Well I "Got Milk" Now I Need Ideas on How to "Get Milk" into My 1 Year Old

Updated on November 11, 2008
M.J. asks from San Jose, CA
60 answers

So... my just turned 1 year old daughter had her 12 month check up and the doc says she needs to start drinking whole vitamin D milk. My daughter does not even like to drink juice. All she drinks is water water water. Not complaining but I can't get her to drink her milk and she's supposed to drink at least 24 oz a day. I can't get her to take more than 3-4 sips before she's pushing the cup away fussing. Any ideas on how to get her to drink the moo juice would be greatly appreciated. So please, anyone in the same boat, share your success stories with me asap. I've been fighting the milk war for about a month now.

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L.H.

answers from San Francisco on

You could try putting a drop of food coloring into it. Ask her to point to a color she likes and make her milk that color for the whole day...

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L.G.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter still will not drink her milk out of a sippy cup. She does drink it out of a bottle. And she won't drink it cold. Room temp is fine, but not fridge cold. Have you tried varying the temp or trying a bottle? Every week or so I try to put the milk in a sippy with her meals and she will drink 3-4 sips, and be done with it. But she will consume 8 oz out of a bottle at one sitting. Good luck.

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S.S.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter hated changing from breast milk to milk. I added Ovalteen and that helped. Have used it with the rest as well. Good luck.

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L.W.

answers from Sacramento on

A body craves what it needs. Check out a couple of books and see why she wants water.
Dr. David Brownstein "Salt Your Way to Health" and Dr. F. Batmanghelidj "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" You may want to invest in Unrefined Celtic Sea Salt after reading these books! I ordered it online. You can get "Redmond's" brand here in healthfood stores I believe. Preventative for her and healing for you.

The juice for the most part is mainly sugar and sugar robs the body of water, so does caffeine. Most people are not sick, they are dehydrated and not even aware of it. If a person is thirsty, that is one of the body's last desperate cries for water, not the first. You are WAYYY dehydrated if you get thirsty. Unprocessed salt helps the body maintain a correct balance of water in the cellular structure.

I had been scared of salt all my life because I saw what processed salt did to my mom. I was so scared of it, that when ever I would have a little too much (like in pizza) my legs would swell up like balloons. But for some reason when I heard about Celtic Sea Salt, I just knew it was going to be what the DR should have told me about. When I started using Celtic Sea Salt, my legs don't swell up anymore! Also I can feel my kidneys flushing, that feels a little sore, but my pee is almost clear now.

Generally cattle milk is for cattle. Others can tell you better but perhaps some electrolyte supplement would serve you better than milk for your concerns? Many people are switching to whole unpasturized organic milk which is much more easily digested than the milk that has been processed and removed from its pure and natural state. Pasteurizing milk seemed necessary at one time because we weren't as clean as we are now. But the processing led to a whole generation of people who fart a lot because the enzymes necessary to digest the milk were removed! If you feed a kitten milk for an extended period, it will get the runs very bad. We did this as a regular practice on the farm and we couldn't figure out why so many of them died. Cattle milk is for cattle.

She is smarter than you think. Just because she is in a little body doesn't mean she is young. Souls are eternal and experience is cumulative. Hopefully she won't forget what she knows already by being programmed with someone else's truth which is what happens for the first 7 years of your life. Then you spend the next 50-70 years trying to figure out what your own truth really is. If we watch the young ones, we might learn a thing or 2. They like to play and have fun, pray that we never forget to do this! Watch how they spin. You know the earth spins. What is it about spinning that is part of a wonderful natural process. They also like to swing their arms. We keep our arms either folded in front of ourselves or straight to our sides. Swinging them from side to side in a figure 8 pattern, unencumbered WITHOUT a heavy purse cutting through the shoulder meridians, balances the left and right side of the brain!

Lots of Love,
L.
Reconnective Healing Practitioner

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C.M.

answers from Chico on

Children and adults really do not NEED milk...they need the calcium, fats and vitamin D in the milk. No other mammal continues to drink milk beyond babyhood and really, we shouldn't HAVE to either. As long as you ensure that your daughter gets these nutrients from other food sources, you should be fine.

If you are truly concerned and would like her to drink milk, you could try mixing it with Almond Milk or stirring in just a touch of Chocolate Ovaltine or Strawberry Nestle Quik or something. Ovaltine has always been fortified with vitamins and now the NesQuik has less sugar and I believe it is now fortified as well.

Good luck! Don't force your little one...somehow they seem to know what their little bodies need and as long as she is getting the essential fats and nutrients elsewhere, she does not really need milk.

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D.T.

answers from San Francisco on

Your daughter does not NEED another animals' milk. She can continue nursing or if she was formula fed you can introduce rice milk or oat milk or almond milk (if no allergies). Leafy greens contain more calcium than milk! As long as she eats greens, cheese and yogurt she is covered. You can supplement with a liquid vitamin D at 400 IU for her. It will be D3 instead of the D2 in milk. D3 is more bio-available and better used by the body. Find a healthcare provider who sells supplements and get Biotics brand D or find another liquid at Whole Foods.

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T.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

With so many replies you probably have all the advise you need but I will throw out there a couple of things in case they weren't mentioned.

1. I mixed strawberry yogert smoothie with my son's milk at first. I knew he wanted it sweeter but I didn't want to add anything "yucky".

2. We were slowly using less and less smoothie and then one day out of no where he just drank it straight and stuck with it.

3. It's the only cup we put on the table at meal time. This helped him to "come around".

4. Per my Dr., 1 oz of cheese has the same amount of calcium as 8 oz of milk. So 2 string cheeses a day and you've got the calcium covered.

We actually thought he was allergic to milk but it turns out he's allergic to yogert. WEIRD! So good thing he likes it straight. :)

T.

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E.M.

answers from Sacramento on

No child "needs" cows milk. My daughter is intollerant and has no dairy at all. She is still nursing (at 14 months) and she drinks oat milk during the day. I can't imagine getting a toddler to drink 24 ounces of anything a day! As long as your daughter is getting adequate fluid (from water, breast milk, or another source), protein, fat, calcium, and Vitamin D (even going to the park on a sunny day), you're good.

Pediatricians know next to nothing about nutrition.

1 mom found this helpful

G.K.

answers from San Francisco on

If you noticed, there is a trend of kids not wanting milk. We are the only animals that drink the milk of a different animal, and research has shown that even though most kids grow out of it, most kids are lactose intolerant. My son's pediatrician told me not to stress that he wasn't drinking milk because I made sure that he had other dairy products (cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc) as well as other foods high in calcium and vitamin D. We're also still nursing at night and outside in the sun a lot, so I know he's getting plenty of Vitamin D.

As for the water, WATER IS GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!!! My son is 2 and still won't drink juice and drinks mainly water. He now drinks milk, too, but only after I introduced it in his cereal (Life is his favorite!). I have to limit his intake, however, because he's very sensitive to the proteins in cow's milk. Like another mother said, don't stress over it. There are other battles to be fought, and as long as he's getting his vitamins and minerals, let this one go for now. If she wants milk, she'll ask for it!

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T.B.

answers from Sacramento on

Sorry if this is a repeat, but didn't have time to read all the other responses. My daughter refused cows milk for several months. I was really stressing as I was ready to be done breastfeeding and didn't want to stop until she had transitioned. Talked to the doctor who said continue to offer it, but as long as she eats plenty of other dairy, not a big concern. There are lots of sources of calcium other than milk, so as long as she will eat cheese and yogurt etc and (also leafy greens great source) don't stress out over it. I tried flavoring--both strawberry and chocolate) and that didn't work either. After several months of her pushing it away when offerred she suprised us and drank several ounces at once. Now she loves her milk and never gives me a hard time. Just don't make it a power struggle or she may just continue not to drink it because she knows you want her to.

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S.E.

answers from San Francisco on

Add favoring...vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, eggnog, etc.
My daughter LOVES her milk with a drop or two of vanilla. She thinks she's getting a latté.
s

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J.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Cow milk is not necessarily a good thing for babies, and your daughter may be instinctively telling you that's not what she needs. The website pcrm.org has lots of good info on the subject, but basically, cow milk is baby cow food, not meant for humans. Many babies cannot digest it, and suffer allergies from it, as well as increased mucous in the system. Commercially produced cow milk is also filled with cancer-causing antibiotics, hormones and pesticides, none of which are good for baby. Unfortunately, most docs are not particularly knowledgeable about nutrition, because they do not study it in their training. Babies can get their needs met with foods other than baby cow food. (Non-human animals do not drink the milk of other animals, when you think about it.) Please do check the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine website. I, for one, will not be giving my son any cow milk at all.

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E.V.

answers from Sacramento on

M.,
Sorry, I didn't read the other responses, so here it is: Have you tried giving her soy milk, or rice milk - vanilla flavored. They often have the same vitamins needed as whole milk since so many kids have allergies to milk. Some kids just don't like milk. You can get her to ingest whole milk in a variety of ways, try cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, puddings, etc... Just keep in mind the sugar content is not always so good if it's really high or has fructose or corn syrup. If you are really adamant about her drinking regular cow's milk, you may be able to try mixing it with something like a little bit of Nestle chocolate or strawberry flavor. I did that with my preschooler to get him to drink milk, and I would just put him like half a teaspoon or less, just so it had some flavor. The main reason doctors want kids to drink the whole milk starting at age 1 is that is an easy way to get their daily calcium in. Dark green leafy vegetables are another way, and many fruits too. You may want to look into other food items high in calcium and not worry too much about the milk intake.

Also: I did manage to read some of the responses now, and I would NOT give root beer or ANY soda to a child until they are over age 5, and even then in very limited amounts. Carbonation takes away calcium from the bones, so you don't want to counter act what you are trying to accomplish of getting the calcium INTO the bones.

E.

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D.R.

answers from Bakersfield on

How about Chocolate milk. There are also the strawberry additives to milk. How about yogurt. Just suggestions to ask her doctor. You can go to a health food store to ask for vitamins with same nutrients for children if they won't dring milk. My son was and is alergic to milk and he had some chocolate pills with vitamin D.

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L.S.

answers from San Francisco on

We had a similar issue when we switched our daughter from Soy formula to whole milk. What we ended up doing was adding a little flavoring to the milk and then slowly taking it out. She is now almost 6 and LOVES her milk!

good luck!

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A.A.

answers from San Francisco on

In my humble opinion, milk is over rated. My kids don't drink cows milk at all and haven't for years. There are plenty of other ways to get calcium that are easier for the body to digest and utilize. Ask your pediatrician for a list of foods with calcium. She may be pushing it away because her body doesn't want it. I would pay attention.

If you are really insistent on her having dairy, yogurt is easier to digest and may be more palatable for her. There are a lot of great organic yogurts on the market now that are quite yummy.

I would be grateful if my kids would only drink water!!! That really is best anyway from all the research I've done on nutrition.

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C.F.

answers from San Francisco on

our daughter didn't like milk or juice either but drank water. we mixed the milk with water, using mostly water at first and then slowly changed the ratio. she still prefers water but drinks her milk now (at 14 mos).

good luck!

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A.D.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter does not care for milk either... and has not since we took the bottle away at 18 months. She will drink chocolate or strawberry milk (not enthusiatically) but I was concerned about all of the sugar... So she gets flavored milk only occasionally.

So here is what we do. We give her a couple of servings of dairy every day - yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. We also give her a calcium/vit. D supplement. Lil' Critters Calcium Bears are outstanding! She can't wait to get them every evening. They are available at Target and Costco. I take them too - they are delicious!

Good luck!

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A.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Dear M.,
Please check with Dave at Apple Health foods in Redwood City at Sequoia Station shopping center. I think the phone number is 800.appleHF He will have the REAL vitamin D and share some good ideas with you on how to get it into your child's food. The vitamin D in milk is not totally useful to the human body, so it may be easier to get a little of the powered form of D3, (not the D2 in milk)in your daughter's food. Your Doctor identified the issue, his nutrition knowledge is a bit limited - start your nutrition education with someone I consider the best resource in our neighborhood.
A. Papangellin
Certified Sports Nutritionist
###-###-####

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E.B.

answers from Sacramento on

24 oz per day sounds like an awful lot of milk. My daughters never drank that much milk, and most days they never drank that much fluid. Limit juice to 4-6 oz per day, such as giving it to her with breakfast. Lunch and dinner offer her milk, with or without flavorings. Offer her water between meals but make sure she does not fill up on water so that she can't eat. Be consistent, but do not stress out. If she senses this bothers you, she will learn that she can push your buttons on this. Offer her cheese, yogurt and you may want to start a multi-vitamin. Good luck.

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E.E.

answers from San Francisco on

My kids are the same way and my doc said that as long as she eats yogurt and cheese everything should be fine. She has grilled cheese sandwiches and loves Yo Baby yogurt, string cheese is also a favorite as is some sliced cheese on an egg sandwich. So don't feel she has to just drink milk from a cup, there are other ways to get the good stuff in her. Good luck!

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S.R.

answers from Sacramento on

Your daughter might be like a lot of other kids I know (including my son) who will only drink milk out of a bottle. Give it a try, I bet it will work.
S. R

G.M.

answers from Modesto on

My opinion is that if she doesnt want the milk and is drinking plenty of water there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Plenty of foods have calcium and vitamin D comes from the sunshine also. We have been lured into drinking milk for many years, the DAIRY association spends big bucks convincing us that we should be drinking milk from a cow. It's very absurd if you think about it. When a mother has finished nursing her child and the child is ready for other foods and fluids, cows milk does not have to be one of them. Milk is fattening and practically a meal in itself and doesnt need to be served with meals. We have generationally acquired a taste for milk only because its been shoved down our throats for years. If she's eating a balanced diet, don't worry that she doesnt want milk. It'll save you a lot of money too! And no sour milk bottles laying around the house. It's a plus.

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J.K.

answers from Fresno on

We used Nestle Strawberry milk mix. You don't have to put much just enough to get it a little sweet taste.

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N.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Not too sure about getting her to drink milk---after reading the China Study, I would have started my kids on soy milk after breast feeding.

One recommendation is to start with just a little bit of Jades in the water, slowly increasing---being it is such a complete nutritional product. That, along with watered down CIAGA will give her some pretty good nutrition. If she’ll take yogurt/soy yogurt or pudding/soy pudding---that would be another calcium source, as would cheese, if she wants to get milk products in –

Sounds like a precious little girl! :o)

Sana

Hi M.,

I forwarded your request to one of our nurses that works with a wellness company called Nikken. If you would like to see what she is talking about you may check out www.nikken.com/ninamarie

Wish you well.

N. Marie

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J.H.

answers from Sacramento on

I didn't read all of the suggestions, but I say try fortified vanilla flavoried rice or soy milk.

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A.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi M.,

I had a difficult time transitioning my daughter from formula to milk. Her pediatrician recommended that I start with 25% milk and 75% formula. After a few days, change it to a 50/50 combo, and then change to 75/25 until she was on full milk. Doing the transition that way worked great for us.

The next problem was that we were told we had to limit her milk due to the calcium keeping them from absorbing iron, so she is now cut back to 12-14 ounces per day.

Good luck!

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S.G.

answers from San Francisco on

I'm sure you will get a lot of responses on this. Our daughter did the exact same thing. She flat out refused milk. I stressed about it and looking back now (she's 17months old) I should have just encouraged it but not force it. I also shouldn't have stressed so much. My recommendation would be to keep offering it. Give her other sources of calicum (ie cheese, yogurt). You could try mixing it with formula or breastmilk. Start w/ 75% formula/bm & 25% milk and then slower change it. We tried the chocolate/strawberry milk but she didn't like it. What really helped us at the end was I weaned her down to 1 nursing a day, increased the cheese/yogurt intake and for ~ 1 month gave her 2% fat milk. She seemed more likely to drink 2% milk than whole milk. Then when she got into the "milk" started transitioning her to whole milk. Another thing I would also try is trying different kind of milk brands. My daugther clearly had a preference for a certain milk brand... Yes. We have a picky daughter. Good luck and remember don't stress. Just keep on trying to encourage her.

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J.M.

answers from San Francisco on

You know, my older son has never liked cow milk. He likes soy or rice milk. I am happy to report that at 13 years of age he is happy and very healthy without ever, to my knowledge, consuming cow milk as a beverage! I suggest seeing if your daughter will drink a nondairy milk and try that.
Good luck!

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G.B.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter will not drink it, and my son loved it until we put it into a sippy instead of a bottle. Every child is different. My reccomendation is that you do some research on cow's milk; it really isn't all it is hyped up to be when there are other ways to get the vitamins and calcium you need. Visit a good health foods store and ask. Soy or rice milk is better for you and naturally sweeter. I would be careful about adding nestle or any other packaged commerical flavoring to milk, because of all the sugar.

You are fortunate that your daughter loves water; my kids do as well, I tell them it is the best and healthiest drink for their body and now they say it too. If you are resigned to the milk, give it a break and try it again in a few weeks. At the very least, organic is the way to go. It costs a little more, but you absolutely do not want to put growth hormones/rbst into your beautiful baby girl.

Good Luck!

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M.T.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi M.,
Your daughter should not need to drink water, she whould be getting enough from other things. Water is just filling her up with nothing. Stop giving water and only offer milk. Eventualy she will take the milk when she is thirsty :) I would not put chocolate sauce in it until last resort. If you start the sweet milk now she may never go back!

Good luck.

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P.S.

answers from San Francisco on

M.: I haven't heard anyone call milk "moo juice" since I was a kid (many, many years ago)!! You brought a smile to my face!

I have twin grandchildren 2 1/2 years old. Neither was big on drinking any milk other than their morning bottle. Hated to take it from the cup. They are also big water drinkers, thankfully. We kept offering milk in the cup, but also fed them yogurt after lunch, yogurt for snack, yogurt for dessert, also plenty of cottage cheese and other cheeses. Eventually, they began accepting milk from the cup to the point of liking regular milk better than chocolate milk!! Kids are funny!

Anyway, research other sources for calcium and continue to offer the milk in her cup. She might start drinking it one day!

Good luck!

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E.V.

answers from San Francisco on

i haven't read what others have written but i'm sure you have heard this already. cow milk is not always liked by kids for a reason. my son isn't fond of it either. he does however like goats milk which is more like breastmilk. also he eats cheese and yogurt which is enough. don't worry about it too much and don't force it. good luck.

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J.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi,
See if she likes smoothies. My kids (11 & 13 years old) have a hard time with milk too. But once I make smoothies (milk, frozen fruit & yogurt), they'll have those.
Good luck,
J.

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J.M.

answers from Fresno on

I didn't read all the responses, so I may be repeating. I believe you are going for dairy, not just milk. Try yogurt (yo baby is fav for my 1 year old), cottage chz, string cheese and anything you can cook that needs milk (pancakes, scrambled eggs, smoothies, etc) My daughter wasn't crazy about milk at first either, but she loved the blueberry yogurt so my ped said she could eat 2 or 3 of those a day. Plus, my daughter would NEVER be able to get 24 oz in her. I went for 16. She is now 17 mo, loves milk and all the other dairy and I don't stress about the oz. Good luck!

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J.K.

answers from Redding on

i know this goes against your doc, but i would not force milk on a kid her age. maybe her body knows that its just not a good fit for her. i would really focus on getting her to eat calcium sources via veggies and keep that water flowing. do you know how many kids wont drink something that doesnt have sugar? i would be thankful.

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B.R.

answers from Sacramento on

This probably sounds like bad advice. I was raised on a farm where I had access to fresh milk, but hated it. My parents put chocolate in all my milk during my childhood years. I didn't learn to drink milk until I was 30 and expecting my second child... and knew I needed the extra calcium. I then discovered that I could manage the 2% fat milk, but not whole milk. While I now don't hate the stuff, I still drink it (still 2%) more like it's a dose of medicine to get down than as an enjoyable beverage. It sounds like your daughter is like me, and just doesn't care for the taste of cow's milk.
As someone else mentioned, get as many calcium rich foods into her as you can, and let her have chocolate or some other flavoring she'll accept in what milk you give her.

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G.A.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter wouldn't drink milk until I added Hersheys chocolate syrup. Make sure the milk is nice and cold, add some chocolate and see what happens. My daughter loves drinking choc. milk but I don't buy the already prepared stuff because I feel it's way too much chocolate. She is
2 1/2 yrs old now and still loves her milk. Good luck.

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S.J.

answers from Sacramento on

I had the exact same problem with my daughter. I asked her pediatrician and she said to not give water as an option and eventually she would have to drink milk. The first day she refused milk all day till she woke up from her nap and was too thirsty to refuse any more. From then on, she drank milk on a regular basis. I waited for a couple more days to add back water in her diet. However, if your daughter is eating alot of other dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, etc., you might not need 24 oz of milk intake per day. I'd say consult her pediatrician first. Hope this helps. Good luck.

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M.T.

answers from Sacramento on

She may be lactose intollerant - I used to refuse to drink milk, and my mom tried adding different syrups for flavor so I would drink it. I evenutally did, and she quickly discovered that I was lactose intollerant. I grew out of it by age three, so if that is the problem, it may be temporary. She might be fussing about the milk because of how she associates it with a tummy ache. Just a thought... good luck!

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E.W.

answers from Sacramento on

i added a bit of chocolate milk to literally 'sweeten' the deal...does you child like to eat cheese or yogurt?...or how about ice cream?...great sources of milk...and getting your child in the sun is a good source of vitamin D....i forget which vitamin should be taken to help the body absorb vitamin d from the sun, but you can find it on the web somewhere : ) and there are plenty of vegetables that are rich in calcium...

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M.T.

answers from Bakersfield on

I was in the same boat when my son turned a year old. Mamasource moms offered so much good advice when I posted my questions and after trying a few things, he started drinking more and more milk. The first thing I recommend is patience. It took us a while, but I'm glad I just kept at it and offered. What worked for us? I bought new "big boy" sippy cups, one had frogs and the other trucks. I tried whole milk, but he hated that and I tried and tried for a while thinking it would just catch on. I went to 2% milk and added a tiny bit of Ovaltine and that was the big hit. It was amazing to watch how he slowly progressed to liking it. After about two months of this, I started weaning him off of the added Ovaltine and he now drinks milk all the time and even asks for it. He gets excited going with me to the fridge and getting his special cup. I also play up the fact that he gets special milk. I've tried going to whole milk, but he doesn't drink nearly as much when I try to give him that. Oh, and another thing I discovered was I was warming the milk up and he actually prefers it really cold. That was the other thing that I wish I would have tried early on. He still likes it as cold as possible and that makes it so much easier for when we are on longer trips and have to eat out. Sometimes, I mix his milk with half and half just to get some added calories...he burns them faster than he eats them. Wish that was my problem.

Anyway, quite a few moms recommended adding Ovaltine and trying a lesser fat milk and it worked really well for us. Consider trying it really cold too, I think the sensation of it cold and being in a new cup made it catch on easier. Hope you find something that works and be patient.

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S.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Trying mixing it with Carnation Instant Breakfast

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A.D.

answers from San Francisco on

My kids hated whole milk. I never got them to drink it. They would drink 2% though. So you might want to give that a try.

I also made sure that I gave them whole milk yogurt... like the YoBaby yogurts. They would eat those so I know they were getting some of what they needed.

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S.J.

answers from San Francisco on

M.,
I totally understand. My son drank regular whole milk for a while then we switched to vanilla Soy and now my son won't drink any unflavor's milk or soy. So if you want to do the Whole milk I say flavor it with something. Try Vanilla soy and she likes that and you still want to give her whole milk then add some flavor of vanilla in it or Milk Whole milk and Vanilla Soy.
good luck, eventually she will drink her milk.

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T.S.

answers from Sacramento on

Will she eat cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese? it doesn't have to be actual milk. Ask your doctor for suggestions.

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N.M.

answers from San Francisco on

You've gotten some good advice already, like flavoring the milk or mixing it with water. But what I'd like to add is to not stress about it or let it become a constant battle. I fought many fierce battles about food with my kids when they were toddlers, and it was so frustrating and exhausting. From experience I've now learned that being calmly firm and consistent works better than a war between two equally stubborn people.

I had the same problem with both my children not wanting to transition to milk, but now they absolutely love it--it just took them several months to get used to the taste. Don't give up or lose heart, it may take some time for your daughter too.

So with the milk issue, here's something you can try. Choose a particular strategy (like adding a bit of chocolate flavor), then choose a meal (like lunch) when you will only serve milk (don't give another choice at that time of day). Her choice is to drink it or not to drink it. Make sure she at least tastes it, but pretend like it doesn't matter to you if she drinks the rest or not, but that's the only thing to drink at that time. It won't be devastating if she has a meal with no beverage, and hopefully she'll get thirsty enough to drink more and eventually get used to the taste. (Oh, and make sure you space some time after the meal before giving her the preferred water, or she'll make the connection that she should just hold out till she gets down from her chair.)

You could also try serving it in a different cup so that it seems like a fun novelty. My kids were infatuated with straws at that age, so sometimes I held a cup for them and they would drink through the straw.

My pediatrician told us not to worry too much about getting our children to drink their milk, as long as they were still getting calcium from other sources (like yogurt, cheese, etc.). I also got into the habit of mixing their cereal with milk every morning, since they didn't seem to notice the taste then. Good luck with it all.

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J.O.

answers from Sacramento on

You may not want to do this, but try chocolate or strawberry flavored milk and see if she'll try it. If so, then you can dilute and mix to a level where she tolerates it. I think most any kid likes the flavored milk. She might only end up drinking diluted flavored milk, but eventually will get used to the flavor and you will get calcium in her bones a.s.a.p.

Second idea--ask your doctor if it's o.k. to flavored give soy or rice milk with calcium added. If so, yo can see which she likes best. Just make sure to look at the labels since not all soy/rice blends have the same amount of calcium as real milk. Check each one--they're all different.

About me WM of 4 ranging from 2 years to 21 and teach kids through adults in English and Business classes. As a mom, I've been through it all.

A.H.

answers from Sacramento on

We put root beer in my daughter's whole milk. She loves it! Just enough to change the flavor. She's 4 now and still asks for it.

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Wow, you've gotten a lot of great responses. With my older daughter we did the slow mix of formula/milk until it was all milk and she loves milk (unless she has a cold). My younger daughter started drinking milk early because she would take drinks from her sisters cup, but she still does not drink much milk and she is 13 months. She eats lots of cheese and yogurt though so I don't worry too much. I know when she wants it ahe will drink it and eventually we will wean and she will only be offered milk before nap and bedtime and if she drinks it great :-)
Try not to worry too much and enjoy the time with your daughter, it passes way too quickly!
Sending you happy vibes and lots of prayers and hugs!!

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H.D.

answers from Redding on

Add chocolate or strawberry powder to the milk. She'll drink it! Then slowly over two weeks or so decrease the powder till it's all milk. It broke my heart to give my daughter all that sugar, but I had to get her to drink it. Now she's 3 and she loves milk
Good Luck, H.

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S.C.

answers from Sacramento on

maybe other forms of calcium would work. cheese, plain yogert,soy, milk in things instead of her drinking it.good luck S.

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K.I.

answers from San Francisco on

A tad sugar and drop of vanilla.

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S.A.

answers from Sacramento on

My daughter refused milk too. Her dr. said try getting dairy in other foos, 16oz or even 8oz is fine, & to help things along w/ vitamins & calcium she recommended no sugar added carnation instant breakfast powder added to it. Good luck & don't stress ;-)

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B.L.

answers from San Francisco on

If the doctor thinks it is necessary, then only give her milk. It will be horrible for you to listen to her cry for her water but she will eventually give in.

The more important part of this is...can she get her calcium from a diffferent source like cheese, yogurt, etc. or is there something special about drinking cow's milk that the doctor thinks she needs? Please ask the question before you go through this.

Blessings and Good Luck,
B.

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S.M.

answers from San Francisco on

The vitamin D in in whole milk w/vitamin D is synthetic. A lot of scientists are saying the body cannot use it. Again, reversing everything we have heard for decades, we are told to spend 45 or so minutes outside, in the sun, Preferably around noon, if possible.

Have you tried different kinds of milk, perhaps (hard to find) milk that is not homogenized that you shake up? Or try milk products such as ricotta? Also, try doing a bit of research on websites such as www.mercola.com.

I was forced to drink milk as a child and, as an adult, was found to be lactose intolerant. My mom says I pushed the milk away but she had to make me drink it because of what the doctor said. Go figure. Did I know then that it wasn't good for me? Possibly I was more in tune with my body as a child.

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K.B.

answers from Yuba City on

Chocolate milk, strawberry milk, cocoa, pudding (the original cook on the stove kind uses milk), cream of wheat, oatmeal (even the instant ones can be made with milk instead of water), cold cereal....
Let her help make/prepare.
I also detest milk, except with cake or cookies. Good luck.

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T.S.

answers from Salinas on

Go on the internet and look for calcium rich foods. We made sure our son had lots of broccoli etc while we struggled with the same issue. Talk to your dr about alternatives. There are so many vitamin waters I wonder if they have calcium in them. This might be okay, I don't know.

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J.T.

answers from Sacramento on

Have you tried making chocolate or strawberry milk. My son loves it warmed up.

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I used the flavoring too -- Ovaltine is a little healthier than the Nesquik or whatever -- you could also look for the Horizon organic milk boxes, they come in strawberry and chocolate. You may also want to try soy milk. My son wouldn't touch cow's milk but LOVED soy milk, and it's pretty close in vitamins and protein. Eventually he weaned himself off and switched to regular lowfat milk when his tastebuds grew up a little.

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