too. He has been steadily increasing his intake of milk for the last month and we are thrilled to see this. Many of you suggested that some babies just aren't ready to transition to milk when we think they are, and I really think that was the case for us. Thank you all again for the great advice!

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C.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Yeah...formula really doesn't smell very good! Do you have a breast pump? I would maybe give him a bottle of breast milk and begin to cut it...like 3/4 breastmilk to 1/4 whole milk for a few days then cut it to half until it's all whole milk. Regular milk has a definent different taste, so cutting it will get him used to the new taste! Good Luck!

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J.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Ramona,

I have a 13 month old daughter who would not take anything when I tried to wean her to night and morning feedings. We tried soy milk and she loved it. Then we added some regular milk and gradually switched to all milk. A friend of mine also had great success with almond milk.
Hope that helps.

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L.S.

answers from Chico on

Hi,
My daughter has a 20 month old beautiful boy. When this happened to her, a friend told her to try a small amount of Ovaltine in the milk. She puts only a teaspoon in his sippy cup and fills it up with slightly warm milk and calls it chocolate milk. He loves it and will drink a couple a day. Hope this helps.

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A.F.

answers from San Francisco on

My son was the same way so I added yogurt to the regular milks as a transition since he liked yogurt. Or, even blend a bananna into milk--a mock smoothie.

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K.V.

answers from San Francisco on

If he's eating yogurt and cheese, then he's getting a good amount of calcium. I honestly woudn't worry too much about him not drinking milk.

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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

My son never did drink milk. Since my husband does not like drinking milk (it bothers his stomach but other dairy products are just fine), I never pushed it on my son. Just made sure he had all the yogurt, cheese, etc he could eat. Now he is starting to drink milk 2-5 times a week (chocolate or strawberry milk, no plain milk yet). He will live.

There are some greens and other foods that have more calcium than milk (and more easily absorbed/digested too) and there's plenty of fats in diet (esp if eating cheese, yogurt, cookies, etc) that you shouldn't feel too guilty about him not drinking milk like he "should" or because "everyone" else does.

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J.B.

answers from San Francisco on

There is a lot of info which says that cow milk is not really a good thing for human babies or adults. Perhaps your son instinctively know what is good for him and not. Cow milk can create problems with digestion, allergies and asthma. It's really designed for baby cows, not humans. You can read more about it at pcrm.org (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine).

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E.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Ramona,
Your child is getting plenty of nutrition from the cheese and yogurt. The nutrients in milk are also in the dairy products. And you can get them in a lot of other foods, too. By feeding your child a whole foods diet including fruits, veggies, meats, fish, nuts, seeds, whole grains, etc, you will be sure that he gets what he needs.
Best,
E. Bender NC, CHN
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

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T.B.

answers from Sacramento on

I didn't read the other replies, so sorry if this is a duplicate response, but I had the same issue with my daughter. She flat out refused cows milk and wanted to continue nursing. At 14 months I asked her doctor about it, since I was more than ready to wean her, and the doctor said as long as she was eating other dairy, don't worry about the milk. Continue to offer it to her, but don't make a big deal out of it, eventually she will drink it. I just made sure I offered her other drinks (mostly water) so she wasn't getting dehydrated since it was summer. It took about 3 months, but she did eventually start drinking it, and she loves her milk now. I just made sure she had cheese and yogurt pretty much every day and also cottage cheese, brocolli, and even ice cream. In the beginning we tried putting chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, ovaltine, anything to change the flavor of the milk and she flat out refused. I even tried giving her a bottle even though she had never had one before thinking she would take that, but no luck. Once she started drinking it though she would drink it all day if we let her. Some kids are just more stubborn than others, but they come around eventually.

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D.Y.

answers from San Francisco on

We are going through the exact same thing with our 15-month old. She drinks water from a sippy cup during the day and nurses at night. I keep offering milk in different cups and we don't seem to get past a sip or two, but it's more than nothing! I too have been offering yogurt, cheese and avocado as sources of good fat. I never liked milk much as a child, so my daughter might feel the same way. I wonder though, if calcium intake should be a concern at this age of development?

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J.G.

answers from Sacramento on

Have you tried Almond milk, rice milk, hemp milk, hazelnut....the longer you wait to introduce milk, the less likely he is to be allergic to it. There has been research that states that we don't actually get that much nutrients from milk because our bodies can't absorb the calcium and there is too much protein in milk. You can get plenty of calcium with broccoli and sesame seeds. Also if you wanted to do a supplement there are a lot of liquid calcium supplements that are fully absorbed. With the processing of food these days and the depletion of minerals in the soil we don't get all the nutrients we need from naturally occuring food. Anyway, feel free to contact me for more information. Good Luck and take care, J.

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L.M.

answers from Sacramento on

I've tried everything myself and after trying to transition my third child from nursing for over a year I decided to not make things so hard for both of us. The only way I got my daughter to drink whole milk was that I added vanilla Nestle Quik to her milk. You got to remember our milk is alot sweeter than whole milk. The vanilla Nestle's Quik mix finally worked after a few weeks I would put less and less until she was drinking whole milk without the mix. It really works. I wish you the best of luck.

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T.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Ramona,

My doctor, Dr. Trager (great doctor, came from Lucile Packard Hospital) - told me that 2% is good enough for little ones. Also, you might want to try and make him a milkshake with yogurt and bananas... mine loved it.
T.

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I.T.

answers from Sacramento on

I would try giving him breast milk out of the bottle. Your breast milk will come back if you pump one other time during the day. Then I would start mixing your milk with regular milk a little at a time. I am sure you will get a lot of other wonderful suggestions.

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S.A.

answers from Fresno on

I would recommend getting in other sources of calcium (and there are plenty!)instead of forcing the milk. Many vegetables offer calcium as well as dairy products, fortified soy products, etc. I say this only because I am 27 and to this day cannot stand the taste or texture of milk. I could not imagine being forced to drink it! I would imagine sneaking it into cereal, etc combined with other sources of calcium would be fine. Besides, too much lactose has been linked to childhood diabetes. ;)

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L.M.

answers from San Francisco on

I'm still breatfeeding, but have been giving my 13+month old boy organic whole milk in his cereal in the morning, and then he gets goat's milk yogurt at lunch, and a snack of organic cottage cheese before dinner. I also would suggest trying goat's milk (or yogurt). It's been working for us!
-L.

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H.H.

answers from Sacramento on

You could also try Kefir, its a liquid yogurt type of drink, but has different cultures than yogurt. It comes in many fruity flavors and has as much fat, calcium and protein as yogurt. Its available in most health food stores or regular grocery stores in the health food aisle. Good luck!

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J.D.

answers from San Francisco on

I agree with what a few other mommies are saying...if she's eating yogurt and cheese that should be fine.
My 22 month old is still nursing a bit but will not touch milk. I talked to my pediatrician and she assured my that the yogurt and cheese are fine.

jen

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H.D.

answers from Redding on

Hi, I had the same problem. I made chocolate or strawberry milk just to get the milk in my daughter. She had never had sugar before so she loved it! I slowly decreased the flavor until she was drinking straight milk. I got this from a grandma, so it's old school successful! Expect a little diarrea at first, but it passes. Good Luck

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A.R.

answers from Salinas on

Milk isn't necessary. Don't worry if your son won't drink it. My son is allergic to milk, and can't eat cheese or yogurt, which your son seems to like. Keep giving him those, and you won't have to worry about finding the nutrients, fat, and calcium elsewhere.

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C.L.

answers from Fresno on

You said you tried the transitioning method, but you may have to put 95% breastmilk and 5% milk and just do it really slowly. My daughter refused milk originally and trying the transition method very gradually eventually worked. She now loves whole milk. I think it is sometimes just a long process. Good Luck

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J.T.

answers from Sacramento on

I used a short transition of about 80% breast milk with 20% whole milk mixed together and then after a few days slowly increased the amount of whole milk while deceasing the breast milk. Eventually it was all whole milk and he he drank it fine. If there is ever a point during transition that your baby doesn't like it go back to the % that worked the time before and then try again slowly with the next transition with a little less milk then the time he didn't like it. Good luck!

J.

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K.B.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter wont touch the stuff. I did get her to drink soy milk the very vanilla. But then there have been a lot of things out about how soy isn't good for you. So what I do know is give her choc. almond milk. She likes it. What i also did for a while was did milk with just a splash of choc. milk. This way it tasted a little better for her but you didn't have all the sugar.

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M.P.

answers from San Francisco on

I just wanted to add that if you decide to try cow's milk alternatives, do a little research before you decide which to pick. Many people have suggested Soy Milk, but since you have a boy, I would not recomend it. Soy milk has hormones in it similar to estrogen and are not always good for boys. Again I say thoug, do you research, it may be based on amounts given and such. I only did minimal research and chose to use lactose free instead of soy, but I had a totally different issue :-) I just wanted to point this out, because it sounds like many of the mommies who recomend soy milk have girls, but it can be a whole different ball game with a boy. Good Luck!

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J.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Ramona,
Congratulations for nursing for a year! That's great, there really is no reason why your son HAS to drink milk. Mnay kids never drink it , it is not the best source of calcium and if he is drinking plenty of fluids I wouldn't stress abou it at all! He is also eating cheese and yogurt so he is getting some dairy. I could definitely understand him not wanting formula...after being nursed for a year. He will be perfectly fine not drinking milk, you can substitute with water, diluted whole fruit juices, almond milk, rice milk so many options! Good Luck
-J. R., D.C. www.rozenhartchiro.com

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J.K.

answers from Fresno on

Since he has been accoustomed to warm breastmilk he may just need the whole milk at least at room temp if not just slightly warmed. My daughter would only drink milk with strawberry flavoring.

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D.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Try vanilla soy milk. The Silk brand is yummy with no more sugar than milk.

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L.G.

answers from San Francisco on

Try pumping and mixing your milk with the whole milk. Start with a 75%, 25% mixture of mostly your milk. Each day reduce the amount of your milk and increase the whole milk, until he is used to the taste of just whole milk in his bottle.

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N.C.

answers from Sacramento on

Contrary to popular belief I don't believe babies have to have milk. Enough fat yes, but there are other ways to get that. Look into alternative good fat sources for your little guy. Yogurt, cottage cheese, avacado, and many others.

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T.R.

answers from Stockton on

I transitioned breatmilk to whole milk by adding some milk to breasmilk. Eventually I added more milk and less breastmilk and it was ok for .

trish

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E.C.

answers from San Francisco on

My experience was that it just took time for my girls to make the switch from mommy milk to moomoo milk. If he's getting whole milk yogurt and likes that, he's probably getting the dairy nutrients he needs that way. (hmm, maybe if you have a stick blender you could try mixing up a little yogurt in the milk?)

Do you serve the milk cold or slightly warmed (not that it made a difference for my girls but it does make a difference for some kids)?

For my girls, I think it took around 3 months of contined offering milk in the sippies before it seemed like they really started drinking significant amounts of it...now at age 6, our family goes through about three to four gallons a week!

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N.Z.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter was breastfed for her first two years mostly because she had GERD and had trouble with keeping other liquids down. Soy milk, rice milk and other animal milks (goat for instance) sometimes work better in that they have lots of vitamins and such but can be tolerated by some children better or are an easier transition from breast milk because they are more similar. Try a few things and keep trying because often they get refused many times before accepted.

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K.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Call this free advice line staffed by nurses.

(650) 498-KIDS ###-###-####)
(800 690-2282
Health and development advice from the Parent Information & Referral Center at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University.

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D.C.

answers from San Francisco on

If he's eating cheese and yogurt, you really don't need to worry about it.

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S.S.

answers from Sacramento on

Dear Ramona,
Didn't have time to read all responses, so hopefully this isn't a repeat. I added Ovalteen to the milk for my finicky 16 month old and it worked great. Eventually, she drank it plain. Good luck.
stac

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X.L.

answers from Sacramento on

Ramona,

My daughter is 17 months and can't process Cow's Milk (it gives her horrible gas) but she can handle cheese and yogurt, I talked to her Dr. about it and he told me that Cow's Milk is over rated and as long as she can intake other dairy without a problem then she is getting the necessary nutrients she needs, he also suggested that if I felt like that wasn't enough Calcium to give her 8-12oz of Calcium fortified Orange Juice a day, he assured me that it has just as much, if not more, calcium then Cow's Milk... if you don't want to go the juice route I use Vanilla Soy Milk, my daughter loves it and it does come fortified now..

Good luck with your little one!!

X.

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H.A.

answers from San Francisco on

I really wanted my 16 month old to start drinking milk. So I would give her milo and milk. Just enough to flavor the milk. I find milo has vitimins and minerals and has the least sugar.But Milo is only sold in NZ where we lived for 3 years. I actually send for it over the internet. In NZ kids add sugar to it. Ovaltine comes close but may have more sugar. You only need enough for taste. Try to google milo. This may not help you, but both my girls have a milo at bedtime. They never get hyper and they are both healthy weight. We don't eat alot of sugar stuff.But we love our milo. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in finding milo. Also consider organic milk. No antibiotics and hormones in organic milk. Its worth the extra cost.
H.

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Add 1 teaspoon of white Karo syrup per bottle of regular milk and warm up. After about 1 week decrease to a half a teaspoon per bottle. A week later he should be able to drink the milk without the Karo syrup added. Formula is sweeter than whole milk, that's why he will transition easier with this method. I used it on my twins at 12 months and it workded great. A coworker told me this method about 10 years ago. Good luck!
L.

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