Need Help with Milk

I have a 17 month old who had the same issue. She was having her milk twice a day out of a bottle. She was use to drinking water & juicewater out of her sippy cup but not her milk. The first few days were an adjustment. She actually cried the very first time I tried to give her milk from a sippy cupy. I even tried the chocolate milk thing in the sippy cup & she threw it. It's just repetition, time & patience. Some children adjust quicker than others. They learn that they're not going to get the bottle back & they adjust. Now, I give her milk to her in a sippy cup that has a soft tip that sticks up so it's kind of like her bottle...& she is happy as a little clam now. She usually drinks water from a sippy cup with a straw.

My youngest daughter was the same way, until I bought her the plastic cups with straws. You will find it in the baby section in Target. The lids are tight so nothing spills if the cup is knocked over. Even the straws are tight as well. When I gave these cups to my daughter she loved them. She was able to drink faster and there was no problem. They come in a pack of 5 or 6. She stills uses them and she is now 4. We have no spills and no messes.

Good Luck
C. :)

S.-

I had the same problem with my first. I bought the Avent branch sippy cups and only put milk in them. The spout is rubber and feels more like the bottle to them. She had juice and water in the regular sippy and milk in the Avent one. After a month or so she didn't notice anymore and we could use either kind. Might be a comfort thing and these are more similar to the bottle feeling.

My husband and I are having the same problem with our 17 month old son, so you are not alone. I will be anxious to read the advice that other people have for you. Whenever we put milk into a sippy cup for our son, he will throw the cup aside. We think it's because he's used to drinking juice out of his sippy cup and not milk. Even though the pediatrician has told us it's time to stop using the bottle, we are still using his bottle twice a day so that he can get the recommended amount of milk. We figure it's more important to get the milk in him. Eventually we'll have to ditch the bottle but we haven't yet!!

My son was the same. He will drink milk from the straw cups (the ones that look like fast food cups). First Years "take and toss" are great and not expensive.

Don't worry about it, There is nothing in the milk that your baby needs that he can't get from a vitamin or other vegetables. My son stopped drinking milk (soy milk) when we took away his bottles. He didn't want milk in the sippy cup, it was the bottle he wanted. Now he loves his water. Whole foods makes a good chewable vitamin.

My first child did the same thing. We just waited about a month and tried chocolate milk which she now loves. She still will not drink regular milk unless it is in cereal and she just started that at age 3. Good Luck.

Hi S.,
Have you tried the cereal bowls with built in straws? My girls love to drink their milk from the straws!!! I am sure that at 18 months he can try rice krispies or cheerios'. Good luck! I wish you all the very best!
God bless you's.
Kathy N.

Have you tried the kind of cups that have straws instead of "spouts"? Some kids take to that better. On the other hand, how long has he been throwing his cup?
What happens after he throws his cup? Do you pick it up and give it back? Pick it up and put it in the refrigerator, but give him something else? Do you make HIM pick it up? Then what? I think some moms might have more/better suggestions if we knew how you and Dad respond when he throws his "fit" (cup)...
I certainly am not trying to be critical - we all can use a little help.. believe me.
It seems (on the surface anyway) that the problem is how to get nourishment into him. And if switching to a different type of cup resolves it, great! But if you buy 10 different kinds of cups and he still refuses to use them, you should probably look at it more from a power struggle standpoint. He is getting to the age where he is going will begin exerting his independence (yes, it starts early!), and before you know it, he is running the show and you are just trying to appease him, if you're not careful. Just be aware... it starts with the "little" stuff like not liking the way you serve him milk. LOL.

The reason whole milk is so important after weaning from breast or formula is becasue of its fat content, not not necessarily calcium or vitamins. Until age two, it is very important that he continue to get enough fat in his diet for proper brain development. If he is no longer on formula or breast milk, then whole milk readily provides that fat easily. Until he turns two, he should get about 16 ounces of whole milk a day, in addition to a healthy solid-food diet, to get all the fat he needs. If you decide to eliminate milk, there are other healthy sources of fat, but you have to be diligent (milk is the easiest).

If he will only drink milk from a bottle, give him the bottle back until he turns two!!! All he needs are two eight ounce bottles of milk a day. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a baby having a bottle until age two to get the milk he needs. It will not ruin his teeth, just be smart about it. Don't let him go to bed with it, make sure you brush teeth before bed, etc.

Both my boys were on the bottle until age two, becasue they were the same way (would only take enough milk from a bottle). Then, at age two , we went cold turkey on the bottle and never looked back. No harm, no foul, and no more milk. For me, their brain development was far more important than having them off the bottle at some arbitrary age that nobody could give me any good reason as to why it was so absolutely necessary anyway.

Don't worry another minute. Humans do NOT need milk, we just like it. Dice up tiny bits of fresh spinach and let him mix it in his eggs or hide it in spaghetti sauce. Add pureed spinach to homemade whole grain batter and make chicken nuggets. He will get ALL the calcium he needs from the spinach and many other healthier antioxidants and more. As for Vitamin D, research what other foods are rich in it and also give him plenty of time in the fresh sunshine, during the morning and late afternoon hours, so he won't get burned but can absorb all he needs from the great outdoors. Kids and adults who don't consume milk have less instances of intestinal upset, overproduction of mucus and pleghm and they absorb more nutrients because their stomachs and intestines aren't coated with milk. Research it, you will also be helping the environment and reducing the cruelty to at least 10 cows in your child's lifetime. Check it out, make an informed decision, milk is unneccesary. Cereal is not nearly as healthy and some whole oatmeal or whole grain toast and fresh fruit or eggs with veggies. Saute fresh baby spinach with a tinny bit of diced onion and garlic with a little olive oil and sliced almonds, then toss with a few but raspberried, he will LOVE it, especially if you let him help add the ingredients. My toddlers love raw spinach with raspberry vinegrette spray. Let them dot he spraying and they will eat ANYTHING!

We are not a milk drinking family. Someone once said something that really makes a lot of sense to me... humans are the only animals that drink milk beyond weaning from their own mother, and the only animals who drink another animal's milk. It's not necessary to have it in his diet as long as he gets his vitanmins and minerals through other sources. My son likes OJ so I buy the fortified one

Are you giving him cold milk or are you warming it up a little first? Our pediatrician says that if a child refuses milk it's probably because of the temperature and not the taste. If that's not the issue, then maybe you might want to try different sippy cups with his favorite characters on them or maybe you'll have to show him that it's fun to drink from a sippy and actually drink some yourself!!! We give our son vitamins to make sure he's getting enough vitamin D. They are called Polyvisol and they come in a dropper liquid form. If nothing works, then maybe talk with your son's pediatrician for recommendations as to how to make sure he's getting enough vitamin D since it's so important for his growth. I hope this helps! Good luck and don't get discouraged!

Here is a bit of a different perspective on this...Perhaps he is telling you he doesn't like the taste of the milk. Not all kids do. In my case, it was a matter of my child being allergic to it, and we had no clue! He would do that...take a sip and throw it...It wasn't until we had testing done that we found out! He knew before we did...
Will he drink other liquids in it? If so, its not the cup, its the milk.
Try soy milk, or rice milk...my kids LOVE rice milk, and it has the same amount of calcium and vitamin D....plus its better for you than cow breast milk....

HI. I have the same problem with my son. He does not want a sippy cup because he only wants his straw cup. i think its because he gets it faster, he doesnt have to work for it. try that and see if it works. my son practically "inhales" his milk with the straw cup but if i give him a sippy cup forget it...he thinks hes a baseball player and throws it.

good luck!
Carmela

try a nuby brand silicone soft spout cup- it's basically a bottle...
or, just try to start him on an open cup. Ikea has nice wide plastic cup good for toddler hands (it's part of their 'set').
does he eat cheese IN things? grilled cheese, quesadillas? how about mozerella sticks? cheese ravioli (look to buy the brand that has the highest 5 age of calcium per serving)?

Milk is over-rated. You can get calcium and absorb it better from brocoli, sesame, almond, and all dark leafy greens.
Also, try not to bribe your child with chocolate milk and other junky versions of foods or you set yourself up to have a picky eater.

The whole purpose of giving our children milk is for it's vitamin D and calcium content and for the ease in digestion. The natural sun provides vitamin D and the yogurt you are giving gives calcium. Check with your pediatrician for a possible supplement for vitamin D. There are a host of reason your child may not want milk anymore. allergies, lactose intolerant, tasteless from a cup versus comforting from a bottle, etc. Try Soy too. Good luck

My almost 3 year old is the same way. I've been trying to get him to drink milk for a year and a half. Sometimes he'll drink strawberry milk, but only out of a cup with a straw. He loved the yogurt drinks by yoplait and dannon. Ronzoni pasta also makes calcium fortified noodles, they're called smart taste. Every kid loves noodles :) We also make smoothies. I put a whole yoplait yogurt, some carnation vanilla instant breakfast powder, a splash of calcium fortified oj and whatever fruit we have( i usually freeze my own fruit and use that instead of ice). He loves helping me put the stuff in the blender so he always drinks it all up. If you really want to get a lot of calcium in check the labels on the yogurts, I think the kids ones have extra everything. I put the instant breakfast in there because my guy is also a self declared vegetarian, I can't get him to eat any meat besides chicken nuggets.
My doctor said not to worry too much. Just try to get a few servings of calcium in other foods and make sure he takes a good vitamin. I give him the flintstones chewables. He loves them. If he's a healthy kid overall you shouldn't stress just keep offering the calcium products a few times a week. He may suprise you sometimes. Every so often I can get my guy to eat a grilled cheese :)

My daughter is the same way and now is 3yrs. SHe loves ice cream and will eat some yogurt occassionally. She loved the tilamook cheese the best. I just give her vitamin gummies everday and keep trying. Look at other foods that have calicum in them.

i would not worry about it. neither of my boys were big milk drinkers after the bottles. and they are now 18 and 24 and just fine. i never was a big milk drinker either.yogart is good. does he like cottage cheese? maybe with pineapples, peaches or whatever? i am sure he will be ok.

My son didn't like milk or any dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, for a very long time. I tried soy milk, all flavors, and he hated it. I had some success with rice milk and that's what he drank for awhile. You have to get the fortified kind to get the calcium and vitamin D. However, it does not have the fat or protein that milk does and is very low in those nutrients so I would add olive oil to anything that he would eat (veggies, pasta) and made sure he ate some type of meat or eggs with each meal (chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp, fish sticks). When he was around 20 months old I tried the lactose free whole milk by mixing it half and half with the rice milk until eventually he now, at 24 months, drinks just the lactose free whole milk. If your son likes yogurt he may like the drinkable yogurts out there to sneak in some more calcium. My son will drink those but has never liked regular yogurt. Also, he has always preferred a cup with a straw and will always drink more of whatever is in a cup with a straw vs. a traditional sippie cup. Good Luck!

You say you switched to sippy cups. Was he drinking from a bottle until this switch? I would say he is throwing his cup because he wants the bottle back, which if that is the case, then you must not give him a bottle. A child of 18 months is way too old for a bottle. If he's thirsty, he will drink and if he throws it again, take it away and put it back in the refrigerator. When he wants it bad enough, he WILL drink from it. As for cheese, not everyone likes cheese. What cheese are you offering? Some cheeses are stronger tasting than others. Swiss is farily mild, but it can have a "cheesy" taste. I cut up cheese sticks into small chunks and even american cheese sliced small is a good choice. Monteray Jack is a mild tasting cheese. I wouldn't worry about him not liking cheese but the milk situation sounds like a protest to a sippy cup so don't give in and just be persistent with the cup. There are other options for getting calcium...orange juice with calcium added, brocolli, spinach, and you could give a supplement like a vitamin.

Milk is not easily digested by many because of the lactose found in cow's milk. At around this age - around 2yrs - the human body naturally stops producing the lactase enzyme used to break down and absorb lactose found in mother's milk. Once missing lactase, most develop a lactose sensitivity. Cow's have 4 stomachs which are used in their digestive process for their mama's milk. We have one.

Milk is not the end all - be all for calcium. Gorilla's don't drink milk and have healthy bones. They eat dark green leaves and drink water. Okay, we are not gorillas but we can eat lots of calcium-rich foods without eating dairy from cows. The short response is make it fun to chomp of green foods - dip in dressings... sesame seeds are a great calcium source... yogurt is wonderful ... your son will get enough, somehow. Please don't worry (and please give up feeding him flavored milks...filled with not so good for him stuff). The longer more complete response can be found in our book, Are Your Kids Running on Empty? (amazon or barnes and noble.com) Website: www.KidKritics.com also has some info for you.

Relax and enjoy your treasure, your son!

... for the health of your family,
E.

I never gave my kids milk. It creates mucous and isn't really as great as you think. Almond milk is a much better source of protein for them without the cassein which is associated with bad things. You can do yogurt. Lots of great organic brnads out there.

My kids went through this...he may not drink if for a few days or even a week, but it won't last forever. Always offer it. I'm sure he'll come around, expecially with Chocolate and strawberry!