Help! Weaning My Almost One Year Old, and She Won't Drink Cow's Milk

My son hates white milk (as do I!). The only way we could get him to take milk was to mix in a half a packet of vanilla carnation instant breakfast mix. It has a lot of vitamins and protein, and he loved it. Good luck!

When I weaned my children, I added a small amount of sugar to the cow's milk since breast milk is slightly sweeter. As they drank more cow's milk, I gradually reduced the amount of sugar until it was just plain. It took about two weeks with each of my children.

I know this is a controversial issue, but in my opinion, cows milk is for baby cows, not baby humans.
My son loves almond milk and if it's fortified, it should have plenty of nutritional value. There is actually more absorbable (and that is the key word here) calcium in green vegetables than there is in cows milk. Also, kids who don't consume dairy products have many fewer colds, sinus and ear infections as dairy is very mucous forming and can clog up their tiny passage ways and be a breeding zone for infections.
Best of luck in making the right decision for you and yours, but I thought I would put my two cents in.

My DD has never had a cup of milk in her life.

The whole purpose of cow's milk is to turn a 200 pound calf into a full grown cow within a year.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why people think cows milk is the end-all, be-all of the world. If they drink it, fine. If not, fine too.

For what its worth...I never drank cows milk either...stranglely, I have managed to stay on this earth for 39 years AND pro-create!!!!

Got Fruits and Vegetables?
...does a body good!!!

My 17 month old HATES milk! He has never liked it. I can't even get him to drink chocolate or strawberry milk.

I resort to yogurt and cheeses. But our pediatrician said it was fine if he didn't drink milk. He said that he'd get plenty of nutrients from table food.... but thats just us.

Good luck! Maybe talk to your doctor if you get too worried?

I'm a breast feeding Mom that always ends up weening around 10 months, not my choice - I had major supply issues once my kids start eating table food. What I did was I started buying the formula "stage two" thats for kids 9-24 month olds. I was worried about them getting enough nuitrition too. I would put it in a bottle and let my kids drink it.

I usually do that until nearly two. I do this because the WHO recommends breastfeeding for two years, and since I can't seem to make it that long - I try to make sure my kids are getting the extra vitamins and minerals for sure. Cows milk doesn't have it.

I hope that helps. If you do decide to try alternatives to milk - I've heard great things about Almond milk. Soy milk has extra hormones, so you may want to use caution giving it to a child so young. We've tried Coconut and its pretty yummy too.

There is no need to wean your child from breastmilk to cow's milk. I'm pretty sure that your baby has not suddenly became a baby cow, which is what cow's milk is for. One shouldn't wean their children until they can eat an entire diet of solid food (in my opinion). If you're really set on weaning I also suggest stage 2 formula for for the next year or so. It's much more balanced than cow's milk. Good luck!

My loldest would not drink milk until she was almost 2. My ped said that as long as she was getting calcium and fat from other sources it was not a big deal. She loved cheese and yogurt! There are alot of kids that are alergic to dairy so they never have and they grow and develop normally.
So don't worry about it!!

Well i didn't really have a problem with switching to milk but what I am doing and my daughter's Dr. is in agreement with me is I give my daughter the poly-vi-sol vitamin supplement and her Dr. said that is better because were milk is a filler and can actually cause the child to have a loss of apatite. So I don't really giver her that much milk at all. I think the last time she had milk was like 7 day ago. But I also give her the yo baby yogurt and mix milk in with her oatmeal. Maybe you could try the supplement because maybe she just doesn't like milk.

Hi J.
my 7 year old was weaned from breastfeeding on her first birthday (she did it herself). She would not drink cow's milk and barely ate anything. she was 17 1/2# and by 17 mos, she had dropped back to 16 1/2#. I tried everything except warming the milk up - which I never thought of. I finally started mixing half milk, half water. she drank it, so I gradually put less water in. The PED recommended she drink Pediasure to getthe missing vitamins & minerals. She STILL drinks those, though trying to get her off. She loves regular milk with cookies as a special treat. She will drink milk with Ovaltine anytime. She is still on whole milk since she barely weighs 48 pounds (she is about 48 inches tall).
Good luck. I know it is frustrating.
Ask your PED before you try pediasure and ovaltine though. Your daughter sounds like she is getting her essentials whereas mine wasn't.
-D.

Well, I tried all kinds of milks with my son & he drank what he liked & that was cow's milk with a tsp of vanilla added. Be sure to use vanilla with no alcohol though! My son was a breastfed baby & soy formula. He is now 4 & drinks milk plain cow's, 2% lactose free. He of course loves chocolate milk as well. Taste buds are crazy things. Best of luck.

She may not need milk if she has a varied diet. But since she drinks milk mixed with breast milk, I would try that at home. Every week or so, increase the amount of cow's milk in the mix until she gets used to it.

I nursed for 7 months then with some foods and veggies went to soy! It has all the vitimans and protien and everything needed!!! my son has always been super healthy and active. I feel this is the way to go. The logic for me was this. There is a problem with wieght on kids and cows milk and goats milk have so much fat in them because they are made for animals who need the fat, not humans. Soy has not fat and is just as healthy and also no hormones to process.

on the thought that she wont eat! my son did the same because he know if he didn't eat I would nurse him. We did a flat switch and it went great! My mom said to me when I was worried: They wont strave themselves. The will eat when they are hungry!

hope this helps. Good luck!

Lactose intolerant children everywhere never consume cow's milk and are perfectly happy and healthy. You can try some formula, or goat's milk or one of the other alternatives, but some doctors will tell you cow's milk isn't even really that healthy as long as you eat other things with calcium and get at least a small amount of sunlight. Don't stress out as long as she's eating something well. The yogurt and cheese are also plenty.

My advice is to not stress about it certainly, the weaning or the milk. My son did not like cow's milk at all to begin with - my trick was to put Cheerios in milk, give that to him for breakfast, and then let him drink the milk out of the bowl when he was done with his cereal. I made it a fun game, and now he loves his milk (without the Cheerios)! I would NOT give her formula, just my opinion, if she has not had any up to this point. No need to start her on something else to wean her off of later. If she likes milk she can drink it for the rest of her life, but not formula, yuck! (That's just me, though, no disrespect to the other opinions, but I'm just scared of what may be in formula that we don't know about). I do agree with the other moms, that cow's milk is not completely necessary, but I'd much rather my son drink milk than juices and sodas and all that other junk all the time. And as far as the weaning goes, my best advice is to take it slow and read her signals and NO stress. I ended up weaning at 22 months, much longer than I had anticipated, but it was not a stressful event for me or my DS because the timing was right. Hope that helps! :)

OH! Almost forgot! I would NOT go for chocolate milk - my husband did that and for several months my son would throw a FIT every time I did not give him chocolate in his milk (of course I did not give in to the tantrum and now he's over that phase and understands that chocolate milk is a special treat for every now and then.) But good grief it was difficult while it lasted! And I agree with the person below who said that soy might not be good for a small child - it is a phytoestrogen, which means that it mimics estrogen in our bodies and can mess with our hormones.

Same thing happened when I weaned my now three year old. What I believe is going on is the cow's milk isn't sweet enough. As soon as I put just a little bit of strawberry syrup in with the cow's milk, Zoe was hooked. Just make sure you are emotionally ready to wean, because once they start, there is no going back. Back to my original statement, just a little bit of extra flavor and sweetness should do the trick. I don't know about any of the other non-milks but this is what worked for me. Hope this helps!

I totally agree with Coco. Dairy in general, while being contraversial, has research behind it that states that cow's milk is not made for humans. Not only are there health risks associated with drinking cow's milk, as Coco listed, cows are milked to the point of bleeding, pussing, and pain. Not to mention that cows produce hormones that humans are not supposed to consume.
I am with Coco about not giving her cow's milk. Perhaps try soy milk (they have lots of brands, organics, etc), almond milk, or some other form of milk that is not made from animals. We drink and use Silk soy milk daily, and we really enjoy it, plus, their chocolate milk is delicious, and fortified with tons of good for your baby girl nutrients.

You can give 2% and gradually add whole milk to it. Sometimes whole milk is too thick especially for babies transitioning from breast milk which is not as thick as formula. It can also be too cold have you tried warming it? Hopefully she is not drinking more at the sitters because they are letting it sit out for hours and she drinks it when it is room temp. I have the same problem. Last night I tried adding some strawberry syrup but he still did not drink as much as I would have liked him to. I think you will be alright if she is eating cheese, yogurt, and other sources of calcium like dark leafy greens as such. Ask your ped. about a calcium supplement if she really is not consuming enough milk daily. I worry about my son getting dehydrated too just make sure she is drinking something. I keep multiple cups in the refridgerator of water, diluted juice and milk so I don't have to keep throwing out and wasting drinks if he does not want what I offer him.

Good luck!

Hey J.!
One of our twin daughters is allergic to cows milk so we use goat for both of them. It is very expensive in the stores, but our local health food store put us in touch with a local farmer who has mild goats. Legally, it can not be sold for human consumption unless it is pasturized, but it can be sold as a 'pet product'. After you get it you can use it for whatever you want. Fresh goats milk does not have that "goaty" taste that some milks from the store have. It actually tastes really good. (my husband has no idea that I put it in the mashed potatoes,etc.)
I would ask at the health food store or if you have a "swap and shop" on your local radio station you can request anyone with info contact you. Many farmers listen to 'swap and shops' as they are up earlier than most people. At the least, you can ask Bi-Lo to carry goats milk. Our local Food City didn't have soy cheese and our girls do not like goat cheese. They carry it for us now. (unfortunatly many soy cheeses still contain milk so watch them carefully)
Good Luck
If you have any other goat questions- feel free to ask. The farmer I use is very knowledgeable and I can ask her anything. I helped her with two sets of twin kids (goat babies, not human) the other day. A couple of them were not nursing as the mothers teats were hanging so low. They are so cute!

Hi J.! I am with your daughter on this one! :) I HATE milk. I refused to drink it even as a toddler.
My daughter does goat's milk and thrives on it. She wouldn't touch cow's milk with a ten foot pole. I am a fan of almond or hazelnut milk.......I have a personal nightmare with soy so I don't recommend it to anyone.
You are on the right track with yogurt and cheese! One thing about YoBaby is that it does have sugar in it. We love Cascade Fresh, which is sweetened with fruit sugar.

Have you ever heard of kefir? My kids LOVE it and it's super healthy. We sweeten it with stevia and cinnamon but you can buy flavored. If she drinks that, you will have no need for straight up milk.
Good luck! Keep up the good work!

Hi J.! I can relate to your post. My little girl was the same way with cow's milk. So I went to experimenting in the kitchen with flavors. I tried a few drops of vanilla in her milk, she did not like it. I tried mixing malt in her milk, did not like it. I think I even tried nutmeg...I was getting desperate at this one, and she did not like it. I did this for a day and then switch to another flavor. I did not want to introduce her to chocolate just yet. But I tried strawberry syrup, and BINGO! She loved it and still does. She was not a fan of whole milk, so I went to 2 percent and we have been in business ever since. I tried both Hershey and Nestle. And nestle is our choice. Hope this helps out a bit.

Goat's milk and formula are both great at this age, cow's milk is constipating so if she doesn't love it give her some time. My kids didn't switch over until 15+ months.

If it is a flavor thing you can mix milk and breast milk, but it sounds like she will take it from the sitter and not you, which means she is just holding out for the breast. Just keep up whatever schedule you set for weening, and keep giving her other forms of dairy to make up the difference until she starts drinking more milk.