Toddler Won't Drink Milk - Covington,KY

I have a little guy who gave up milk and formula around the same time. The doctor was not concerned about calcium as he does eat cheese. I learned then that 2 yo babies are plenty of calcium. i have chosen to give him a multi vitamin for vitamin D. Otherwise, there are no worries. Milk actuall y has properties that deplete the body of calcium as well. Calcium comes from many foods. Chocolate milk or strawberry milk are good options as well if you are worried.

I had a problem with my older child and drinking milk. So we warmed it up a little and added chocolate to it. And she now she drinks chocolate milk everyday. I don't put very much chocolate syrup in but just enough so she thinks she's getting it.

He can get his calcium from broccoli, spinach, and kale, among other veggies. I wouldn't worry too much about milk, honestly. If he's eating yogurt, then he is getting vitamin D. Maybe your pediatrician can recommend a vitamin supplement if s/he feels it's necessary. Personally, I think there's way too much emphasis on drinking milk in this country. I was surprised when I studied in France that kids there drink hardly any milk at all, yet they are perfectly healthy. I wouldn't worry about the milk.

Don't freak about not drinking milk. Most kids don't take the switch easily. Add chocolate or strawberry to it - most kids will drink flavored milk. It only adds a minimal amount of sugar and some brands are fortified with extra calcium, vitamin D and other Good Stuff. You can then slowly decrease the amount of flavoring gradually until he's drinking plain milk. Or not. Studies show kids who drink flavored milk are getting more nutrients than kids who don't (because most kids who don't are drinking soda/juice instead).

I would also be concerned about the amount of soy in his diet even though a previous poster wasn't. There have been several studies released in the past year that say too much soy is a Bad Thing and is related to several problems.

Also keep in mind that a toddler only needs 1-3 servings of dairy a day. And that his serving is much smaller than your serving. I'd skip the yobaby yogurt, though.... look at the nutrition panel. Unless it's changed in the past couple years, that stuff has a >ton< of sugar in it for such a small container.

Also keep in mind that in most countries, children do not drink of any kind once they are weaned. All the Good Stuff is found in other food. The US Dairy Association has done a great marketing compaign here. :-( Calcium is found in many green leafy veggies. Vitamin D is from the sun... make sure he gets 15-20 minutes exposure a day.... but real exposure... he'll need alot more time if he's wearing sunscreen or wearing lots of clothes.

My son (now almost 15 months) refused cow's milk for the first month or so, maybe a little longer. My doctor told me to try to put cinnamon or molasses in it -- he still wouldn't drink it. I just kept offering it to him and eventually he just started drinking it. Now he guzzles it down. It might just take some persistence.

My doctor said, in terms of calcium, three servings of dairy would be good. So, if you are already giving him two yogurts, you only need to make up one more serving, which I'm sure he is getting from the formula.

Good luck!

Almond milk or rice milk... those are really great choices. Try giving him rice pudding, cottage cheese, or other dairy products. Make sure you are watching his iron. I agree with Michelle M... you really don't need to add in an additional source of milk, but just make sure that his diet has a variety.

Good luck!

Mine wouldn't drink milk right away either. I checked with my pediatrician, and she recommended the kids orange juice that is fortified. It is the same as milk glass for glass as far as calcium and other vitamins go, all you are lacking is the protein. So I gave a glass of that a day to help ease my mind. I also did cottage cheese blended up with pineapple to get the fruit small and get rid of the curds. Broccoli is a good veggie to get the same nurtrition. And mine will eat shredded cheese. Not pieces or string cheese or any other kind, but he likes the shredded stuff, even parmesan. Give that a try.

Keep trying the milk every day, just a little. Mine refused for several months, then just decided to drink it and now he loves it. I just had to keep offering it but not turning it into a battle over it. I don't recommend soy milk either, soy metabolizes as estrogen and it is still up for debate whether that is a healthy thing for a growing baby boy. Mine did like organic better than regular milk. Occasionally I would put a little bit of ovaltine in it, but just a little.

We learn as we go along child to child. With my first, we tried the weaning from a bottle and formula because she refused a sippy cup and milk. Tired of fighting a 13 month old, as I was putting her to bed one night, I said, "No more bottles, Honey. They're all going bye-bye." (As if she really understood me!!??) I put away all of the bottles that night. When she woke in the morning, I immediately handed her a sippy cup of milk. (She ALWAYS fussed for a bottle in the morning!) She took the sippy cup and never fussed for a bottle once, not once. With my second, at a year, I also quit her cold turkey and she LOVED her bottle. Not one peep from her either. My third daughter will be a year at the end of April and I will do the same with her. Just a suggestion. Good luck to you!

Try almond milk. It's REALLY high in calcium and it's sweeter than cow milk.

For my kids, I just never offered anything but milk. My son was especially not wanting it at first, but everytime I gave him something to drink for the first couple of days, it was always milk. When he became thirsty enough, he drank it, and we never had anymore problems. If you're offering your child other things, then why WOULD he give milk a chance? I wouldn't.....I'd turn it down so I'd get offered something more tasty. I personally wouldn't put chocolate or strawberry mix into it. All this will do is make him only eat it when it's flavored, and that's a lot of empty calories for when he gets older.

You could try slowly converting his formula to milk--give him a mix of 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk for a week, then go to 2/3 formula, 1/3 milk for a week, then 1/2 and 1/2 for a week or so, and so on. This is how I switched my children from cow's milk to rice milk, and it was basically a non-event.

Fortified orange juice.
Good luck, I'm in your same boat with my son!

My daughter wouldn't drink milk either. Our pediatrician told us to mix flavor in with it and then we could start to wean her off the flavoring. Right now she drinks whole milk with chocolate syrup but we have done strawberry too. We are starting to wean her off the flavoring and she is doing great. By adding the syrup you control the amount and can slowly decrease it. I like knowing that she is getting enough of the fat and protein she needs. Good luck!

A.

My ODS wouldn't drink whole milk, but he liked 2%. So we supplemented more dairy with extra cheese, yogurt, ice cream. I don't like milk or cheese, and I've been told eating ice cream is better than not getting dairy:) Is he taking any vitamins? I would ask your dr about a multi vitamin and possibly an additional vitamin d.

Have you tried chocolate or strawberry syrup? I'm not a huge fan of that all the time (I keep it as a special treat), but if it's the only way he'll drink milk that's better than no milk at all. They do have the formula for toddlers if he refuses to eat/drink other dairy products. I would talk to your pediatrician about what would be best for your son.

Whats wrong with more soy? I have a half vegan family that drinks soy and eats it a lot and there is no problems with their diets. If you want a good alternative give almond milk a try. I prefer it to soy it tastes better and comes in all flavores the soy does. Dont force your kid onto milk they do not need it, vitamin D is obtained through the sun, 15 mins a day of exposure gets us all our daily amount. Calcium can be derived from many other sources of vegetables. almond milk is very high in Vit E

Sneak cheese in where you can--parmesan on pasta noodles, shredded cheese in soups, etc. You can try the Horizon Organic single serving milks--chocolate, strawberry and my son's favorite--vanilla. You can even mix a third flavored milk with 2/3 regular whole organic milk. He might like the taste pf organic milk better and it lasts a LOT longer than regular milk.

What about trying almond milk, or maybe even lactaid? I've heard they both have a slight sweetness to them that maybe he'd like? Either way it's probably best to talk to your Dr. and see what he/she suggests. Luckily my little one loves milk, but doesnt like any kind of cheese at all. So it's probably a give and take!

I wouldn't worry about the milk. As one other poster pointed out, I would look into a different yogurt. I used to give my daughter the YoBaby as well, until I saw the sugar content! EEEK!!!! I then switched to plain organic yogurt and drizzle honey on top and mix in. She loves it. Sometimes, I add some jam or something to change it up.

Milk is NOT needed for good nutrition. There are plenty of other sources of calcium. Carrot juice, legumes (navy beans, pinto beans etc...) make a soup, puree it...whatever. You could also do a liquid vitamin. There are some good ones out there.

Vitamin D is essential.... not only for good development but keeping us healthy. When it's sunny out, then a few minutes out in the sunshine (unprotected ... so obviously not for 30 minutes!) is great! Otherwise, Carlson's makes a liquid vitamin D supplement. 1 drop. That's all. I have been giving it to my daughter since she was 5 months old during the fall/winter months. (as recommended by her pediatrician) We're too covered up during those months AND for most of the Northern Hemisphere the sun is not direct enough during those months to provide us with the exposure we need even if we weren't covered up!

Do a little digging, there are tons of ways to get good nutrition into our kids. AND, if you start early with REAL food ... and not just resorting to purees and what not that you buy off the shelf and have been sitting there for who knows how long, then your baby will learn the taste and texture of real food and not be so picky.

Good luck!

I wouldn't give him soy milk because soy metabolizes into estrogen which can be very bad for boys (and even girls too).
And milk isn't even fully digestable- even for adults, so as long as he's eating yogurt and you keep trying the cheeses, I think his calcium intake should be fine.
A varied diet is best, so just keep giving him the good stuff, like fruits and veggies. :)
Good luck!