13-Month Old Won't Drink Milk

Have you tried putting a couple ounces of milk in her formula and slowly weaning her off the formula?

My third little boy just started drinking milk a few weeks ago and he is 18months old. Before that the only think he drank was water. (he has a alergy to juice) We always got out dairy from yogart and cheese. A month ago I started buying the drinkable yogart and adding a little milk to it and he drank it. I gradually added more and more milk. I would not panic to much. I believe after 1 they only need about 16oz a day.

Hello. My daughter won't drink cow's milk, but she will drink soy. There is vanilla flavor she loves. If you are not ok with soy milk, you could try mixing them. Hope this helps.

Hi Debi, I also have a 13 month old. In the last few weeks, we went from straight nursing to Organic Horizon 2% milk in a sippy cup (the straw kind). I give it to him cold straight from the refrigerator. My son broke out with diaper rash and extremely dry skin on his face when I tried to give him whole milk. He will not eat yogurt or cheese. I think he likes the taste of the organic milk. The 2% milk is a little easier on their stomachs. I know everyone says to give your child whole milk until they are 2 years old. But my pediatrician did not seem to have a problem with me giving my son 2% milk. I just try to offer him milk often through out the day. By the way, he would never accept any formula nor breastmilk.

My son did the same thing. So when I took him into his pediatrician for his check up, I asked him about this matter. He ran tests on him and found out that he was lactose intolerant. The reason for her/him to not take it is because it gave her/him a stomachache and your child remembers that time. I would suggest you ask your pediatrician if he/she thinks that it be possible that your child is lactose intolerant. Before that you can try giving her milk and adding a drop of lactaid drops in it. That is also what I did and he saw me do it and he took it and it was fine. Good Luck!!!

Milk isn't really necessary. It is an easy wat to get protien, fat, and calcium into her but not the only way. If she eats well, I wonldn't worry. You can give her calcium fortified oj once a day to help with her calcium.

She may be refusing it for a reason. Her system may just not be ready yet.

As long as your baby is getting enough calcium and vitamin D, it really doesn't matter if she ever drinks milk specifically. My 15 month old hates cow's milk, but he will eat yogurt, cheese, etc. I just make sure he gets plenty of those during the day, and he is fine. There are also plenty of other non-dairy sources of calcium such as dark, leafy vegetables and many others - you could do a little research to see what other options are out there.

Oh, and you probably already know this, but it's best to offer whole milk yogurt such as YoBaby so that they get plenty of fat for brain development too :)

With both of my sons I mixed the usual infant formula and added a small amount of milk. So for example, if she usually drinks 8 ounces of formula, maybe do 7 oz (just guess) and 1 oz of regular milk. Do this for a while and if no problems then change the ratio. 6 oz formula and 2 oz milk. Gradually, over time they got used to it and were drinking straight milk. As far as I know there is no reason you can't mix the two. Just baby step it and don't rush it too much. Hope this helps and Good Luck!

I have experienced the same thing with my 12 mos old daughter. My doctor recommended to us to mix Pedisure in the milk and see if that works. I nurse my daughter and am currently trying to wean her and he said that the pedisure helps make the milk a little sweeter to taste. Good luck.

I hate to keep saying it, but I have six kids....I always start out with that because I want you to understand that I have gone through with what you are going through...many times over!

Some kids just don't like milk, my now 4 year old, 3 year old, and 2 year old, just didn't like and still don't like it. I put chocolate in with it and they drank it a bit more, but not always.

There are other ways they can get what they need nutritionally. Cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese...most dairy products. If they eat adequate amounts of those products they will still get the same nutrition as they would from the milk. Milk is always best, but the other dairy products work just as well. My pediatrician always said as long as they are eating the cheese and yogurt, then we were fine. My kids love cheese and yogurt so that worked out great for me.

Much Luck!

I don't know much on the subject but what about 3 parts fomula and 1 part milk and then slowly increase the milk and decrease the formula until she is drinking milk. formula is familiar and so she likes it better but if you mix the two and slowly reduce the amount of formula milk will become familiar and she will like it.

I know that this sounds a little crazy, kids find it cool when u put a little bit of food coloring in the milk, it turns cool colors to them and they don't suspect that it is milk.

Have you tried weaning her slowly? For example, when you prepare her formula, let's say an 8 oz cup, try combining 6 oz of formula with 2 oz of milk...or even 1 oz of milk with 7 oz of formula if you think she will notice the taste difference.

Then let her get used to that for a week, if she accepts it. After a week, try adding a little more milk the next time...and so on, and so on, until finally she is drinking only milk and doesn't realize that it is not formula.

If you already tried this and it didn't work, then I would just say keep trying by offering milk to her regularly and don't give up because one day she just might decide she likes big girl milk instead of baby formula.

Could she be allergic? If it upsets her tummy, she may be trying to let you know something is not right. My brother had an allergy to milk and cried every time he drank it because it made him sick (tummy and rash).

My 6 year old developed a milk allergy when she was about 13 months old and hasn't touched it since. My 3 year old never really took to milk either. I used to stress about it too but I found plenty of research about how milk is not all it is cracked up to be as far as being an absolute necessity for kids' nutrition. There are plenty of other places to get better nutrients than milk. My kids (3 & 6) are both extremely healthy and happy without milk!! Just do a search on the internet or look around a book store and you will find what will work for you and your kids.

My cousin's son did the same thing. The only thing he would drink was vanilla soy milk. He loved it and after a few months or so of drinking that he now drinks regular milk. You could always try that and see if that will work.

My daughter was the same way she hated drinking milk and the ped. told us not to worry. Just make sure she eats yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese and other sources of calcium. I eventullay just started adding strawberry mix to the milk not very much just enough so she would drink it. She still will only drink on glass a day, but it is better than nothing.

My daughter did this exact same thing at the same age. I had no choice but to give her next step. By the time she was about 2 1/2 yrs she started drinking milk with no problem. I think some kids just have to aquire a taste for certain things. Not that this matters, but I never put formula in a cup. So as long as mine was on formula, she was taking the bottle. Her teeth are perfect (not damaged by bottle) and it was worth giving her what she needed. Good Luck!

My personal fix for this is to start mixing milk in with the formula. Start with an ounce, then add another ounce as she gets used to it. It should not take over 4-8 weeks to make the swith. That is 8 weeks only if she is very very resistant to the change. I normally accomplished this is 2-3 weeks. Good luck, it is not always an easy transition.

Have you tried mixing formula and milk? Do 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk for a while. Then 1/2 and 1/2 for a while. And so on until it is all milk. I didn't ever have to deal with that with my kids- but that was how I switched from sugar soda to diet soda (LOL)!!!

My child was the same way, but as she eats lots of dairy products throughout the day, the nurse said just water before bed was just fine, and better for her teeth.

Could she be lactose intolerant? Maybe milk hurts her stomach. My godson is like that, its just milk he has a problem with, he can have cheese and things like that but no milk, So all my brother does is get him calcium fortified OJ and things with calcium added to them. Or maybe she dosen't like it. In which case food or drinks with calcium added to them should be just fine.

I would just keep trying with the whole milk. My daughter initially refused the whole milk as well (she was nursed until 14 months) but eventually decided she liked it. I did use Nesquik, which seemed to help some at the beginning but I think persistence was actually the key. If your daughter is eating well otherwise, I wouldn't lose any sleep over her not drinking milk.

If she's eating well I wouldn't give it to her. She probably just doesn't like the taste it. My girls stopped drinking milk after about 13 14 months as well.... doctors say it's fine, it's not for everyone :)

My daughter was doing the same thing. I talked to her ped and she recommeded Soy milk. That worked for a couple of months. She then stopped drinking milk completely. Her ped then recommed juices with calcium and the Kid's Bread that also contains calcium. She's now 3 and she's just starting to drink chocolate milk. Good luck.

You might be interested to read the following article: http://www.notmilk.com/kradjian.html it discusses the dangers of milk. My daughter is 8 years old and has never had a glass of milk in her life and is very healthy, is rarely sick at all. I'm not wanting to offend anyone, but I happen to believe that Milk is a very unhealthy substance for human consumption. There is also a great book by Dr Joel Fuhrman called Disease-Proof Your Child and here's a link to his website for your research http://www.drfuhrman.com/children/default.aspx

My second son would not drink it either. We used a gerber yogurt juice instead. It has a lot of calcium in it and we also introduced yogurt early. He did eventually move to Horizon organic vanilla milk. Apprently the sweeter taste was more appealing to him. There are lots of calcium alternatives. Don't panic. He now will actually eat cereal with milk in.

Anytime I switched mine I did it gradually. Part of it is training the palette and part of it is for the digestive system.

So they got 1/8 part milk, 7/8 formula/breastmilk for a few days. Then we went to 2/8, then 4/8 or 1/2. It was a gradual thing that took several days. That way they adjusted slowly and really had no clue you were switching things up on them. It also gave their stomachs a chance to adjust to processing the different food/liquid. Milk is harder on the stomach than baby formulas and definetly harder than breast milk.

I think if you do it this way you will not have a problem.

Try 8th Continent Vanilla soy milk. My son loves it. Less sugar than whole milk. AND it's vanilla... Kroger sells the non-light version. WalMart and others have a LIGHT Vanilla while actually tastes more sugary.
OR try mixing 1/4 milk into formula for a week, next week 1/2 milk, 1/2 formula, next week 3/4 milk, 1/4 formula, next week all milk.
Most children need a transition.
GOOD LUCK

Dont let her watch you make the bottle or cup.Put a little more milk in the formula each day until its all milk. Hhope this helps. K. P.

It's best to slowly wean her (mixing milk and formula)rather then a sudden change. Some children don't do well on whole milk, you might want to try 2%. I know they say they need whole milk but they can get that fat in other foods.

Also, some do better on organic milk or goat milk.

that said, it's not neccesary she drink milk. She can get those nutrients from other foods. She might even eat cheese and yogurt better and you can get more of 'one serving of dairy' in cheese- I believe it's a one inch cube equals one serving.

i understand..mine is 15 months old and didn't take to milk either...i give it to her in a bowl with cheerios and she eats every bite..either with her hands or a spoon...also, she loves whole milk unsweetened yogurt (LOVES IT) and i frequently add this to her sippy cup with a little apple juice and a little water or i just give it to her in a bowl with a spoon (also a big mess but it's worth it)...she guzzles it like you wouldn't believe...also, she devours plenty of cottage cheese and shredded cheese...i feel she is getting plenty of dairy...now, just recently, she will drink milk from her small special cup with no lid...it is messy but she likes drinking it from this cup...i think she has associated the sippy cup with juice and water and gets frustrated when there is milk in there...try not to worry too much if she is getting other forms of dairy...also, my girl loves hummus...tahini has sesame seeds in it..a good source of calcium...try to be patient..especially if she is a good eater...also, i would ditch the formula..she is old enough to eat big people food...good luck!

With my first kiddo, I did the transition from formula to milk very slowly and methodically. She never seemed to notice the difference.

Week 1: 3 parts formula + 1 part milk
Week 2: 2 parts formula + 2 parts milk
Week 3: 1 part formula + 3 parts milk
Week 4: 100% milk

However, if milk seems to bother her tummy at all, you might want to consider trying goat's milk (easier to digest), raw milk (still has all of the enzymes in it that make it easy to digest), or a nondairy diet. She might just not be a "milk person"!

Milk is not an important part of a diet as america as made it out to be. It isn't that great of a source of calcium or anything. She isn't a picky eater, so she is getting enough vitamins from her food. Juice is really much much more healthy for her. I have a whole family full of doctors in natural medicine and have heard all the dissadvantages to milk and things that everyone make out to be such a vital part in a childs nutrition. She's over a year old so formula is no longer needed. Just make sure she drinks water and juice and she will be just fine. My son wouldn't drink milk either and he's been healthier than any kid i've ever known. His doctor says so too. he's only had to go to the doctor once in his life other than checkups and he's 2 1/2 years old. She will be fine. You sound like you are doing a great job!! Keep up the good work, supermom!

My daughter won't drink milk either. She sees it in the cup and says 'yaaccck.' I was very concerned about her getting the calcium. I'm not sure if that is the nutrition you are concerned about but if it is my pediatrician advised buying orange juice with the added calcium in it-she loves orange juice (I still water it down though). Surpisingly it has about 25% of your daily need in a serving. You can also give her yogurt, string cheese, or any cheese, ice cream (dryers doesn't have all the extra additives in it), and other food that has calcium. We think just milk has it but really there are lots of different things you can choose to eat. My daughter will drink the milk if she's having cereal though-maybe try that-if you want actual milk intake. Everyone always suggested adding chocolate syrup or strawberry syrup but I am like why do I want to give her all that extra sugar and junk? Anyway, hope I helped a little!

you may not be into this , but green smoothies or just adding some sea weed or greens powder to juice will be way better for her than milk ever could be, and she'll love the taste! My son gulps it down , his body craves it 's natural goodness!-A.

Our bodies were created with a natural protection..She might be allergic..just an idea .. shes too young to be rebellous, I would think even without her knowing, her body is rejecting it for fear of a bad reaction if dranked.

Try to slowly mix the formula with the milk. For example, 6 oz formula 2 oz milk for 3-6 bottles/cups then next day 5 oz formula 3 oz milk keep doing this gradually until you are down to just milk. Also, maybe she has an allergy to milk. If the slow switch does not work try using soy milk. Hope this helps.

This will surprise you but if she is getting a good fruit and veggie diet the milk is not important. And her body will use the calcium from green veggies better than the pus/hormone filled milk. After the age of approx 18 months the human body does not digest milk because we do not have the enzymes to break it down. Research is showing that milk can actually be detrimental and cause lots of serious diseases.(asthma, diabetes, heart diseases and more) Try out a web site called http://www.notmilk.com/ and another one www.milksucks.com and you will get some straight talk about the properties of milk. And right now the FDA is about to approve milk and meat from CLONED animals even though the limited research does show that cloned animal products are different than the natural. And those cloned products thanks to the FDA will not be label so you can decide for yourself. This is a complete disregard for the health and safety of all of us in the USA and anywhere those products will be shipped.

And keep in mind that cheese and other dairy product are concentrated Milk. And all the hormones and chemicals and pus that is in milk is extra concentrated in other dairy.

I have hated drinking milk for as long as I can remember. I am now 65 but I have horrible memories of everyone trying to force milk down me because everyone is so oriented "that milk is good for you" when in truth it is not. The human animal is the only adult animal that drinks milk. Cows milk is great for the baby cow.

Try her with some soy milk at least it will not harm her.

the beef, agricultural, (and pharmaceutical) industries are big money industries, that's why we here so much about how important it is to consume these products. if you research thoroughly milk especially, and dairy products in general you will find there is great controversy as to whether humans should even be consuming these products, and many studies show dairy products lower our calcium levels and increase our risks of osteoporosis. many many people are 'lactose intolerant'. the molecule of cow's milk is 5 times larger than the molecule of human's milk, and very hard to digest for humans, or in the case of lactose intolerant people, almost impossible.

i am in my 40's and have never drunk milk and am in top athletic shape, a pilates and yoga teacher, rock climber, and pregnant with twins. my daughter is 13 years old and also a shining example of health and has never drunk milk (except for the 13 months i breast fed her, but that was human milk, again, very different from cow's milk)

so i would let your baby's body be your guide more than the media. many things other than milk contain calcium, vit d, and protein (the supposed benefits of milk) and in a much more digestible format for humans.

The child needs to be totally weaned from the bottle. The older the child gets, the need for milk declines. The child should receive 3, 6-8 oz cups of milk or dairy equivalent daily. The temperature of the milk may often effect intake as well.
You should try mixing formula with milk. Try 1/4 milk with 3/4 formula, then 1/2 milk and 1/2 formula and so on until it is totally milk. This may take several weeks.
Flavoring of the milk does not always work, either.
As your toddler grows, they become more independent and less interested in food/fluids. You should offer snacks often. They will get when they get hungry.
Rule of Thumb for portions - 1 T. of food per year of age for each item served.
Hope this helps.

my daughter was the same way, and still is, most kids can get adequate calcium from yogurt, cheese, etc..., and enough vitamin d from the sunlight, don't fret. it could be better she abstains, cows milk these days is so pumped full of hormones you may be doing your child a service.

If your daughter is eating cheese and eating yogurt, then she's probably getting enough dairy anyway. I'd just go with the water and food and occasional juice. If you are really wanting her to drink milk, have you tried soy? Or have you tried the strawberry flavoring that makes the milk pink? She may drink it just for the color and strawberry taste.

Good luck and as a non-milk drinker from babyhood, I know that you can be healthy and not drink milk!

I went out and bought the nesquick strawberry and banana mix. My son was throwing down his milk but the strawberry and banana flavor made him drink at least half of his sippy cup. He still doesn't drink as much as I'd like him to but at least I'm getting something out of him now. :) Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Have you tried to dilute the formula with milk? Mix 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk, then slowly add more mile until she is drinking all milk. I'm not sure if it works b/c my daughter took milk right away but I was really worried about the transition and this was the advice I was given.

Fix the formula she WILL drink by the pitcher. Put 7 oz of formula and one oz of milk in her cup the first week. Step up the amount by week 6 oz of formula to two oz of milk. If you do this slowly, she will be drinking the milk alone in a matter of several weeks. Also look for other dairy sources like cheese and yogurt to help her get her daily milk supply.

Have you tried a different kind of sippy cup? My 14 month old son wouldn't take the milk from his sippy cup where he was used to drinking water. I went out and bought different sippy cups to try it out and eventually found one that he liked and has been drinking milk just fine! Now I have transitioned him back to his water sippy cup and he drinks all of his liquids from the same type cup. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

Don't sweat it, D.. It is not the end of the world if your daughter doesn't drink milk. Make sure she gets lots of cheese and yogurt. I would over a month's time slowly mix in milk with her formula. Each day/week mix in more milk and less formula until the mixture is all milk. Again, do it slowly. Sometimes kids don't like the taste of whole milk - try 2% instead. Buy orange juice with added calcium too. Good Luck!

Babies over 1 yr old do not 'need' milk, as long as she gets the calcium and cholestrol she needs from other sources such as cheese, egg yolks etc...It is hard to shake the idea that milk is 'necessary', but there are other options.
Hope this helps.
Take Care,
~K.

Sometimes we need to trust our children, she may instictively know that cow's milk is hard to digest for her, maybe try soy or rice milk. If she refuses these items as long as shes getting a little bit of dairy..yogurt or cheese nutrionaly she is fine.

Are you worried about this because of calcium intake? You can let me know where the concern is coming from. Otherwise I would just mention that a large group of people are intolerant to milk and we have pretty much cut it out of our diet. None of us like the flatulence/gas side effects we get personally. Between yogurt, calcium in the O.J., spinach salad, vitamins, cheese, etc. You shouldn't feel the need to have milk or worry about it. Soy milk is also a possibility. If you have any questions about nutrition for kids contact me. My son's behavior issues have improved consideraby through a proper nutritional program.

my peditricia had told me that you can do half formula and half whole milk, then gradually wean out the formula to get the baby use to the taste of whole milk without changing it all at once.

it works! :)

hope this helped!

I have 3 children. My first was my smallest baby and the most difficult to feed. She refused whole milk as well. My third couldn't really care less as long as its warmed in a bottle like his formula was. I would put the whole milk in her bottle at nighttime just like you prepared her formula. Make sure she is really sleepy and not to full from dinner. She might want to cuddle really bad and take the whole milk in her bottle.
If not: Dont fret. I learned with my first to sneak milk in everywhere. Yogurts, cheeses, calcium fortified juices, calcium fortified breads and crackers. You can really get it in if you look around at the grocery. The gerber cookies have calcium, broccoli (boil, puree and put it in pasta sauce over her fav. pasta) can be done with all veggies.

Good luck
M.

Your child might know what is good for her. Maybe she is lactose intolerant. My doctor told me when my kids were young that cow's milk is for calves and once a child is weaned he or she no longer needs cow's milk. But if you want her to have the milk, maybe you could replace it with cheese or yogurt.

we had the same problem with our son. Finally got him to drink it from a 'cool cup' --- and with a straw. Maybe let her pick out somesort of fun/cool cup and tell her it's ONLY for milk.

I had a hard time getting my daughter to switch from formula to milk. We started by mixing the two. Do half formula and half milk. If she's still drinking formula at 13months that is fine it is good for her. Just keep offering it. I had to eventually buy Strawberry & Chocolate Syrup to get my kid to drink milk, but now after a year of drinking it that way most of the time she's getting better about drinking it without the syrups.

Have you tried Soy milk? Many formulas have soy in it - your kiddo may not like milk or can't drink milk - try the soy maybe.
As for the Comment below regarding milk being bad, I HAVE to say something. Years ago we got custody of my step-son. While my step-son lived with his bio-mom, she never gave him milk. Since he has lived with us he has shot up in height - we drink milk. 2% is better than whole milk. Now that he is a little older he has noticed that he is a full foot shorter than his friends and is on the low end of the % for height. Doctors, nurses, lab people, etc have done evaluations and they have all come to the same conclusion as I - no milk and no proper nutritional substitute stunted his growth. They say he will be about 4-6 inches shorter than he would have been.
This did not surprise me as my brother was the same way (and not the same genetics). Growing up we all drank milk and he refused. My mom tried everything and then gave up. He is now 3 inches shorter than expected. You also need calcium to help absorb the vitamin D from the sun which is the best "health" thing we can do. Girls who grow up not drinking milk (or a healthy substitute) have a high chance of getting Osteoporosis. Now some people don't like milk. If I drink to much of it my stomach ties into a knot so I drink some and then eat cheese as a sub.

Of course this is my story and I believe in milk. I just had to say something for the other side so you can make a decision knowing both sides. I would think that milk and dairy would be a lot better than the supplements (more chemicals) you would need to take to have proper growth.

i had trouble with my son wanting to transition to milk as well. i started with using the formula and then adding just like a tablespoon of milk for a day or so, then adding 2 tablespoons, then 3 and so on. In small increments the change in the taste was so subtle that he never noticed. it took about 2 or 3 weeks to get him completely switched over but it was smooth with no fussing.

If she eats cheese yogurt and broccoli, I wouldn't worry about the milk.

My four year old has never drank anything but human milk, and he gave that up years ago.

S.

She may be lactose intolerant and can't handle. Try soy milk or the Lactaid in the milk section. Lactaid taste very much like milk. If not, you will just have to find other means of getting calcium in the diet. Veggies, cheese. etc. Lots of children do not drink milk and are very healthy. Ask your pediatrician.

I had the same problem and I tried everything. My 2 year old still will not drink milk. I talked to his Dr and he said that as long has he is getting his calcium he is just fine. My son eats yogurt and drink sunny delieght. I hope this helps

She might be lactose intolerant and milk might hurt her tummy. My kids weren't heavy milk drinkers either. I think a lot of milk in a kid's diet can add to lots of allergies and congestion. She can get her calcium from other sources like calcium fortified juices, yogurt, cheese, brocoli and other veggies high in calcium.

My daughter wouldn't drink it at first so my doc suggested strawberry quick. It makes it pink and she loved it! Then I started tapering off the amount little by little. She's almost 5 now and has been a white milk drinker all the way...she won't even drink the chocolate milk that grandma makes!! Good luck!

Humans are the only animals that drink milk beyond infancy. It's not necessary to have milk in the diet to have complete nutrition. If you are worried about calcium, pick a good juice that has calcium added or try yogurt. It might be that your child has a milk allergy and perhaps milk makes her feel bad. Sometimes children know these things instinctively.

Neither of my two children would and still don't drink milk. However, I was successful in getting them to drink vanilla soy milk (the very vanilla is a favorite)and yogurt smoothies.

If she doesn't like milk that's ok, she'll be fine. My girl won't drink milk at all but she gets calcium from plenty of other sources so it's not a big deal. Even my pediatrician said it was fine that she wasn't drinking any.