Will Not Drink Milk!

Updated on October 22, 2010
E.T. asks from Plano, TX
20 answers

My 2.5 year old only wants to drink orange juice and refuses to drink milk. He used to love milk and now will throw a huge tantrum if I try and make him drink it. What should I do?

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N.W.

answers from Dallas on

Milk is the number one allergen so I wouldn't worry about him not drinking milk. My son wouldn't drink it either at that age which worked out OK because now he is on a gluten and casein free diet.

2 moms found this helpful
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B.M.

answers from Dallas on

Don't worry about the no milk drinking. My daughter quit drinking milk at 2 and still hates it today and she's 19. I quit drinking milk when I quit the bottle (according to my mom) and I still hate milk. We've both tried to learn to like it and we just don't. There are lots of other ways to get calcium and vitamin D. Just do a little research and all will be fine.

1 mom found this helpful

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L.M.

answers from New York on

Your child does not need milk, so don't worry about it. However, replacing it with orange juice won't work either. Allow him only one glass of oj a day. Stick with water, it's the best think for him.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Dallas on

Have him eat plenty of green vegetables. They are higher in calcium than milk anyway. Also, the juice is high in sugar, so be sure to cut it in half with water and transition him more to water as his primary drink over time.

For an easy way to get 17 fruits and veggies into him every day (LOADED with calcium as well as 10,000 other nutrients), message me with your phone number. I'll share some great info with you that I wish had been shared with me when my sons were that age.

Blessings,

M.
P.S. My "picky eater" son eats all his veggies now. Even the green ones.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from Dallas on

Unless his diet is lacking many vitamins, he does not NEED to drink milk. He will be fine without it.

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S.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

There are lots of great ways to get calcium without drinking milk, such as eating yogurt, cottage cheese (or any cheese), and eating certain vegetables (like broccoli). I second the advice of not letting him drink too much OJ. Is it possible that he is refusing to drink milk because he knows if he refuses, he'll get OJ instead? Maybe if he no longer gets the OJ, he will start wanting milk again.

1 mom found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

Well my first daughter around the age of 2 kinda did this. She would still drink milk but all she wanted to was juice and she would drink way too much of it so I just stopped buying it. The first day was hard but then she was fine. She started to throw a temper tantrum when I told her there was no more so I picked her up and took her to the fridge and showed her. I just said "see all the juice is gone." She stopped crying but did continue to ask for it all day. After that she just got used to her options of milk or water. Now she is 3 1/2 and I can buy juice without her wanting it all the time but I probably stopped buying it for a year. Also if he hates milk try adding a little flavor to it like strawberry or chocolate.

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

Don't make him drink it. I would still offer it b/c he may change his mind. Many doctors will tell you that juice should be limited to only a small glass per day at MOST. If he doesn't want milk, I would only give him water. You might just want to make sure he is getting cheese and yogurt so he gets enough dairy. Good luck!

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A.K.

answers from Dallas on

Try mixing in a couple ounces of drinkable yogurt if he likes it. That's what we do. It works great!

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C.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

my daughter is 17 months and we went through the same thing when I took her off the bottle. My doctor suggested adding a tiny bit of Ovalitne to the milk (I add about a teaspoon to a cup of milk) and she downs it! At least it has some vitamins in it (the syrup does not) but it does have sugar so that is why I only put a tiny bit in. No more tantrums at milk time for us! Just smiles! Good luck!

G.T.

answers from Bakersfield on

mix some milk with the orange juice, like a smoothie. If he's eating cheese and other sources of calcium don't worry about it too much.... lots of kids grow up without liking or tolerating milk. My dad never drank milk and he's 71 and doing fine.

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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

my daughter doesn't drink milk either, just try to give him cheese or yogurt every day and he should be just fine.

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

He might be lactose intolerant or have some other issue with the milk. It's not so important that you make this a fight. They have OJ with calcium added.

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L.B.

answers from Dallas on

It's probably just a phase. There are lots of other ways to get calcium: yogurt, cheese, etc.

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

Get calcium fortified OJ, keep offering milk, and don't make it into a battle. 2 year olds are trying to be independant and LOVE to make choices. You can also try the yogurt drinks and chocolate milk to get him to try milk again, but basically, just do "John, do you want milk or OJ?" and if he says OJ, then say "ok". If it's a huge deal to you, you can try just giving him a very small amount of milk, maybe even in a "big boy cup". When he says he wants OJ say "Oh, well, when you finish that milk I'll get you some OJ." But you can't turn this into a battle.

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

Hi there,

My son never drank milk. He is 4 now and he hated it from the moment we took him off the bottle. He drinks orange juice fortified with calcium and vitamin D. If you compare the nutritional content for calcium, it's about the same as milk. Neither I, nor his peditrician, have seen any ill effects from the lack of milk. He does like cheese and eats it often, but he hates yogurt.

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M.B.

answers from Dayton on

You can go 2 ways with this. First, you could offer only milk and he'll drink when he's thirsty. Second, you could not even try giving him milk for a few days to a week and then offer it again without saying a word or acting differently. He may forget that he was fighting you on it. In the meantime, give him yogurt and cheese at meals or snacks so he's getting the calcium.

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E.H.

answers from Dallas on

My first son quit drinking milk when I took him off the bottle. He didn't drink it for about a year or so (at least not very often). I jsut made sure he had cheese and yogurt etc. NO sense forcing it on him. He will eventually come back and drink it.... just keep offering it.

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A.T.

answers from Dallas on

Maybe your child developed a milk allergy like all three of my children. So take him to doctor and have him allergy tested.

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