So all of a sudden, both of my 14 month old twins decided they were no longer drinking milk. They had no trouble switching from formula to whole milk. They started drinking a sippy cup full of milk before each nap and bedtime. About 4 days ago they both decided they didn't want to drink it anymore. The nurse said to put a little chocolate syrup in it to see if that works. NOPE. They prefer their watered down apple juice.. Is this just a phase? How can I convince them again that milk is delicious? They do eat yogurt and cottage cheese so I can tell they still like milk products in general.
Thanks so much for the advice. I feel better now. They are crazy about fresh veggies and grilled meats. They eat very little "junk" food including the kind served as meals. So hopefully they get enough vitamins that way. My mother-in-law commented about the "body not wanting something because it would make them feel bad. She said older people used to say their body had "internal fever" where things such as milk wouldn't settle well in their bellies. Maybe the teething process is doing that with them. Or if they just don't go back to milk, we will continue with collards, spinach, and carrots. :)
That's not unusual. My two sons 42 and 29 stopped drinking milk abut nine months. To this day they can't stand the sight of milk or use it. They are healthy and fine. That goes for chocolate, too.
My daughter went through that stage when I switched her milk. I tried all kinds of milk. I tried almond, soy, lactate, and organic. After a pricey search and me having to drink what I bought, she enjoyed organic whole milk. She drank “Organic Valley Whole Milk” for about a year until we took a trip out of town and I did not want to buy a half gallon of Orgnic Valley Whole Milk. This is when I started giving her regular whole milk. So far we haven't had any problems but at 32 months, she still likes her milk warm. Also her doctor told me to freeze some flavored milk and make it into an ice cream. That did not work for my daughter but it might work for you!
i am having the same problem with my almost 15 month old, i have tried every "MILK" in the book, yogurt and all and she won't touch ANY of it, though she will eat ice cream (very little at a time) and from what i have learned through a lot of late night research is that as long as they are eating leafy greens yogurt, cheese and calcium fortified foods they should be fine, her like your twins prefer juice to drink, it may be that milk isn't agreeing with them and the only outward sign that you are getting like i was it the fact that they refuse it!!!
I did the same thing as a child. One day I was just done with milk and never went back to it. It is not the end of the world, especially if they like yogurt and cottage cheese. Do not worry about it. THey can still get the nutrients they need, you just need to be a little more inventive ;) You can try offering it to them from time to time, in case it is a phase if you like.
I too have twins that are 9 and one of them never has drank milk and is perfectly fine. They both had to be on soy formula, regular didn't agree with their reflux at the time, then both couldn't switch to milk after formula so did soy milk for a while. I was able to get one of them on milk about age 4 and he still drinks it, but the other one never did. Not the end of the world.
My suggestion is to switch them to 1% or 2% to see if they like it better. I did this with my daughter, assuming she didn't like the richness of whole milk, and she did well with the 2%. I then gradually put her back on the whole milk until she was 2. I have a feeling that they like the juice because it's not as thick as the whole milk; so try the 1% or 2%. That way you know they're at least getting the calcium and vitamin D that milk offers.
My son did exactly the same, switched fine from formula to cow's milk and drank it for about a week, then...nothing! I simply turned his face away and wanted nothing to do with it from then on. I talked to his ped and he told me to NOT force him to drink milk: at 1y.o. a child is too small to "make decisions" and just refuse a food just because, it means that his body was somehow "intolerant" to that food and drove him to refuse it altogether after it built up for a while (a week) in his system. So my son has grown up without drinking cow's milk (or anything else but water, to be precise) and he loves other dairy products such as yougurt (tons of it!), cheese and other milk-based treats. He is strong, tall for his age and his weight is excellent. He is growing well without milk causing problem to his system. So, don't force your children, they'll get thei intake of calcium from other sources and they will be fine! Milk is known to cause bowel's issues very often later in life...our children will not have that problem!
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Hi,
It could be a phase but I'm with Patty - don't force it. It's not a big deal and it sounds like they are getting calcium from other sources. Your body absorbs more calcium from green leafy vegtables than from a glass of milk anyway. So they are not missing much. My kids aren't big milk drinkers and I just make sure they it from other food groups. I'm trying to ween my kids off juice. Last week they drank 50% water, 50% juice. This week it's 80% water and so forth. Since juice is so sugary (even if it's 100% juice) I would just try to get them to drink it as watered down as possible (although you don't want to mess up their electrolyte system). I'm surprised your doctor would suggest chocolate milk - toddlers teeth are so fraile and prone to rotting you have to be careful at how much sugar the teeth are exposed to. Do they eat vegatables?
Chocolate in milk? Adding sugar to something at 14 months? We have a massive diabetes and obesity issue in America and I'm a bit disturbed a nurse would give you that advice. Cow's milk can cause tons of health problems despite what the Dairy Council would have you believe.
Here's the deal, it takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese, so they probably are getting more than enough dairy.
My kids have never had cow's milk and I limit their dairy and they are the healthiest kids I know. Dairy causes increased mucus production and increases ear infections with many kids. Add sugar to that and you have a perfect recipe for Candida/yeast infections. I also don't allow soy, since it stimualtes estrogen receptors, due to the fact that it is a phytoestrogen, so we use rice milk for the occassional cereal. I certainly don't need my daughter going into puberty as fast as the girls are these days and my sons don't need to be feminized. They only drink water and are happy as can be with that.
The truth is, we are the ONLY species that drinks another species milk. You have to question that on logic alone. There are two major websites to check out. I can't make that decision for you, but it sounds like your twins are brilliant.
www.GOTmilk.com - Dairy Council
www.NOTmilk.com - Robert Cohen who exposed the conspiracy involved in the authorization of rBST(hormones).
THE TRUTH IS PROABLY SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, but getting another perspective can be huge.
Let them tell you what makes them feel good. If my kids don't want eggs yet again for breakfast, then I switch it up with something else that is healthy. I don't force something that they clearly don't like. They've learned to listen to their bodies and it has saved us SOOOO many times....like when my husband and I ate chicken burritos at a restaurant and my son smelled the chicken and pushed it away refusiing to eat it....Guess who ended up in bed with life-threatening viral food poisoning???? NOT him.
I agree with Jennifer P. Milk is the most common allergen. If you want them to drink a white liquid you can try rice milk, almond milk or hemp milk. Watch the sugar though.
I'm a little late, but I've added just plain sugar, or strawberry syrup for the fruity/sugary goodness. Good luck -- probably won't last:)
My son's not a big fan of milk unless it has some chocolate it in. That said, cow's milk isn't really necessary if they eat yogurt, cheese, and other vitamin D and calcium rich foods. See what else is out there. Check out the other types of milk - soy, rice, etc. Maybe they'll like that.
Why do they need milk? Do you know their blood type? Some blood types do poorly with cow milk. I also know I cannot digest milk you find in a regular store well, but do fine with raw milk.
Apple juice is a bad idea, too much sugar. what about water?
Or what about mommy milk? 14 months is an age where they would still be nursing in most cultures. If the are eating other dairy products I would not be concerned and if they hated all dairy I would not be either, there are other ways to get those nutrients.
