Toddler Won't Drink Milk

My daughter went through the same thing. She wouldn't drink milk out of a sippy cup, only juice. Then I bought a cup with a straw and she liked drinking milk out of that. Also, Whole Foods sells this vitamin powder that is chocolate flavored that I mix in it so that it tastes better.

Through my business we provide a tastey multi-vitamin that is isotonic (she can drink it and the nutrients are 95% absorbed within 5-10 minutes) and contain pro-biotics. Let me know if you want details. It works! My son can vouch for that and he is now 10!

S.
____@____.com

Maybe try rice milk or almond milk. They're non-dairy, non-cow's milk, healthy, and still deliver calcium.

Hey this is a post I copied from another mamasource mom who posted this a few weeks ago on the milk issue. I hope she doesn't mind, I didn't ask permission to repost it, I should have though, anyway, here it is...

Please don't worry about her not liking milk. It's really not good for humans anyway. Please go to www.strongbones.org to learn more.

I am a former milk lover. I drank milk regulary until I was 45 years old. Through education I learned that cow's milk is for making baby cows get big really fast. The proteins in cow's milk are an allergen to many people. We are the only species on this planet that drinks the milk of another animal.

Besides soy, which must be organic, you can also offer your daughter almond or rice milk, which is what we use at our house now instead of cows milk. She'll do just fine by drinking only water.

If you are concerned with calcium, I have information that I can share with you that lists all kinds of great food that has lots of calcium in it. Broccoli, kale and bok choy are 3 that come to mind. Sesame seeds also have alot of calcium. You can give your daughter hummus, which is made with chick peas and tahini (ground sesame seeds). Of the 300 mg of calcium in milk, only about 32% is useable. 54% of calcium in bok choy is usable. So, looking at usable calcium instead of just the total amt found in the food, 1 cup of milk only has 96 mg of calcium while kale has 106 mg, bok choy at 85 mg. An even more accurate comparison would be to look at usable calcium per 100 calories of food consumed: skim milk, 107 mg and bok choy 425 mg. Broccoli has 100 mg of usable calcium per 100 calories.

Please visit the website I've shared with you. I also believe that milk does cause allergic symptoms which can be mistaken for a cold. Another big problem is that the protein in milk sometimes makes the body have a reaction to the insulin producing cells in the pancreas and is believed to be a major cause of Type 1 diabetes.

There is more calcium in yogurt than milk. I would have to disagree with the strawberry or chocolate way as that has a lot of sugar to go with it.

Here is a link to calcium rich foods:
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/calcium/a/06_calcium_food.htm

I don't drink milk, neither does my husband, my daughter, my sister (or her two kids). None of us is lacking in calcium.

There are many other ways to get protien and calcium! I was told it is most important when they are infants but as we grow (especially adults) we don't need milk like that anymore. She does need it now, she is still little, so go online and find some other sources of protien and calcium (boccoli). My son never really liked milk after he was done nursing. I have given him rice milk, but it doesn't have the protien. You can find alternatives. Just google calcium and protien sources. Besides, cows milk can take up to 8 hrs to digests in your childs stomache. The protiens are too large, so if you can switch to something else she may be healthier for it in the long run.

Hi J.,
My boys (12, 7, 3 yrs) are grew up without milk. I nursed and then started them on shakes that are simple, safe and effective! I don't have to be worried if they don't always eat their veggies or drink their milk/soymilk because they get optimal nutrition daily on their shakes. As a result, their immune system is also very strong! They barely get sick and if so they fight it naturally fast with minimum symptoms( I have not been to the doc for sick visits in 7 yrs.) Their lab values are in the top numbers.
If you are interested in learning more and are serious about keeping your family healthy and well nourished feel free to call me and I will direct you further.
Blessings, C. W.
248,###-###-####

Try Ovaltine... My daughter loves it and thinks it is chocolate milk... It is good hot or cold!

A mom I know tried everything too - even chocolate milk but the only milk her son will finally drink is strawberry milk. You can get it organic too.

My daughter is 16 months old and she will not take cows milk. she still nurses and we give her cheese and yogurt.

I am sorry to disagree with the poster about using the herbalife, but it uses soy protein which has been linked with many cancers, especially in females. Try either the Rice or Almond milk. Also, as others have said, uses yogurts and cheeses instead.

My son hates white milk so we add a teaspoon of sugar free Nesquik to the milk. It has tons of calcium and vitamins in it so I feel good about giving it to him. Try it and see if she likes it. Good luck!

Have you tried strawberry milk or chocolate milk? The flavor doesn't add that many calories and you'll feel better knowing that she's at least getting some milk. you could even add white milk so the flavor isn't as strong.

Just to add to what others have already said, try drinkable yogurt. I get the YoBaby (which is organic whole milk) and mix in a little whole milk and stick a straw in it. It is such a novelty to use a straw, my one year old sucks it right down. For my older daughter, I stick a straw through the foil in the top of Danimals (made with lowfat milk), and that works great.

J.,
I have twin girls and when I switch over to milk I warmed it up so it was the temperature of breast milk or formula and gradually brought the temperature to cold, that helped. Also, a great way is I made a yogurt smoothie, I took my Braun Hand-blender and added one creamy yogurt and milk and it works great plus it's healthy. I hope you find your answer!

Sincerely,
M.

my daughter didn't like it either...
calcium enriched and vitamin D enhanced drinks like certain orange juices are the way to go

My son would not drink milk either when he was that age. He receives his 20oz a day in the form of strawberry or chocolate milk mix. He still will not drink straight up white milk but now he gains the weight that he is supposed to and it is no longer an issue at the doctor's office.

What I do with my daughter is tell her that she has to either drink milk or water at some point (because I don't want her drinking too much juice throughout the day - she's allowed ot have juice but just in moderation). It has caused some meltdowns but I stick to my stance and it's getting easier. She doesn't mind milk - it's just the juice is yummier so she prefers that (understandably). So if you're concerned about your child getting too much juice, you can offer her milk or water or nothing. If she's thirsty enough, she'll take one of your offers. If your concern is her lack of calcium from the milk, as many others have said, she can get her daily intake of calcium from other sources. Good luck!

my daughter wouldnt eat meat or milk :)
she is 14 and perfect -

my son loved milk and still drinks a gallon :)
he is 15 and equally perfect!

I dont think it matters... just do yogurt - cheese - choc milk anything to substitute :)

Try adding strawberry or chocolate flavor to regular milk. Or try Very Vanilla Silk milk (flavoring doesn't mix with soy milk). Good luck. I was also told when my child was going through this that they only need 18-24oz of milk a day. You could always find other foods with calcium and vitamin D.

My daughter went through this stage. Contrary to many of the other responses, I did not flavor the milk. I made sure she wasn't filling up on juice or water and left the milk as the only option to drink. Having two strong willed children, it wasn't a tast preference, it was a control factor. One day without a drink doesn't hurt them and they will drink when thirsty. I made sure she had one glass of milk a day before any other liquids. I also offered cheese and yogurt to get her the calcium she needed.

Try Putting Food coloring in the milk. Let her help pick the color and help mix it. You will be surprised at what kids will eat or drink if they are excited about it.

Good luck is all I can say. I have a 3 1/2 yr. old that has never taken milk. Was not a big fan of the bottle. I triesd chocolate, sr=strawberry, white, Karo syrup in the milk, French vanilla creamer in the milk, soy, chocolate milk soy. He refused it all. My doctor told me that some kids just don't like the taste of it and just give other things like yogurt and cheese broccoli. When he turned three. His doctor told me to start giving him tums every other day for calcium. And to re introduce it every once in awhile.He Hope that helps.

What about Pediasure or ensure? Does she like other dairy products like cheese & yogurt?

Hi J.,

We had the same problem. My son would drink everything under the son, except milk. I was introduced to Herbalife products for weight loss for myself. But happened to see they have a kids line of nutritional shakes (not for weigh loss). I tried it and my son loves them. They have strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate. He loves the strawberry.
Other suggestions, I tryed mixing with yogurt and fruit for a smoothie. My son was not impressed with the smoothie either. Kids herbalife shake has no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners! You just mix the powder with milk.If you are interested, please feel free to give me a call at ###-###-#### or email me back.

GOod Luck!
K.

My daughter wont drink milk very much at all, and these are a few of the things we did. We add chocolate milk to her milk and that helps somewhat. We also make sure she eats yougurt, cottage cheese and cheese because we know she isn't getting that much milk. Now that she is older (2), I can get her to drink some if I put it in a "big girl cup".

My oldest daughter did not drink milk until she was almost 2 years old and then it wasn't very much. My ped said that as long as she was eating yogurt/cheese she didn't really need milk.
Blessings, K.

I mixed in vanilla flavored soy milk for the first few weeks and that helped. Good luck!

Is she getting 3 servings of dairy in other forms? Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, egg, etc...? If so, she doesn't NEED milk. Milk is just one avenue to get 3 servings of dairy a day. And quite honestly, pediatricians push the milk for the fat content which they need to help their brains develop. There ARE other ways to get good fats. Using real butter and avacado are just a couple of ways.

Drinking MILK really isn't THAT important. If your child is getting good whole nutrition from good food sources, it just isn't necessary. And if you're concerned about the vitamin D you can always supplement a little D3. You can easily find it in liquid form and just give 1 drop per day.

My son is the same way. But he loves cheese and yogurt so I don't worry about it.

There are other ways to get the calcium needed for a toddler...cheese and yogurt are great sources, and of course green veggies. My 3 girls had very little milk...in fact they even had juice on their cereal. I gave them calcium supplements too. No worries...milk isn't the all-end-all for getting calcium. Flavoring milk with chocolate or strawberry or whatever adds alot of sugar...I would stay away from that.

Vitamin D, Calcium and Fat are the reasons recommended for children drinking milk. Often OJ is fortified with calcium. Most of us get enough fat in our diets, but you could give her a pat or two more of butter here and there if you're concerned. The vitamin D is also fortified in other foods, but a supplement is also an option.

Another idea, try vanilla flavored soy milk. Its fortified with all the above stuff and has a nice flavor (my 21 month old LOVES it).

Try flavoring the milk. My neighbor has to do that with her daughter. She buys a vanilla packet that goes in cup along with the milk. I think they have strawberry and choclate too. I believe I saw them in the tea and coffee isle at Kroger. They have disney characters on them. I know I saw sugar free too.

Hi J., I was in your same boat too, and still am. When my son gave up his bottle at 1 1/2, he would not drink milk out of a sippy or regular cup. I tried everything to get him to drink milk, like the other mama's suggested (adding different flavors to the milk). He still woud not drink it. Instead of making myself crazy over it, he gets what he needs from cheeses, yogurts and other dairy products. He's happy and healthy and I am happy too. Don't worry, if your DD is eating these 3 times a day.

Good luck, LJ

I add a packet of CARNATION INSTANT BREAKFAST MIX to every glass of milk for my son. It comes in Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry (he likes Vanilla). It also has tons of vitamins, protein, calcium. He LOVES it!!!