Hi moms, my 13 month old doesnt want to drink milk, cow's milk. The only time he will take it is at three am when he wakes up screaming his lungs out cuz i'm guessing he's hungry, idk, to fall back asleep. He use to drink milk, morning mid day and at night before bedtime. Now, he doesn't want it at all. Help! Before giving him cow's milk I was doing half formula and half milk. Then after formula he took milk perfectly fine up until recently, a weeks ago. Sometimes, sometimes, he'll have a cup before bedtime and when he does he wont wake up at three am, he'll sleep until seven or so. But like i said, if he doesn't have milk at bedtime he will wake up at three screaming and crying. The other night i had to sing to him, kinda soothing him i guess, and he did drink it. Yesterday, I left him on his play pen with his favorite cartoon on and i stepped out of the room and he was picking up his sippy cup and drinking it moments at a time. I don't know if i shouldn't give` him a heavy dinner so that he takes milk or what before bedtime.
BTW, when he was on formula i did the same thing... he would eat his dinner then two or three hours later give him formula right before bedtime, so this isn't new to him...same routine. Thank you
Have you tried seeing if he will take a bottle of formula before bed? Maybe he just needs the ol' familiar taste of formula before bed.
If he is on solids I suggest a heavy dinner such as big protein like meat with veggies. Protein can help curb hunger and it worked with my kids. Dinner was the heaviest meal and they slept through the night. If he dilikes milk, which my kids did too, try almond milk or soy. Soemtimes kids think the taste is better and it has great nutrients.
Maybe.... he is having 'night terrors.' It is developmental based and crops up at about this age. Look it up online to see if the description.
My son drank white milk for a brief time at 1 year old and then wouldn't have anything to do with it. We just mixed in a little vanilla carnation instant breakfast- just enough to offset the milk taste- and that fixed that problem. He is 4 now, and still doesn't like white milk. Anyway, it might be worth a shot. Good luck!
I struggled similarly at this age and solved it by letting my daughter drink her night time bottle until she was two! Not a good idea. So he wants to make up the calories at 3:00 a.m.. This is easier said than done, but if you just don't give him the milk at 3:00 a.m., he will make up those calories during the next day. His body will adjust and he'll learn to get those calories during the day and not need them at night. I rubbed my daughters back in the crib until she went back to sleep after CIO failed miserably. This got us off all middle of the night feedings.
We do a snack at bedtime not liquid, this helps. He needs more nutrition now that he is growing.
Try putting a little chocolate powder in it. I buy Ovaltine thats the only way my kids drink milk and yes it has a little extra sugar in it, but its still healthy.
have you tried giving him formula at bedtime? Will he take that?
