1 Yr Old Won't Drink Milk

Updated on December 30, 2006
D.B. asks from Leavenworth, KS
26 answers

My daughter is almost 14 months and doesn't care for milk. I breastfed her until she was a year old and for the last 2 months I have been offering her whole milk. She's tasted it several times and she just doesn't like it. I'm not really concerned about finding other sources of calcium and vitamin D, my main concern is the fat. I realize that healthy fat is essential to her brain development and I am unsure of what to replace the milk fat with. Will olive oil be a good alternative?? Any advice would really help!!

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B.S.

answers from Columbia on

Most people would probably disagree with this, but I put a tiny bit of chocolate milk mix in one time and my daughter drank it happily. I just added milk the rest of the day, and then she loved plain milk. The transition was just hard for her. This helped us, and I really needed to get her weaned because I was pregnant again.

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C.E.

answers from Kansas City on

I don't like milk. Never drank it and I am 42. Also, I have never had a cavity or broken bone.

Don't worry about it. Give her other foods with calcium, etc.

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L.R.

answers from Columbia on

My son won't drink plain milk, so I have to put strawberry or chocolate syrup in it. Ever since I started putting flavor he drinks every bit bit!

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B.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Avocado is an excellent source as are whole milk (and preferrably raw whole milk) cheeses made either from goat, cow or sheep milk. With a child that young you want to be cautious about too much fish because of the dangers of mercury, but fish is also a good source of essential fats known for brain boosting ability. There are also supplements such as coromega which offers essential fats from fish minus all the bad stuff associated with eating too much fish....the toxins are removed. Egg yolk is fatty and good too. Goat milk yogurt would also be a good thing to add. Olive oil is great too. AS a matter of fact our dr recommends only using olive oil or raw coconut oil. Hydrogenated coconut oil is what was tested and made the news years ago as a bad fat that raises cholesterol and then the media as well as many physicians twisted this to implicate coconut oil was bad. However the oil they were using for their studies then were hydrogenated and we all know how horribly toxic those are to the body. The tests were redone using pure coconut oil and proved that it is a very beneficial oil that offers many of the good medium chain fatty acids that are essential. Good luck and good job wanting to make sure she is getting what she needs!

B. :)

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J.R.

answers from Lafayette on

mine drinks it more warm than cold. She also likes those drinkable yogurts and smoothies, which I mix with alot of milk. If all else fails, the only way my father could get me to drink milk was chocolate milk....seems spoiling but i turned out ok haha

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S.G.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My son just turned one & I'm in the process of taking him off breast milk and onto whole cows milk. I started with 7 oz breast milk & 1 oz whole cows milk & have continued to increase the whole milk daily. He's up to 6 oz whole & 2 oz breast milk & he loves it. I also warm it like the breast milk. He doesn't drink it as well if it's too cold. Good luck!

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T.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I would say that there are other sources of calcium... like your green veggies.
I would also suggest maybe trying Goat's Milk.. you can find it at Whole Foods... dont get the reduced fat kind. My son loves it... he is still nursing once a day, but drinks this throughout the day. The goat's milk is easier on the digestion system... since it is closer to human milk than cows.
Good Luck!

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K.W.

answers from Bangor on

In research for your question, I found this site the most explanatory of olive oil facts (http://www.tanbourit.com/olive_faq.htm). You can compare the nutritional facts with that of whole milk by going to this site: http://www.royalcrestdairy.com/products/nutrition/milk_wh...

I personally have never heard of this before (replacing milk with olive oil) but I hope that it all works out for you!! Here is a site you can go to, to learn about good vs bad fats. http://www.webmd.com/content/article/124/115606 Good luck!

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M.D.

answers from St. Louis on

D.,
To me the answer is an easy one. I went throught the same thing with my son. He wouldn't touch it, and the reason I figgured was one, it wasnt warm, and two, the sweet tast. The answer for me that worked like a charm, was something women have been doing for many years. Go to you local grocery store, and get some Dark Cairo Surup. Usually found near the pancake surups. Add some of that in a bottle, or cuppy, nuke the milk a tad in the microwave, and presto, baby likes milk. I did this for a couple of weeks, each week putting less, and now he takes it cold, and without anything added. He really liked it, it adds a light sweet taste much like breast milk. Please try it, that way it looks the same, and she won't get used to pink or choclate milk. Hope everything works out.
M.

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D.D.

answers from Tulsa on

The most important ingredients in milk are also found in other dairy products such as cheeses and yogurts. You could offer those up to your child. Serving it with fruit like grapes, apples, etc. can take away the bland flavor. You can also supplement with flavored ready-made drinks that are high in nutrtional value.

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D.B.

answers from St. Louis on

When we changed our granddaughter (now 2) over to whole milk she wouldn't drink it either. We put some chocolate syrup in it (chocolate Milk). I gradually reduced the amount of chocolate and now she drinks white milk without a problem.
We also gave her more "Real milk" ice cream and cheese to supplement till she drank milk better.

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N.R.

answers from St. Louis on

i saw that enfamil makes a formula for toddlers up to 24 months. i don't know if you have tried that or not, but maybe that will work. good luck!

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A.

answers from St. Louis on

I wouldn't give up on whole milk yet. If you have any frozen breast milk, try mixing some with the whole milk and gradually adding more and more whole milk. If that's not an option, try warming the whole milk. If she still won't take the warm milk in a bottle, try a straw sippy cup, that's what my daughter has liked from about 12 months on. You're right, the fat is really important, and dairy fat is different from other sources. One way to some dairy fat is to give her whole milk plain yogurt mixed with fruit or half and half with YoBaby yogurt by Stonifield Farms. You really should talk to your dr. if you plan to use something else (soy milk, goat's milk, etc.), and I'd be careful with olive or other oils, as it could give her diahhrea. Good luck, I know transitions can be rough.

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J.P.

answers from St. Louis on

Try putting a little bit of PediaSure vanilla flavored drink in there if you're out of other ideas. Maybe the sweetness will get her going. Then you can just cut back on it a tiny bit at a time until it's just milk.

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M.S.

answers from Springfield on

I'm not sure about the "fat" part of it, but my boys always preferred soy milk when doing the "switch". It's a little sweeter than cow milk, more like "mom's". Good luck!

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L.R.

answers from Oklahoma City on

You might try soy milk. My daughter was breast fed and did not really like whole milk either. Soy milk is sweeter and is actually healthier. Good luck!

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J.S.

answers from Springfield on

She probably misses the sweeter taste of mommy's milk. Try mixing a small amount of a Nestle type powder in it, just enough to cover the whole milk taste.

J.

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J.S.

answers from Cleveland on

I would either mix some whole milk in little by little like someone had mentioned, or see if she wouldn't mind 2 % milk. I have a 3yr old and doctors have always adviced me that its best to start them with 2%. It's also what daycares provide. You can always have your daughter eat cheeses and yogurts as well.

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K.A.

answers from Oklahoma City on

D., i have 17 mos twins & they don't like milk either. like you, i nursed them until just a couple of weeks ago. if i give them cow's milk, they won't drink it. i've had great luck w/giving them vanilla soy milk. maybe you could try that. or, what about adding a tiny bit of vanilla extract to the cows milk? i haven't tried that... just brainstorming... good luck! K.

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H.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

my daughter is about the same age. I bf till she was 1 and now she doesn't like milk. She loves to drink the vanilla soy milk though. she likes it best. My 4 yo will now drink milk. it may have to have some nesquick in it but she will drink it. hope this helps and good luck.

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S.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Toddlers don't necessarily need milk, but they do need calcium and Vitamin D, which are readily available from milk and dairy products. Without any milk, it will be difficult to get enough calcium into her diet. There are alternatives to milk, though, and other ways to give your child calcium.

One alternative is to give your child fortified soy milk. However, keep in mind that soy milk is all low fat, and it isn't recommended that you limit a child's fat intake until he is 2-3 years old. Still, you could give soy milk and make up the extra fat with other foods in her diet.

Is there a big difference? Not really. Whole milk has 8g of fat per 8oz serving vs. 3.5 or 5g for soy milk. So, based on an average requirement of 16oz of milk per day, whole milk provides 16g of fat vs. 7-10g from soy milk. Giving the extra 6-9g of fat from other sources should ensure that your child is getting enough fat in his diet. (Based on a 1300 calorie diet and with 30% of calories coming from fat, your toddler probably needs about 40g of fat each day).

Another alternative is to give a toddler soy formula, which is milk free and has all of the fat and calcium that a growing toddler needs. Brands of toddler soy formulas include Isomil 2 and Next Step Soy.

How about goat's milk? Although goat's milk is discouraged for children under age 12 months because it lacks iron, folate and Vitamin B12, pasteurized and fortified goat's milk can be given to older children. If your child is allergic to or doesn't tolerate cow's milk, then she is likely to have similar problems with goat's milk, as they share many proteins and both have lactose.

...

above info found at:
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/weeklyquestion/a/020602_as...

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J.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I have a 13 month old that I breast feed. I had to put a little sugar in his milk. It may be bad to do so, Im not sure, but breast milk is sweet and I think thats why It worked

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M.H.

answers from Tulsa on

My daughter would not drink whole milk...BUT she loves 2% milk, go figure!

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M.T.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi D.-
You can always offer a soy based milk product, that is whole fat to see if she prefers that better. Aand you can even try flavoring the regular milk with a little vanilla extract or some other flavor. And you can always ask her pediatrician for advice. It may be a taste that will develop, because it is so much different than breast milk. Good Luck!

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L.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I also breastfeed my daughter until she was a year old. What I did was warmed the bottle in a cup from the hot water from the faucet. I let it get warm and then she took it. Also she may not like the way the nipple from the bottle feels. They make nipples that are close to the feeling of the mothers breast maybe that could be why she doesnt eat it. I hope this helps you.

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K.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I agree with the other advice on slowly adding whole milk with your breast milk and decreasing the amount of breast milk each week.

Also full fat yogurt is a great food to give to her also plus yogurt has so many other health benefits.

Good Luck!!

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