Suggestions on Getting My 3-Year Old to Drink Milk

Oh, I know how you feel! My 4 year old only wants water, will not drink milk. I keep trying but in the meantime I found a good supplement: Multi Vitamin with Minerals Liquid Supplement for Children. It has 50% DV of calcium (in 2 tsp.) I mix it with water - makes the water pink but my son is fine with it. I got it on-line at either Doctor's Trust or Vitacost, one of those.

Good luck!

Hello,

I'm not sure if you are interested in this kind of info, but wanted to share it just in case.

www.notmilk.com

Specifically, the information on ADD and asthma and ear infections may be of interest since these problems are often diagnosed in young children.

Here is a group that can help with determining the best route for supplements.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Herbal_Remedies

Best wishes

I have one word for you - Ovaltine! It even has vitamins in it.

Good luck!

When my son switched to sippies, he wouldn't drink milk out of them either. But I found if I warmed it up (similar to how he had it in a bottle) he would drink a little. Kind of a pain but it worked. Then after he had been doing it for a while, I tried it cold and he took it. You could also try soy or organic milk and see if he might take to that better. They have a different taste.

I've found that the drinkable yogurts are a good alternative when my daughter won't drink milk. They have more sugar than I'd like, but then I just cut out the fruit I would normally serve with that meal.

Hi, you might want to try using a straw in a cup for him to drink. I tried this with my 13 months old girl when I took her bottle and start using sippy cups. She seems to like the straw idea so she drinks what is in the cup.

Hope this helps.

Have you tried strawberry or chocolate milk?

Have you tried adding chocolate or strawberry syrup to the milk?

or warming it up at night befor he goes to bed...warm milk is kind of nice for my kids...they can brush afterwards.

I had the same problem with my daughter, so we started giving her choc or strawberry flavored milk.
She started drinking that and then a few weeks later she would drink the regular milk again.

Good luck!!

The only thing I can think of is just present it at every meal. Even if he/she doesn't drink it that is the only thing that they will have in front of them. Eventually they might try it. The other option is use nestle vanilla powder, chocolate, or strawberry powder. Honestly, I have the same problem and nothing works i just provide alot of cheeses, which he loves, any other foods that contain dairy they even make apple juice with calcium. check the labels on yur juice products and comparison shop the calcium enriched are more expensive but well worth it.

Try different sippy cups.. Our 3-year old is not ready for regular cups either.

If you give your child a cup of milk and your child wants something else tell him/her that until thats all gone they get nothing else to drink. It takes a couple of days but it will work....be patient and stick with it. Good Luck

Good Morning. I have a 3 year old who I broke of bottles when he was about 2 years old (maybe 2 years old and 3 months or so). He doesnt drink milk on a regular, instead he drinks lots of water and will have milk with his cereal, etc. I am pretty sure that if he doesn't drink milk all the time, it is perfectly fine. I know the pediatrician never told me my son was lacking any vitamins or nutrients. My son takes Flintstones vitamins as well. You can try that. My son used to only like chicken. Now he cant stand it lol. I think its an over abundence issue with that. So I would say dont worry about the nutrient, or lack of drinking milk where hes not getting enough calcium. He will be fine. We as adults dont need milk on a daily basis either you know. Hope this helps :)

Hi N.!

Try using ovaltine - it actually is a decent source of other vitamins and minerals also.

My son who is also 3 will only drink chocolate milk. I use just a little - about a regular teaspoon and it does the trick!

Good luck!
C.

Hi N.,

Would you be willing to try soymilk?
They have it in "very vanilla" and my son loves it. It's tasty and doesn't contain pus, hormones and antibiotics like cow's milk does.