Daughter Is Refusing Her Bottles

J.

I had both my kids off of formula and bottles right about this stage, if she doesnt want the bottle, thats great buy a few sippy cups and go right to whole milk, she what she will take, it took me only 1 kind of sippy cup for my first to like to drink out of, but my second was more picky, I think I bought about 6 different sippy cups before she took one.

If she's breastfeeding, the amount she takes really doesn't matter much. If not, just offer smaller amounts during the day. She sounds like she's weaning off formula/bottles to me. And around a year is not a problem. Just make sure she stays well hydrated. We really don't NEED cow's milk in the human diet. You could always try a rice milk, just good old water, etc.
As long as she's not having constipation, due to low fluid content, it shouldn't cause her a problem

HTH,

S.

My Pediatrician wanted me to wean my daughter to only 12 oz. by the time she was 12 months. I am really surprised they would recommend cows milk before a year old, even with her being that close.

Are you giving juice or water or any other liquids? I just give my 18 month old daughter 9 oz. milk (now we use soy) in the am, and then water all day long. She eats lots of fruit, so my pedi didn't feel any need to give fruit juices as they are high in simple sugars.

Don't feel like you need to trick her into drinking her milk, it is a bad habit and might result in a picky eater. I'd recommend cutting out all liquids other than milk and water. When she's thirsty offer these options only. She might give you a hard time for a day or so, but she'll get thirsty and drink, and a day or so like that is not a risk for dehydration. The goal is 20 oz. of liquid a day. If she's filling up on other fluids, she's getting empty calories from those things and probably prefers the sweet taste to milk.

I wouldn't be concerned about nutrition if the things she's eating are whole grains, fruits, vegetables (unprocessed for both of those), and proteins. Keep the processed foods to a rare minimum and your baby will be healthy. Remember milk is a very calorie concentrated food. Obviously you don't have this problem, but my nephew (4 years old) only wants to drink milk, juice or soda all day long, and then won't eat normal food. I worry about the long term affects of this, as these are all high calorie, but low nutritional foods.

One other thing that my pedi warned me about. Don't freak out as they begin to slim down after the first year. They may even drop a diaper/pants size. This is okay and NORMAL. This is the time they burn the baby fat, keeping them chubby (eating more calories then they should) will put them at risk for weight battles the rest of their lives as they are learning to enjoy richer foods. Now is the time to train their taste buds so that they'll enjoy healthful foods!

Best wishes! :)

What solids is she eating.
At 11 months they can use a sippy cup but only fill it half way as it is honestly too heavy for little wrists to tilt up and get fluid to the mouth. i would also suggest a dippy with a soft mouth piece so she can chomp down on it to keep it in her mouth while she figures out the hand portion. You drink form one while she watches with hers. Babies learn TONS by watching and immitating.
I notice that some days the baby wants tons to drink and others barely what i consider anything but she is still growing, wetting diapers etc...
My 13 month old now tries to drink from a regular cup like we do just by watching us.

I would be weening her from the bottles anyways and the formula. I did mine right at 12mo's and he turned out fine.She's telling you "I'm done, I'm a big girl now!" As far as the nutrition, putting her on regular milk will not harm her, give her vitamins if you are worried.

You didn't say if she was eating solid foods or not. If she isn't already maybe it's time.

Hi J. -

If you haven't already, you might try these cups http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138YI8S/ref=cm_cr_mts...

You can buy them at Babies 'R Us and they are great. They were the only cup that my daughter (now 3) would use (and we tried many before finding these) and at 8 months, my son is now totally off of the bottle and using these cups.

J.

Hi J.---You shouldn't worry about your daughter too much. She won't starve herself. As others have asked, is she eating big people food yet? She should be more than ready to eat whatever the rest of the family eats, of course in smaller and softer pieces. Let her choose what she would like to eat, within the context of offering her a variety of healthy foods. I agree that cow's milk should be avoided at all costs. It is an extrememly allergenic food, at best. Go to www.strongbones.org to learn more.

I have my own Wellness Education business and have learned some fabulous ways to make my family healthier through whole food nutrition. My 'baby' is 17 so it's been a long time since I've had to transition from breast feeding to table food, but I have a friend, when out to lunch for sushi one day, fed her one year old daughter edemame (boiled soybeans, very healthy, lots of calcium and protein, found in the natural foods section at Kroger) and tofu cubes and seaweed from the miso soup. She also ate the rice from the sushi rolls, as it is made with a special short grain rice that sticks together and is easy to pick up. You can find sticky brown rice as well, mostly at Asian specialty stores or at Whole Foods.

I have numerous files on good ideas for feeding little ones. I also offer, through my business, a whole food supplement made from 17 raw, fresh fruits, vegetables and grains which have been juiced, dehydrated and put into capsule, chewable or gummie forms. This is an excellent addition to my family's diet, our nutrition insurance. Even at one year of age, you could cut up the gummies into tiny pieces and your daughter would benefit from all of the same vitamins and minerals found in those 17 F&V.

The information and 'education' that I can provide are at no charge to you or your friends. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions you might have about ANYTHING. I look forward to it. In health, D. ###-###-####

J. -

No need to worry. She's just telling you she's growing up. She's ready for milk, water, diluted juice, etc. As the other moms have suggested, experiment with some cups and you should be fine.

Be thankful you're not on the other extreme. Suri Cruise is still drinking from a bottle and she turned two in April. Drives me nuts when I see her with it like every week in People! Get a clue Tom & Katie.

Have fun cup shopping! L.

Hello J., My oldest went through this at the same age, but I was nursing still at the time. She refused a bottle or a sippy cup. Never wanted anything to do with a pacifier either. I found that if I was drinking from a cup, she wanted what I had, so I put her milk in a cup just like mine, and when she wanted my cup, I switched and gave her hers. She thought it was still the cup I was drinking from. You may have to offer her the cup often in order to get her to drink enough. If all else fails try a medicine dropper full of milk every few minutes. Hope this works for you. Good luck.

TRY A sippy cup, that worked for me.

Try giving your daughter some finger foods of calcium if she's fighting you on the milk. (My son did this for a while too, I called it his "milk protest")

I used string cheese and cut it up and he ate that, or I bought the children's yogurts (Dora & Diego kind, there is also a baby yogurt). I wasn't comfortable adding flavor to the milk, but it was suggested when I couldn't get him to drink. But you could get some ovaltine and put that in there. Good luck!

Hi J. C.,

My daughter is Kayla (20 yrs.) also.
My son now 25 yrs., nursed for 6 months, formula for 2 months, and at eight months he was drinking 2% milk with baby food and table food. He did just fine. Don't worry about the bottle put her on a sippy cup with 2% milk without the fat of whole milk. My son was 19lbs. at a year. He grew up healthy.

Good Luck,
J. C.

Hi, does she get baby food?? If so she should get nutrition from there and you can dilute some things to get the liquid. If not, she is probably just hungry and not thirsty. Good luck, J., mom to Mark 16 and Vanessa 10