Almost 13 Month Old Not Wanting to Drink Milk

My son was the same way. As my husband said "Why drink from a cup when you can get it straight from the tap. It's always better from the tap."

If it is just the taste he doesn't like and not the actual sippy cup part, you can try what I did with my son and slowly add more whole milk and less breast milk to the cup. For example we would do 1/4 whole milk and 3/4 breast milk and every few days would do a 1/4 more of the whole milk and 1/4 less of the breast milk. He didn't like whole milk at first but when we did this he never even noticed the change!

Is it that he doesn't like cow's milk or doesn't like the sippy cup ? My daughter never took a sippy cup. She went right from breast to a free flowing cup. We took out the no-spill valve inside to make it free flowing or just used a regular cup and helped her hold it.

Don't worry about milk, it's one of the worst things for a human body. It's made for baby cows. Many people have allergies and hypersensitivities to it and don't even realize it. Be glad. Your son can get calcium, vitamins and nutrients from other things. Have you considered weaning him? He may be confused and prefers you to a cup. If he has no other alternative, he may drink from the cup.

I wouldn't worry about him drinking the milk if he's eating cheese and yogurt. The breastmilk is better for him than the cow's milk anyway. (Easier to digest, has more species-specific substances.) When he starts to nurse less, his thirst will motivate him to get it from a cup. I've noticed my daughter drink more as she nurses less.

Please don't use formula at this point. At his age, keep nursing, as that is the best nutrition. Offer him a cup now and then, but don't sweat it. If only everyone were nursing at 13 months and feeding their baby the best!

He's getting way better nutrients from you than he will ever get from cow milk. He could be very comfortable with the breast and you may have to take measures to wean him. You should pump breastmilk and put it in a sippy cup, that's a good start.

I don't blame him ;). Your breastmilk is all he needs, so I wouldn't worry about it. He WILL take a cup, I promise, but I'm sure it will be on his terms. My son took to a Safe Sippy first. The top is very "boob-ish". Good luck!

Dear R.,

Please remember that cows were not domesticated until fairly recently in human history, and even then, as refrigeration was not common, so milk drinking was not either.
Ancient people had pretty darn good health too, all considering. Cow's milk is not essential to human childrens' nor adults' health. If you have any doubts, look at all the people's around the world that don't eat lots of dairy. Most often, their teeth and bones are just fine.
The dairy industry of this country would have you believe that you would melt into a puddle without the calcium in milk, despite the fact that multiple factors make strong bones and teeth...including little discussed nutrients like strontium.
Common beliefs versus truth. Propaganda/advertising blurs the distinction.
Good luck in the parenting adventure!
PS: The vitamin D added to most dairy sold in this country is the inferior D-2 type. D-3 is reputed to be superior. It comes in drops that can be added to food or drink, or capsules/tablets OR sunlight exposure can produce D-3 naturally...but don't bathe or shower too soon after...Vit D will wash off...has to absorbed by skin over a few hours.

Don't force dairy - humans are not designed to drink cow's milk - your child may instinctively be avoiding a lactose intolerance - look for other natural foods that can provide the vitamins and minerals your baby needs.

cows milk is over rated. there is more calcium in broccoli then in cow milk. there is the same amount in most soy milks. there are a ton of people who are allergic to cow milk, so keep that in mind, maybe your son is letting you know this information.

I might suggest trying something different. If he is breastfeading cows milk definitely tastes different and if it is cold that will make a difference. We gave our son rice dream (better for digestion than cows milk) and the vanilla has a bit of sweetness to it. We just warmed it up a bit and he loved it.

First, there is no comparison of breast milk to store milk it tastes different. He probably doesn't like how it tastes. Since he is getting calcuim-don't worry about it. V8 Fusion juice has calcium in it too. It doesn't have to come from a cow. I didn't like milk growing up either. Another alternative is Silk or Rice milk, along those lines making sure that it is calcium fortified but that can be expensive. I have also learned that the more you push the harder they push back.

It sounds like he's getting plenty of milk. Maybe you can start in a few months with a sippy cup of water or water with a little bit of juice in it. I nursed till my son was about 20 months (the last few months was only once or twice a day) and never gave him any other milk. The doctor at his 2-year appointment said that dairy 3-5 times a week was enough. Anyway, that's much less than I expected to hear. I don't think you need to worry about it.

No worries- he is getting all he needs even if he never drinks whole milk again. Whole milk is not necessary in a humans diet- there are other ways to get the vitamins. I would not push it. Does he take water or diluted juice out of a sippy cup? He will take a cup when he is ready- just always offer it to him and one day he will shock you- in his time. There is nothing to worry about:)

Will he drink juice or water from a cup? If not, it could be an issue with the cup. He sees the "big" people around him drinking from regular cups (with no lid) so maybe he would drink some from a regular cup.

Contrary to what doctors and the dairy industry will have you believe, kids don't NEED milk to thrive. neither of my children drink it, they both hate it. The milk out now is pretty much junk food, all the good stuff is taken out with pasteurization. They do drink rice milk at times, but since many foods are fortified with calcium and there is Vitamin D from the son..we aren't too worried about it. He's NOT nursing too much either BTW...mommy milk is made for humans and has a far different taste and fat and nutrient content then cow milk. Try other types of "milk" and see if your son is interested in those, or you can keep trying the milk off and on, but just know he will thrive on your own milk, even if he does not drink the other kind.

My daughter wouldn't drink whole milk at that age either. She was small for her age and needed the calories really bad. We chose to give her Vanilla flavored pediasure. We did that for almost a year. Around 2 years old we transitioned her into Whole milk with chocolate Carnation instant breakfast. She is still drinking that but will drink "regular" milk as she calls it too.

Try Soy milk, or Goats milk.. Has more to offer than Cow's milk....

my daughter, 16 months old, doesn't like milk either. I am still nursing her a few times a day, but trying to wean her slowly. She's not too interested in drinking from a sippy cup either (she does ok with the straw sippy), but if she sees me or her two older siblings (ages 3 and 5) drinking from a cup she's ok. Your son probably just wants to be big like you. She loves drinking bottled water. It will spill and will be messy for a while, but at least water isn't sticky! She doesn't like milk (although she LOVES Muscle Milk--you could try that?), but like your child, she will eat yogurt and some cheese. I think your child is getting enough calcium with the other foods, so try not to worry about him not wanting milk. Pediasure is a good option too if you are worried about him not getting enough vitamins. If you are still nursing him that much, he is probably getting plenty of liquids and nutrients.

13 months old eat 5 times a day and drink 4-6 times a day. So you can either keep nursing as he doesn't need anymore liquids. Or cut back on the nursing to make him thirsty for something else.

both my kids nursed to about 17 months. they never and still dont love milk, they did do the straw before 12 months which worked good. but getting enough from the milk and yogert and veggies has been enough for them, keep trying though! goodluck

My son was the same way.....refused whole milk any way it was given for the longest time...but he would happily drink water out of a cup. Turns out he has a severe milk allergy.....which we found out when he "finally" started drinking milk about 2.5 yrs old. So I would definitely not recommend doing anythign to 'trick' him into drinking milk (adding sweeteners, formula, etc that'll make it taste different)....it's much better to wait until he's ready.

If your son doesn't drink anything out of a sippy cup, maybe try a regular, small cup? You can buy tiny cups (I got one at Barnes & Noble) or use a votive candle holder cleaned out - easier for small hands to use. My son was unable to drink from a sippy cup until about 15 mos, but he started using shotglasses at 7 mos, and was using his own small cup & the candle holders by age 1. (Have you tried drinking out of one of those things yourself? it's HARD to get stuff to come out!!) Or maybe try the Nuby style sippy cups if you haven't - the ones w/ the soft top that you just have to squeeze the spout to get something otu. Beware though, w/ nursing - those taught my son to bite.... (which is why we switched to the small cups!)

try a toddler formula. my daughter won't take whole milk either, but loves the toddler formula.

My son wasn't a fan of whole milk at first either, and I was still breastfeeding him at the time that I started giving him the whole milk. I did a few things -- first I put the milk in a clear plastic glass so he could see what it was (prior to that I was using a sippy cup and I think he was so used to getting water out of it that he wasn't sure about the milk). Then I would pour myself a glass and let him see me drinking it. I also added a tiny bit of Nesquick to his milk. Since he was at the stage where he wanted what we had, it didn't take long before he wanted to try the milk himself. Within a few weeks he was drinking it on his own, in his sippy cup, without the Nesquick.

Cows milk tastes very different than breast milk. He may not like the taste. (There's always a possibility of a milk allergy too) If it's just that he doesn't like the taste, he'll eventually get used to it. My daughter was the same way, so I got some pure maple syrup (not the artificial stuff, full of sugar and corn syrup, make sure that it's 100% PURE maple syrup) and mixed a little of it in with her milk. Once I did that, she loved her milk, and I was able to gradually get her to drink milk without the syrup in it.

Does he take a cup with water or juice ? Is it a cup issue or a milk issue ? I'm still nursing my 1 yo and he won't drink any kind of milk... we have even trid goats milk. He does drink water all the time from a cup and has been since he was about 6 months old.. He doesn't like juice either.. just water and breast milk ! :) He also eats yogurt and cheese. For me, I'm not going to stress about it. I figure at least he is getting dairy with other food groups and the milk he gets from me is the best milk he can get ! :) And same for you.. your milk is the best for your son.. I have read that cows milk is very over rated for nutrition and actually really hard to digest. As long as he is getting the nutrients from other dairy and other food sources.. I think you would be ok. I'm no expert but just a mom of 3 boys ages 5,3, and 1.. :) I nursed my first two boys until they were 2.. My second son didn't like cow milk at first either so we bought him goats milk for about 6 months then switched to organic cow milk.. now he is fine with drinking regular cow milk which he tried around age 2 1/2... I hope it helps a little bit for you to know your son isn't the only one :)

N.

Your son is definitely getting enough nutrients from your milk. Are you wanting to wean him or are you just concerned about him drinking milk? My son hates milk. He absolutely refuses to drink it unless it is extremely diluted with water. I still nurse (he's 17 months) a few times a day and my Dr said he is still probably getting enough nutrients. My Dr said it's not so much that kids need milk...they need dairy and they need vitamin D which not all dairy contains. If your son eats yogurt and cheese and other forms of dairy just check to make sure he's getting enough calcium from the serving sizes you're feeding him. As for vitamin D, 15 minutes of sunlight everyday should do the trick! If you're looking to wean your son then I would definitely try pumping and putting it into a sippy and then gradually mix in cow's milk. Also, when you wean, start with his least favorite time to nurse and work your way up to his favorite time. Spend a few days weaning each feeding...don't try and do it all in a week. If you're still worried about nutrients I would talk to your Dr and see about vitamin supplements or other calcium rich foods to use for supplements. Good luck!

My son was breastfed (still is) and he hated whole milk at first. He is just now starting to like it and he is 19 months old. I didn't give up on him. Every time I gave my oldest son some milk I got some for my little one. Even if he spit it out every time or drank one sip then spit it out I kept trying. He only drinks a couple ounces a day but at least he is starting to like it now. I am hoping he will eventually wean himself and drink mostly whole milk but as long as he is happy I'm not too worried about it. Your son is getting most the nutrients he needs from you breast milk still. My son drinks better from a regular cup than any sippy cup. He will take a sippy cup but he usually won't drink as much from it as he does a regular cup. It took a couple months but he got to where he is actually better at drinking from a regular cup than my oldest son sometimes.

Hi R.,
My son was the same way ~ he would eat cheese (not yogurt though) and wouldn't touch cow's milk. I tried him with vanilla soy milk, and he loved that. As it turns out, he has some sort of milk intolerance; he gets a rash around his mouth when he eats some products with dairy in them, like milk and ice cream. Even nacho cheese Doritos give him the rash! I don't know if he knew and instinctively didn't want milk, but he has been on soy milk now since he was 14 months old (he's now 25 months). His pediatrician also suggested calcium fortified orange juice, so he gets that as well, plus cheese, which he loves. Good luck!