Gettting a Toddler to Drink Milk

My daughter (who is almost 2) was the exact same. She just didn't like milk. I was desperate and this past winter I got her to like hot cocoa. I made it myself with whole milk, plain cocoa powder, and a squirt of agave nectar. She loved it and I felt much better. Now I have switched to giving her hemp milk or chocolate hemp milk. It's really good...I've only found one brand at the Whole Foods but kind of expensive. Good luck!

Hey I had the same problem with my daughter. She couldnt drink milk when she was younger and she wouldnt drink soy either. My neighbor told me about this milk they sell at Hyvee and my daughter will not stop drinking it! It comes in flavors and is made in Halem NE. I is also organic which is great. It comes in glass bottles and everything. Flavors range from orange drream to root beer, which is actually really good. I would recommend trying it!
A.

I never gave my daughter milk and she's been fine. We give her almond milk and rice milk occasionally or on cereal. Milk is overrated. Just Google it sometime to see the controversy. Water is crucial. There are other places to get calcium...you can google that, too. :) Good luck.

Hi,

I totally got different advice from doctors on milk and babies/kids. But I honestly don't think that they will suffer from not drinking milk. Read some of the site www.notmilk.com and you will see milk is about as controversial as "to give or not to give immunizations."
As for drinking too much juice, I have always given my kids about 90% water and 10% juice and they drink it up fine and I don't worry about lots of excess calories.

Grace and peace be with you!

According to my Pediatrician, kids don't need juice. It can mess up their new incoming teeth, can replace good foods with nutrition in them, and cause diarrhea. Excessive intake has been linked to short stature.

If your son is refusing to drink the milk, I would assume that his little belly is already full from the juice (that is unnecessary) and water. I fully believe that when a kid gets truly hungry, he will eat what you give him (specifically the milk that he's refusing now).

On the same token, this Doctor is not a huge advocate of too much milk!
This is what she has to say:
" Cow's milk is not the perfect food, despite all that we learn, especially in Wisconsin. And I see more problems with kids getting too much milk rather than too little. Too much cow's milk (which is more than 20-24 ounces a day) can lead to severe iron deficiency and iron deficiency in a growing brain is not a good idea, in fact, childhood iron deficiency can cause developmental problems that the kids may not overcome. See, cow's milk has no iron in it, can interfere with iron absorption and can cause a low grade blood loss in some kids by creating an inflammation in the gut. Meat is the best source of iron. Other foods that are fortified with iron have a form that is a little harder to absorb.

The kind of milk you transition to makes little difference to me. The idea is that the kids need a source of fat in their diet for the first two years of life because the fat helps with brain maturation and development. The AAP has always said to use whole milk as a way to provide that fat, but there isn't anything special in the fat of whole cow's milk that helps human brains grow. I personally think the recommendation comes from the belief that we, as parents, are giving our kids only fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean meats and therefore we would never get fat into our kids any other way than whole milk. I guess I just don't think it's hard to find sources of fat in a normal American diet and in this time of increasing childhood obesity, I think the fat in whole milk is just excessive and unnecessary (unless you are only giving your kids the good stuff I mentioned above). So... make sure that your child gets about 30% of their calories from fat every day, just like we, as adults, are supposed to do. "

I did the same thing as you; fed my children yogurt and cheese as starter foods and gave them juice (only 100% real fruit juice diluted with water 50/50) ONLY when they have taken the amount of milk necessary to get their fat intake for the day.
I gave them water when they were thirsty, but again only after they've eaten.
I think just like adults, kids sometimes mistake hunger for thirst and vice versa. As a growing child, I feel that tummy room should be saved for the nutrition that is essential for growth and development.

As a side note, I think it's good that you've switched over from bottle to cup. It's my understanding that this is the time to do it, and I would stick with it if I were you.
He'll drink the milk when he's hungry, but watch for dehydration by making sure he's having enough wet diapers.

L.,

As many people noted, the nutrients in milk that are important are available in many other foods.

I wonder - is your son lactose intolerant or perhaps allergic to cow's milk? Sometimes little bodies know whena food doesn't sit well with them and reject the food outright. Your son might be telling you his body doesn't like milk.

Food for thought (pun intended!).

My son (now 19 months) still is not a huge milk drinker (its hard to get him to drink 1-2 glasses per day). But in the beginning, we added a little YoBaby yogurt to his milk for a little "flavoring" and he tended to drink it MUCH better than his normal "sip or two". We slowly weaned him off needing the yogurt added so as not to make that a habit and he does better. Still just doesn't love milk..but we give him lots of other cheese, etc. The other idea I had was to get those long ice cube trays (they make long ice cubes to stick in your water bottles)..anyway...we blended up whole milk and crushed pineapple and froze those in the ice cube trays so he can have "ice cream" which is another way for him to get a little milk in him. We just chop up the long ice cubes into finger-food size so he can pick them up and snack on them- just an idea that worked for us :) Good luck. Also, you could try a straw cup with him too (it can take awhile at first but that's another good option for drinking)..we've found with my son that sometimes we have to "switch up" his cup and he will drink more too. Hope some of these ideas help. I know how frustrating it is worrying about the milk intake.

Hi, L..
I like the idea of sweetening the milk with YoBaby yogurt. I would stay away from the chocolate or strawberry syrups/powders as that is pretty much just sugar. Good luck!

Hi, I am a mother of five wonderful children and have been through this. First of all you should be giving him the whole milk until he is two because it has essential fat that helps his brain development that the 2% doesn't. Now for the milk problem, what I did was give him a cup with 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk so that he could slowly transition over from formula to milk. After a while of him being used to that do 1/2 of each and then after awhile switch to 3/4 milk and 1/4 formula and before you know it you'll be giving him all milk.It's good that he's getting cheese and another source of calcium that is good is yogurt. I wouldn't put the flavoring in because then he will associate milk with sweet things and will only want it that way. Having it as a treat every now and then is okay and as weird as it sounds I've heard that chocolate milk is actually good for them in moderation-I think it's the kind that you buy from the store not by mixing in the syrup. Good luck and I hope it helps. Just be patient, I know tha formula is expensive and it is much cheaper to buy the milk but if you stick it out a little longer and do the weaning process just like any other weaning process it will work. Best of luck to you and enjoy your bundle of joy!:)
J.

Hi L., That is what happened to me. I was totally frustrated that my son wouldn't drink milk, so I gave him chocolate and now he is 10 and still will only drink chocolate. With my second I was bound and determined that I wouldn't make that mistake again. So I found that if I warmed his milk, like his formula/breast milk was that he liked it. So my second only likes white milk. My third is 19 months and I did the same with warming the milk and he also loves white milk. He will tell me if he wants hot or cold milk which is so cute. I hope that this helps. Good luck and best wishes.

Milk is not for every body. Offer milk only on an occasional basis. Cheese /yogurt also. As a mom with milk sensitivities, and having children with dairy sensitivities, I suggest that your son may be listening to his body and may not respond well to dairy. Entire cultures have thrived for thousands of years without any dairy at all--therefore I would not worry too much about it.

Cow's milk is for cows. I just wanted to say that the other very few mom's who have alluded to this are not crazy. I've read so many things about why we should not drink milk. I've also read that soy, America's favorite health food, isn't all that great either. It's been said that the only soy we should consume should be the fermented kind (eg. miso, tempeh, etc.). Humans are the only species on planet earth, as far as I know, that continue to drink milk from other animals well past infancy. We've all been taught to include so many servings of dairy in our diet, ever since we learned about the food pyramid in kindergarten, thanks to the American Dairy Association. I personally don't really care what the food pyramid says. In my opinion, it's not the healthiest way to go. Anyway, I've left you with zero research to back up what I've said, and for that I apologize. However, I hope it gets you thinking in a slightly different frame of mind and gets some questions popping up in your head. Have fun on your path to greater self-education. :)

My daughter didn't drink milk well either ( I nursed her for 11 1/2 months). She did eat enough cheese & yogurt, along with some diluted calcium fortified OJ to meet her calcium requirements (pediatrician was fine with this). She is now 4 and drinks milk fine, and we hardly ever give juice. My 2 yr. old son loves milk, and we did start putting reduced sugar chocolate syrup in his to help him drink it better after he was 1, but seriously, I put about one drop of chocolate in it, and he is happy to drink it. Hope this helps.

Try adding strawberry nesquick(sp). My son loves it and it has 25% less sugar plus it gives him extra calcium and other vitamins. Now he will drink plain milk at dinner if he knows he can have strawberry milk at supper.

Have you tried Goat's milk? It sounds horrible, I know, but that is the only kind my daughter will drink.
If you are going to flavor milk (you can phase it out later, I think) I liked the suggestion of flavoring it with a fruit juice sweetened yogurt. I would never have thought of that! As the one poster mentioned, don't go chocolate:)
Look for other calcium rich foods too as milk is really NOT that good for you and the milk itself is not essential for growth. You can supply the fat that his brain needs for growth with a kids fish oil supplement.
Have a great day!

I know drinking whole milk is VERY important at his age. So I would definitely keep trying and trying. Give it to him with every meal. Don't let him even see the juice. Water is the 2nd best choice. Just keep offering milk over and over. I guess at the VERY last resort, you could try putting a couple drops of chocolate milk into his milk, to add some sweetness. Then wean that away as time goes on so he doesn't depend on it. Good luck!

My husband, his sister and his brother all hated drinking plain milk when they were younger, so my inlaws would always put in Nesquick in it to get them to drink it. Up until last year, that is the only way my husband would drink milk (he's 35). My brother-in-law still drinkss it that way and not sure if s.i.l. does, but I don't believe she drinks milk at all. I am sure it has to do with the parents mixing in Nesquick. Also when we first got married, my husband had me addicted to it too, I would drink about 3 lg glasses a day, so ended up gaining a lot of weight while pregnanat with my 2nd. I have given it up after thee baby was born, but dropping that extra sugar fat is hard.

Don't worry about your toddler getting enough milk. As long as he is getting enough water, that's really what he needs!

Hi L.!

My daughter went through phases like that too. Maybe try offering only milk in the sippy and not allowing juice until he drinks his milk. Or take him to the store and let him choose a new big boy "special" milk cup. You could also try regular open-top cups (at the table, obviously) with a fancy twirly straw. Making it appealling without making it a power struggle is going to be your best bet, I think.

I'd also like to encourage you to please try to focus on getting him back to whole milk. Toddlers under the age of two NEED that fat for brain development. If he absolutely won't drink milk, then maybe go with the Pediasure or "follow-up" type formulas. He really needs those fats at this stage in his life. And make sure those cheeses are full-fat as well. Good luck! At least these toddler phases don't usually last long. :)

When I was trying to get our oldest to switch from breastfeeding to drinking milk from a sippy cup the pediatrician suggested putting chocolate in the milk to get him to drink it. Memories of my nephew only drinking chocolate milk were flooding my head and I was worried. So, I added just enough chocolate syrup to color the milk tan. We used less and less chocolate each day so that the milk was just barely colored. This only took 1 week. By the end of that week he was drinking only milk. To this day he only drinks milk. When offered chocolate milk he refuses. He doesn't like it. Yeah! Another source of calcium if you can find it is Yo-J. It's a combination of yogurt and orange juice. We add milk to make it go farther as it can be expensive for a half gallon. That's one way to get him to drink milk. Especially if he likes milk. You can just add more and more milk until it is all milk.

Our second child was born three months early and was given HMF with breastmilk at about 7 days old. He is now allergic to all milk products (milk protien, not lactose) and soy protien. This is going to be a challenge but I think we will be able to tackle it.

We struggled with that, too, when we switched to the sippy cup. Our pediatrician recommended to keep pushing the milk at mealtimes and letting the child know that that is what they need to drink with their meals. If they get thirsty enough, they will drink it! Try to limit juice and water for between meals only. Good luck!

Some babies just seem to hate milk. My daughter has hated it since she was so little, i would say about the same age as your saying your child is. Anyways, she never liked milk and wouldn't drink it. Even as an infant/toddler. Eventually we tried vanilla flavored soy milk and she loved it. She loves chocolate flavored soy milk even more. But she absolutely hates cows milk. In all fairness I've hated cows milk my entire life as well and vomit if I drink it... regardless of the flavors added.... But again I can drink soy milk and like it!

So some people just hate milk. Who knows why but I've seen it. My mother hates it, I hate it and now my daughter hates it. My son doesn't mind it though. Go figure. So try soy milk if your doctor thinks that acceptable. That is what we do.

L.,

I would take him off the juice. Kids aquire a sweet tooth very quickly and will soon turn their nose up at anything not as sweet as juice. He can get vitamins from fruit - a better source than juice anyway - just make sure canned fruit is contained in 100% juice, not syrup or Splenda and applesauce is unsweetened.

My first baby went through a stubborn phase like this when I weaned her - completely capable of using a sippy cup for 6 months but stopped because she didn't want to wean from the breast. I finally had to cut her off cold turkey and for 3 days her only source of liquid was inside her food because she refused a cup. I was certain she would dehydrate and die. She was fine. And she started taking the sippy cup when she learned there was no alternative.

I really wouldn't recommend putting flavoring in his cup. That is a lot of sugar and additivies no kid needs and it will create a bad habit that will be just as hard to break as what you are dealing with now. Not to mention that there have been multiple studies to suggest that the chocolate interferes with the absorption of the calcium, undoing a lot of the benefit of milk.

Some say kids don't need milk anyway, it is for baby cows. If that comes to be your choice, look into vegan diets and make sure your child gets everything he needs - like fat, calcium and protein - from other sources.

Good luck,
S.

Have a dr check him for alleries.

Also if he is allergic to latex say some cups will bother him.

Keep a diary of his reactions and actions.

If allergies is ruled out then it may be away to get attention.

With out seeing the child it is hard to tell but I bet it is a allergy.

D.

I would try a soy milk - it has plenty of calcium.

Good luck!
W.

I had the same problem. I ended up putting Ovaltine into his milk. It actually has some vitamins in it and it was the only way he would drink milk. He is now four and now he drinks plain milk. So my advice is try adding a flavor to the milk and then keep trying the plain milk every so often.

Rjge

Have you tried making the switch more gradual? I know formula is expensive and switching to whole milk (which your son really needs-not 2%) is kind of a relief in that area. But maybe go back to formula and start mixing the milk with the formula. Start with 2 ounces of milk and 6 of formula and slowly increase it until it's all milk. That may help him get used to the different taste.

We were very naughty with our son. hehe. We started him on milk before he turned a year old. So we acctually put milk in his bottle for a month or two. What I'm trying to say is you switched him from the bottle to sippy cup and from formula to milk at the same time and this might be too many big changes at once. So what I'd do is either go back to the bottle and give him milk in that. Or I'd just give him water and juice (i water down my juice, but it's your choice)in the sippy cup and give him cheese and yogurt to eat everyday for the next month. He's not going to die if he doesn't get milk for the next month. Or maybe you don't even have to do it for a month. Maybe you can get away with just doing it for a couple weeks. Your child has been getting formula in a bottle everyday for the past year and to switch to a sippy cup with milk is a BIG deal to him. Do just one at a time. I hope I helped a little bit. :)

L.,
My daughter was the same way!! So I did put chocolate and strawberry mix into her milk to get her to drink it. The way I saw it, the much needed calcium was much more important than the added sugar, so that was what we did. She is now almost 4 and drinks white milk just fine. Hope this helps!

Hi,
We went through the same thing with our little guy. I kept trying everything like you are doing; changing types of milk and sippy cups. We even tried chocolate milk. We just kept offering milk everyday at every meal and even in between meals. He'll be 14 mos. next week and he's been drinking milk just fine for about two weeks and now we only offer milk or water and he will take either. Our pediatrician suggested filling a medicine dropper with one tsp. of liquid and giving it to him every 15 minutes if I was worried about dehydration. Maybe it is just a transitioning phase. Maybe try putting the milk in a bottle and transitioning one thing at a time?????
Good luck, sorry I couldn't be of more help.

My son did the same thing. Once I took away his bottle he stopped drinking milk. He had one glass of juice a day and the rest water or almond milk. My daughter can't have milk products, so he drinks that with her. I had asked my pediatritian and she said as long as he is getting dairy in other forms it isn't a big deal. My son loves yogurt, so I make sure he has some everyday and he has a multivitamin. There is calcium in many different foods, so as long as he has those milk isn't that big of a deal. (according to my dr)

Dear L., my youngest 3 children would not touch 2% milk, I had to give them 1% or skim. My doctor was upset with me, he wanted them on whole milk, but they refused, or I should say spit out both whole and 2% milk and would not drink it. When I gave them the 1% they drank it up! I did give them vitamins from 1 to 2 years old. I do know the only difference between whole and 1% milk is the fat content, all the same vitamins are in both kinds of milk. I was more concerned about the lack of calcium and how that would hurt their bone growth, than the lack of fat. Maybe trying 1% will help.

Neither one of my kids like milk very much, so my pediatrician suggested adding choc. syrup. I don't like giving them extra sugar, but the Doc said it was better than them not drinking milk. My son is now three and half and has no interest in milk unless it's chocolate, but at least he drinks it! My daughter is 2 and will drink regular milk, so maybe there's hope for her!

BTW, I think adoption is awesome. Kudos to you! :-) Even though we have two biological children, I still dream of adopting some day...

Another thought- if you hate the idea of adding flavoring, you could try yogurt, cottage cheese or smoothies.

Blessings,
M.
http://mrose.womensdreamteam.com/

Our daughter has always refused milk or juice or soy milk. She only drinks water. We make sure she gets enough calcium through yogurt. She loves it. Especially whole milk yogurt.

Good luck.

I have three children all of which will not drink milk. we have never had any calcium, weight gain, etc..problems because of it. Our pediatritian has never had a problem with them not drinking milk either. They eat cheese, yogurt, and an occasional glass of choc. milk. I also don't want them drinking that all the time. I am lucky to have children that love drinking water - really the best they can have. Kiddos don't really need juice if they are good fruit eaters. There is a lot of sugar in juice that the kiddos don't really need. Even though they are natural sugars (in 100% juice). So juice and choc. milk are more like treats in our house. Keep trying and check with your dr. but as long as he is eating a healthy diet he will be just fine. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

All three of my children loved milk in the bottle, took the bottle away and all of them would not drink it anymore. My mother thinking that children need to drink their milk started putting strawberry flavor in his milk [and for my two nephews she put chocolate in their milk.] It did get the children to drink their milk, but at the same time rotted out all the teeth in their head. My son had to have silver caps put on his four front teeth, [he looked like Jaws on the 007 movies] and my two nephews had to have theirs pulled way before they should have come out on their own. When my next two came along and he would not drink his milk, I forbid her from putting any flavoring in his or my daughter's milk and I have never had a problem with either of their teeth.

I know it is frustrating that you cannot get him to drink milk, but my doctor told me that as long as they are getting their calicum from other sources that they would be fine. When they were about five we introduced it back at dinner time, just a little bit at first and then increased the amount and eventually they started drinking it again.

It will all work out in the end :)
Kimberly

Consider L. that millions of children all over the world grow up to be big and strong without milk. Your son may never like it ~ I never did. Water is better for him. Juice can easily be eliminated as it has little food value except in that it is sugar (more sugar even than pop).

Fresh fruits and vegetables provide the body with the fluids we need without extra beverages. Give him fruit and veggies, let go of the milk, and enjoy your healthy baby.

Here's a site that someone just sent me, with calcium rich foods listed. I also find that my 12 month old son is a huge fan of yogurt, cottage cheese, anything like that. And yogurt has more calcium than regular milk anyways!

Milk isn't the best thing for kids and people in general despite poplar belief. (It's made for cows.) Soy milk has all the same nutrients and in my opinion tastes better. My girl likes it better too. It's worth a shot and comes in plain, vanilla, chocolate, and other flavors too.
There is also rice and almond milk, but i haven't checked out their nutritional info.

First of all, don't worry! Kids will eat and drink when they are hungry and thirsty. As long as he gets calcium in other things and plenty of fluids he'll be fine. I switched two of mine to soy formula, had another two that never liked milk much but would each cottage cheese and yogurt, and the youngest went from regular formula to milk then gave it up during an illness so I tried soy toddler formula and pediatric Ensure. Sometimes their tastes change (especially with teething and illness) and you just have to patiently reintroduce things over time.

SAHM of seven, three bio/four adopted

when my son started on whole milk, he was still breastfeeding, so the doctor ensured me that he was fine. i started putting chocolate in his milk, and he LOVED IT! especially with breastfed babies, breastmilk is sweet, so a transition to whole milk with chocolate is easier. it took about a month or 2, but he will drink milk now whether or not it has chocolate in it. i reduced the amount of chocolate i put in the milk little by little. please remember that your son needs the extra fat in whole milk, so you should be serving that. if you really are against putting him back on whole milk, make sure with his doctor that it is ok, and he gets fats from other food sources. but putting chocolate in the milk was no problem at all, and we gradually got my son onto regular milk with no trouble. the doctor was more concerned with my son getting milk than what was in the milk, so it was fine with him too!

We've never been able to switch our son to milk because his digestive system can't handle it. We continue to give him next step formula and he's now 3 years old. (We did try to slowly get his system use to milk by just adding it a little at a time but it just causes horrible diarrhea.) Dr told us not to worry. We add cream and butter in everything we can feed him, per dr's advice. I just keep him on formula because it's easier than trying to find some alternative to milk that he'll drink. I never realized how many soy and rice milk -alternative products there were out there until i tried to find one he would drink. I guess what everyone is trying to say is that it doesnt' really matter if he drinks cow's milk because there are other ways to obtain his calcium. it's just a matter of what you want to feed him.
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I would not worry at all since he drinks water. That is way more important. He can get both calcium and Vit D from other sources (sunlight and there are many juices that are now fortifying with vit D like milk does).

Milk that we buy in the store is the equivilant of human breast milk for calfs. It is not produced naturally for us to drink. The main reason that it is pushed is for the vit D and like I said it is fortified with it as are many other foods now. Also, 10-15 minutes of sunlight (without sunblock) will also produce Vit D.

Long story short, I would not worry about it. None of my kids drink it a beverage - only on cereals - and they are all healthy and growing very well.

Best of luck.

A.

I would suggest putting a little bit of the kwicks (sp?) strawberry or choclate mix in the milk. It doesn't have to be alot, just enough to get a little flavor in it.

I can not stress enough to women that they need to let their children know who is in charge. If you want him to drink milk stick to it! Say no to other stuff, tell him if he's thirsty drink his milk. He is very young, but it is never too early to set the stage of who's boss. My kids do not argue with me about food. They ask for stuff, and I will say yes sometimes, but if I say no they know I mean it and they do not ask again. My 2 year old just asked me for a popsicle. I said "no, put it back"( as she had pulled a chair over to the freezer and grabbed it out herself) and without argueing she put it back in the freezer. If you start now with having them eat what you want them to eat it will not be a struggle when they reach the terrible twos. And terrible twos really starts at 18 months in most kids and lasts until four maybe four and a half. It is not about what he eats, but about power struggle. I'm sure he does like Juice better than milk, who wouldn't? My nephew loved milk for a while, but after my sister started buying those yogurt juice drink things he stopped drinking milk(at age 2) and he is now five and will not drink milk ever! She let him have whatever he wanted to drink, fall asleep at night in front of the TV, made whatever he wanted for dinners, and now he is the one in charge at their house. Good Luck

Look for other foods that contain the same nutrients that milk has. Broccoli, for example has lots of calcium. If he'll eat cheese and yogurt, buy the full fat varieties of these foods. Plenty of children in this country grow up healthy without ever drinking cow's milk (it's a good source of many things, but all of those nutrients can be found in other foods too). Wait a few weeks, and try introducing milk again. You could also try rice, soy, almond or goat milk.

Dear L.,

Contrary to popular belief, dairy foods are one of the worst sources of calcium. This is not because there is not enough calcium in diary products themselves, but because the other components of dairy products (especially the acids) actually cause the body to leech (lose) calcium from the bones in order to digest (or neutralize) them.
Also, dairy products are one of the worst hormone-harboring and hormone-inducing foods on the market today. This means they cause more problems for the body than they do us good because they mess up our normal hormone production/levels. This is because the hormones and chemicals that are fed to the cows pass to the milk and meat of the animal and then to us when we consume them.
If your son is not desiring the milk, it is not going to hurt him to not drink it... in fact it would be best if he didn't. The American Dairy counsel and the FDA have made a multi-million dollar business out of pushing the idea that you cannot get enough calcium if you don't consume dairy. This is a total lie! You do need to make sure your son gets calcium from other sources... and there are hundreds of foods that contain calcium, such as: calcium fortified 100% juices and other fortified non-dairy products, collard greens, tofu, beans/legumes (especially great northern, navy, white, and pinto), rhubarb, blackstrap molasses, brocolli, sesame seeds, spinach, kale, kiwi, oranges, carob flour, and more...
These are just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to articles on milk... but there are more.
http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/calcium_foods.htm
http://milk.elehost.com/html/why_does_calcuim_leave_the_b...
http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/print/2003-N...
I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
H.

I see they have that transitional formula now for toddlers. Maybe you could try mixing a bit of that with some whole milk?

I had the same problem with my daughter. She was very finicky about milk. She never would take a bottle very well and wanted nothing to do with formula. When we were able to switch to regular milk I was happy because I thought sure she would like that-but no such luck. She is 6 years old and still doesn't care for it. But she did like yogurt. And I would use milk in things like oatmeal for breakfast and things like that so she was getting her dairy in that way. You could try something like that. If I remember correctly her docter wasn't too concerned.

I had the same problem with my son. He drank lactose-free milk, which smelled yucky too. I would mix a little bit of Pediasure in with the milk--it made me feel better than just mixing in Hershey's. He's 5 now and drinks regular milk with no problem. He prefers chocolate milk, but what kid doesn't? ;)

our next step is flavoring too. I plan to put way less than the container recommends for each serving. Just enough to color it and make it interesting.

what we are doing now is giving our 2 yr old rice milk mixed with pudding mix. It doesn't set up like it would in regular milk, so it just makes a tasty banana-pudding flavored drink. soy milk works for that too.

as long as your son is getting enough calcium from other dairy and fortified foods (cereals etc), I wouldn't worry to much about not liking milk. Some people never like milk their whole lives. Plus kids go through phases.

you could keep offering plain milk at every meal, and see if he will drink it some time. Our son likes to drink the plain regular milk (2%) out of the bottom of the bowl after the cereal is gone, but won't drink it out of a cup at all. they all have their quirks. see if you can find a fun way to drink milk, like using a funny straw when he's old enough for that.

also, do you drink milk? if mom (or dad) is having a glass of milk, he might want to copy you. My son will do anything his Nana does!

good luck :)