Hey. I posted a request a few weeks back about weaning my son from his bottle (thank you for everyone's replies). Starting yesterday my son hasn't had a bottle. My question now is how much whole milk should he be drinking throughout the day? Also, should I expect him to drink a whole sippy cup of milk when he would normally have his bottle? So far, he is sipping at the milk. Last night he drank about 7 ounces which I thought was very good but this morning I think he only drank about 4 ounces and than I had to drop him off at daycare. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!!
My son is also 13 months old, and my pediatrician said that he should be drinking 20-24 ounces a day. We still use a bottle and he drinks one 8 oz bottle when he wakes up, along with some breakfast, then an 8 oz bottle duing the middle of the day, and finally 8 more before bed.
I read somewhere that they should be drinking at least 3/8 ounce cups a day. Could be wrong though.
I had similar concerns when my now 2 year old was this age. According to his Dr., as long as he gets about 24 oz. in a day he is fine.
My son sometimes barely drank 8oz a day, but by the end of the week it all balanced out.
Hope this helps!
good for you getting him off the bottle were still struggling with it with my daughter.. but when i asked my dr they told us she needed to have at least 2 8 oz servings- but they could be broken down and not given at once but now more then 24 oz in 24 hours..
If it is whole mile it should be no more than 16 oz a day. If it is 2% than it should be no more that 20 oz a day. They should not be drinking skim or 1%. My ped said the 2% was fine because they get the extra fat in food. I give my 21 month old 2% and 4 ounces at every meal and then before bed. He gets 16 ounces a day. You do not want to give him too much because then he will not eat much.
Hi M.,
When getting my son off the bottle it took about a week before he realized there was no more bottle. He now looks for his cup and is drinking the amount he needs. If I notice he hasn't had enough milk I will give him a 6oz yogurt which he loves. Another suggestion is try a cup with a straw, my son really likes using one.
I also was concerned about my sons milk quota when he got off the bottle and got this great response from another mamasource member (see below).
This is the reply I got:
At 13 months, your son needs 16 oz of milk a day. That's 2 8 oz glasses. That's it. In addition, cheese, yogurt, etc helps to meet those goals. So, feed him a yogurt with breakfast, or make him a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and you've given him 1/2 of his calcium need for the day. Other options:
1. Look for calcium fortified juice. He shouldn't drink more than 4 oz of juice a day, but if you give him the calcium fortified kind, it's helping.
2. Add Ovaltine to his milk. Yes I know. Caffeine in chocolate, added sugar, yeah yeah. Ovaltine adds calcium in the first place, and he'll actually drink it, which helps get the milk into him. My son gets a sippy cup of warm Ovaltine before bed every night. Not only does he drink it all, but when he was your sons age, the warm milk KNOCKED HIM OUT!! My Mom accused me of drugging his milk, it worked so well. He would sit in my lap to drink his cup, and you could watch his eyes roll back and his whole body start to sway and go limp. Not quite as effective at three, but still helps.
3. Feed him leafy green type vegetables if he'll eat them. They're full of calcium.
4. If he's still eating oatmeal type cereals, mix it with milk instead of water.
5. Put cream cheese on a bagel or toast strips for him. Even the fruit flavored kind counts.
6. If he likes to dip things (lots of kids do), give him fruit with yogurt to dip in, or cooked veggies with a sour cream based dip
Good Luck!
My son just turned a year last week (Aug 23) and his pediatrician said if he's drinking 16 oz per day, its plenty. I need to go find your replies on how to wean from the bottle, we aren't there yet,but working on it! :)
My son is almost 16 months and has been on a sippy cup since 12 months. His consumption fluctuated alot when we first switch to milk in a cup. I don't let him drink milk all day long. He gets milk with meals and water or watered down juice with snacks. If he doesn't finish the portion from a meal, I throw it back in the fridge and offer it in a fresh cup for the next meal. My pediatrician said not more than 24oz a day. My son probably drinks 15oz or less a day, but loves cheese and yogurt, so I fill in the blanks that way. My son also goes to day care and I send his lunch with a 4oz cup of milk. I usually don't sweat how much he is getting. If he finishes the cup and wants more, he points to the fridge. Hope that helps.
a toddler AT THIS AGE SHOU;D HAVE NO MORE THAN 24OZ IN 24 HOUR PERIOD. THEY SHOULD BE DRINKING 16-24 OZA DAY B/C IT PROVIDES NUTRIENTS THEY NEED PLUS CALCIUM BUT THEY CAN FILL UP ON MILK EASILY IF THEY DRINK TO MUCH AND THEY NEED TO BE EATING NUTRIOUS FOODS AS WELL BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THEY GET THEIR FULL NUTRIENTS FROM IS FOOD NOT THE MILK. TRY GIVING MILK IN SIPPY CUP WITH EACH MEAL AND WATER OR JUICE IN BETWEEN MEALS OR AT SNACK TIME. THIS IS WHAT I DO WITH MY ALMOST 14 MONTH OLD. GOOD LUCK
Hey M., I gave my daughter 3 servings of 8oz until she was about 15mon. Then the doctor said 2 servings of 8oz was good. They really just need the calcium so if your son is eating other veggies high in calcium, like brocoli, he should be fine.
God Bless, D.
Put the same amount of liquid that was in his bottle in his sippy cup. There are 10 ounce sippy cups out there. Also, you may want to call your pediatrican to find out how much milk you should be giving him.
If he doesn't finish his sippy cup don't fret. He may be full. Just put the sippy cup in the refrigerator and offer it to him 30-40 minutes later. That's what I do and it works every time! I'm glad he's finally taking the sippy cup! :)
