My daughter was on Nutramigen formula up until her first birthday which was 3/24. At that point I started to try to transition her to milk, mixing it with her formula. She did fine as long as there was a bit of formula in her milk. It got to the point where it was all milk, and BAM! she won't drink it. We have tried it cold and warm, in a cup and in a bottle. Even tried to put a teeny dab of chocolate syrup in it as well as strawberry syrup (please, no comments on adding this to your child's bottle, I don't need a guilt trip and the peds doc was the one who suggested it). We even tried vanilla soy milk, to no avail. So I gave in. Bought some more formula and figured we would wean verrrry slowly. Now she won't even drink that! I thought it was due to the fact that she had an ear infection but being as that's clearing up and she has numbing drops, I know that's not the case.
I am starting to wonder what to do..she can't not drink milk, I know she needs the fat for brain development. Not to mention that she needs fluids. She is still on mostly baby food, so the only real opportunity I have to sneak milk in is in her oatmeal.
What have you moms done? Thanks!
I have to put chocolate/strawberry in my kids milk also. Maybe take her to the store and let her pick out a cup that she can only drink milk from and see if that works.
None of my 3 kids ever really drank milk, they just didn't like it. They mostly drank water and some juice & fruit smoothies. They are now 16, 14 and 10 and have always been strong and healthy. They were also picky eaters, going through periods of not eating enough (or any) veges, fruit, meat, etc. I guess I'm telling you this so you will know not to stress out about nutrition too much, it balances out over time. Milk can be a part of a healthy diet but no one "needs" it. Just keep offering healthy choices and you'll be surprised how much your little one's appetite and tastes vary over time :)
Lots of yogurt and cheese, and keep offering the milk. Until she takes the milk again just give her other forms of dairy.
You can also try giving her 2% milk and working up to whole milk. Whole milk is MUCH richer than formula, maybe its to filling or she just isn't used to it. Give it some time. Milk will last a while longer sitting out at room temp in an insulated sippy cup with an ice cube or two thrown in. My daughter drinks her milk slowly and this works best for us.
Have you had her tested for food allergies? My 5 year old is allergic to Milk and eggs. He did Alimentum and then he was tested for allergies at 15 mo. but we were pretty sure he was allergic to cow milk already. I know you said you tried the vanilla soy milk but some of them are not real good and she could be a bit "gun shy" if the cow milk hurt her. It might be worth checking out.
If she doesn't have allergies she can get enough calcium and fat from other foods. Just make sure she is drinking plenty of water to keep her hydrated. Also, pretty much all kids go through a stage after their first birthday when they drink less. Unless her Dr. thinks there is concern for dehydration don't worry yourself too much! Good luck and I'm sure everything will be fine!
it took me about a month to wean my daughter fully onto milk. i started with just 1/4 of her cup with milk and the rest formula. then after a week i did half and half. then after a week i did 3/4s milk and the rest formula and then i did 1 week with all milk and 1 scoop of formula then i was done.... i suggest some yogurts cheese and other dairy to get calcium and fats. as for fluids try watered down juice and some water.. she will be ok. but if she doesnt drink anything after a week i would call her dr and have her ears checked again..
Toddler formula, or the Formula still... many toddlers still drink Formula. Give it to her however she will drink it, whether by bottle or sippy.
And keep trying to incorporate milk like how you were doing.
At least with the formula, she gets the nutrition from it. I know some people abhor "Formula", but not everyone can give breastmilk either. It is not a value judgment.
Or, how about Almond milk? Goats milk? Some kids like that and it is comparable to cows milk.
And yes, you are right, babies/toddlers need milk "fat" for brain development.
How about feeding her mashed avocado? That is a "fat" food and healthy too. And baby yogurt, which is full fat.
all the best,
Susan
There are many lactose intolerant children who drink no milk at all and are perfectly healthy. Milk is optional. You just need to make sure she gets other sources of calcium. And she might eat yogurt or cheese or other forms of milk, too.
Give her water and make sure her diet reflects the need for other sources of calcium. She will be fine.
Even as a toddler I never liked milk. (still don't unless it is mixed with chocolate Quik or in cereal). If she will drink water and juice then she won't get dehydrated. Just feed her the foods to make up for it. Try milkshakes too - my son loves them.
Try goat's milk. The problem with dairy is that it is mucus forming. The body can fight most infections on its own unless it is filled up with mucus. It's like this: if I fill up a swimming pool with balls and tell you to take out all the red ones, you can probably do it, right? But if I put the balls in, then fill it up with snot, it's going to take a lot longer, correct? It's the same way with your body. Goat's milk won't give her that mucus in her throat, and it actually has more nutrition. At that age, I never gave my kids dairy (or drank it myself, since I was nursing), and guess what - no ear infections, ever. She might be sensing the connection, maybe not, but good luck anyway.
I hate milk, but should drink it. Try hiding it in foods, oatmeal, cereal, creamy soup, or try hitting google with Milk recipe
Here is one I found: http://www.gotmilk.com/#/recipes/
It's not required for humans to drink the milk of another animal for survival. None of my children ever drank milk on a regular basis. I'm wondering, though, why she is still eating baby food--?? Once she is eating "real" food, maybe she will eat cereal (like Cherios) with milk-- and if not that's OK, too
Oh, and if you think you're pulling your hair out now, trying taking a bottle away from a toddler who is 2 or 3 years old. I am NOT being judgmental--just giving you advice so you won't regret later not taking her off the bottle at a year old.
How about organic milk? My son (not a big milk fan) seems to like the taste better and it's the only plain milk he'll drink. Plus it lasts a lot longer before expiring.
Have you tried a yogurt smoothie with milk/yogurt/fruit and maybe a scoop of ice cream? She might like that.
I also agree that she doesn't absolutely NEED to drink milk. Dr's just have kids drink milk because most kids like it and it's an easy way to get vitamins/minerals/fat/protein. You can get all that stuff into her through other foods! As for fat, has she ever had avocado or salmon? They lots of "good" fat. As for calcium, yogurt, cheese, and spinach are all GREAT sources of calcium. Why don't you try making a spinach-artichoke dip with cheese? Or blend fruit with full fat yogurt? Maybe it will ultimately be a blessing that she's not a milk-lover because it has a lot of saturated fat that you don't need later in life.
