1 Year Old and Milk

Updated on January 03, 2011
J.W. asks from Phoenixville, PA
8 answers

Hi Mamas,
A question for you....my son just turned one year old and we're trying to figure out how to transition him to milk....we are currently giving him a morning and night time bottle still and mixing it half milk half formula (trying to use up the formula and also get him used to milk at the same time). During the day, we've been trying to get him used to using the sipppy cup and we offer him both water and milk in the cup. He seems to prefer the water over milk, yet still only drinks a few sips here and there and maybe drinks about 4-5 oz of fluids totalk during the day. We don't know how to get him used to the sippy (and prefer not to go back to offering him a bottle during the day). Any suggestions??? (we do give him yogurt and cheese to help with the calcium requirement)

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Have you tried holding him when he drinks the sippy? That seems to be the trick for my kids. I didn't let my kids run around with a bottle, I always held them when they drank it. I think they associated that cuddling with drinking. Once I got them used to drinking out of a sippy while being held, then they would run around and get drinks every so often. I still have to remind the little one (she's 17 mos).
Sometimes it's all about the KIND of cup too. My oldest hated cups with soft spouts. She would only drink out of the Playtex cups with the valve. My youngest hated hard spout cups and would only use the Gerber ones with the softer spout. Neither liked the Nuby cups.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

.... babies/children... will OFTEN only drink milk out of a bottle.... versus a sippy cup... because it has a "nipple" on it. It is instinctual.... milk comes from a nipple.

Ask your Ped, how many ounces of milk, per his age, he needs. Daily.

Whole milk, is recommended through at least 2 years old.... because, the "milk fats" in it is an essential nutrient... for brain growth and development. Babies/toddlers, need 'essential fats'... for proper growth/brain development.
It is not only about the "calcium" in milk.

1 mom found this helpful

J.B.

answers from Houston on

Well since you are giving him the yogurt etc you should be fine, although that does seem like very little actual fluid during the day. I am about to do all this as well, so I feel you! I kind of think changing to milk is a big thing and doing two big things can be a lot for a little one. With my first I just switched him to milk in a bottle to get him fully weaned to whole milk. I offered juice etc in a cup and he took milk in a cup at like 17months. If you hold out, he will probably start to take the cup, but if you do decide that a bottle is ok for now, I don't think you will have a prob down the line with the switch. Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

P.M.

answers from Tampa on

Is liquid milk a requirement? If he's eating yogurt and cheese - those are the best sources of calcium to have... too much milk make many children and people sick. Why not offer 75%-25% watered down 100% juice? (That's 75% water, 25% juice).

Milk isn't exactly healthy - goat milk is more healthy, beneficial and usually organic.

*****Milk companies would like you to think 'milk fats' are required for healthy child development... but what they leave out is that HUMAN BREASTMILK FATS are what is needed. Most of the cow milk isn't fully broken down to gain as much nutrients from it and is a waste of calories. Another species's breastmilk does not give the same amount of benefits as the same species will.******

1 mom found this helpful

C.G.

answers from Denver on

Jen B hit the nail on the head.

1 mom found this helpful

M.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

You may want to try the straw cups. My son was a premie and had developmentalists/therapists - they advise against the use of sippy cups for various developmental reasons (they're no different than a bottle and don't teach anything new to your child, they've been linked to speech impediments), but also from the child's view that once they start walking, they want to be able to drink and see what's going on (not tilting their head back and missing out on the action). Good luck!

R.C.

answers from York on

Whatever you do, do not offer the bottle during the day. You need to start weaning him from his bottle completely. My pediatrician strongly suggested to never put whole milk in a bottle and keep the bottles just breast milk and/or formula. We started my son with sippy cups and I remember it took a while for him to get used to the idea of the cup and the whole milk so hang in there. My son liked to drink his milk from a straw too so maybe try that if your son can use a straw yet.

S.R.

answers from Kansas City on

We went though the same thing with our daughter (18 mos) she refused to drink out of a sippy cup until about 4 months ago. We just had to suck it up and spend, spend, spend trying to find one she could use, most were to hard for her to use. She didn't do well with the ones that had handles on the sides either. Once we found a good one, it was bye-bye bottle.

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