Hates Milk

My cousin's son did the same thing. He will not drink regular milk or any other kind of milk but the vanilla soy milk.

Try smoothies. My daughter hates milk, but will drink a couple a day. My doctor also suggested adding a little bit of chocolate or strawberry syrup.

Have you tried the dannon activa? They are little yogurts that taste great. My son loves them. Actually any of the liquid yogurts would do.
pediasure (you can get the generic at Walgreens and mostly everywhere else) is also a good solution.

Before I say this, my son loves milk and let him drink a small glass a day, but... Cow milk is for baby cows, you can get all the vitamins and nutrients of milk from other foods. IMO it isn't a big deal. Many vegetarians/vegans do not drink milk and are very healthly. If it really bothers you, you might try adding a small acoop of flavored protien powder in a glass of milk, they make all kinds of flavors, check out the smoothie factory. It is located at wm cannon and mopac net to the golds gym.

Milk is not a necessary part or your son's diet. It is just the easiest way to get fats, calcium, and proteins into him. There are cultures that do not consume milk, and their children are fine.

Will he eat cheese or yogurt? Those both contain the same nutrients. There are lots of different veggies that have calicium in them, and you can also buy fortified oj. Cereals and breads are also fortified.

For fats, you can add a little olive, canola, or flaxseed oil to veggies and meats. You can also mash up some avacado for him.

I don't drink milk, I've NEVER drank milk (except on cereal), and I'm not nutrient deficient.

Use the older baby formula if it gives you piece of mind, but other than cheese and yogurt, there are several other foods that are high in calcium - broccoli comes to mind.

Be aware, too, that it may be causing him a stomach ache - my son started rejecting acidic foods and dairy between 15 months and 18 months - before I noticed that it gave him the runs and a diaper rash every time he did eat it... turns out he's just sensitive.

I'll tell you what my doctor told me. As long as he eats things like cheese, yogurt, or any other dairy products he should be fine. My son is 5 years old and since we started him on milk he won't really drink it. He will ask for it maybe once a week and then he drinks less then half a glass. Like I said I talked to his doctor about it and he said it was fine as long as he had other dairy foods.

I have to agree with a lot of what was said. I was never a big milk drinker but I got a lot of ice cream, cheese, yogurt, etc. so I was still getting my calcium and Vitamen D. Those are the things you miss by not drinking milk.

My dd never liked milk much so I made her drink it only at bfast and supper- 1 sipper cup. When that was gone she could have whatever she wanted (well healthy, not soda). We only drank 2% after the kids were 2 yrs of age as my ped told me they need the extra fat until then. My dd liked hers with ice in it--really cold.

Try seeing if he likes it with ice and do not give him anything else in the morning to drink at all till he has had his milk.

Also try a food diary. Write down what he eats every day and note his behavior/moods afterwards. I know milk effects me and I have to watch my dairy intake, which makes me wonder if I was rejecting milk as a child in a natural reaction. My dd and your son may be the same way. ;-)

My husband never drinks milk and never really has. Its not a necessary part of your diet. Make sure he's getting plenty of calcium in other places - cheese, yogurt, broccoli, etc. Maybe he will decide he likes it later, and maybe he won't!

CHEESE! Shakes, yogurt and even a little icecream! Dark green veggies are full of calcium as well!

My son really likes Ovaltine and it has vitamins and minerals in it that chocolate syrup doesn't. He also really likes the yogurt drinks, which gives dairy as well as the acidofillus culture that helps with digestive health and they come in many flavors. I agree with one of the other responders, the benefits of milk can be gotten from many places so don't stress about it. Good Luck!!

Have you tried goats milk? I know, most people go yuck, but 80% of the world drinks it. It's available in cans near the condensed milk at Target and Tom Thumb, or in quarts at Whole foods (in the dairy section.). I've heard that babies just love it. I breast feed, and haven't tried it yet, but I've started eating goat cheese and it's actually pretty yummy! There's also rice milk, again most people go yuck, but I drink the vanilla flavored one and it's pretty good. Also has calcium. Of course, I would check with your pedi...

I have a 21 month old boy and he will not drink plain milk. I have to mix Pediasure in it to get him to drink it, and even a little strawberry syrup sometimes. But our pedi told us that milk is overrated. To often parents over give milk to their babies/kids. As little as 5oz a day is fine, don't pressure your self to get him to drink it.

Right now my son hasn't had any milk in like 4weeks b/c he has been sick, first with a stomach bug and then a mucous cough. And our doctor said that was fine, as long as he was eating vegetables. But you can buy the Target brand of Pedisure and I don't put a whole lot like 1part pedisure 3 parts milk. And it lasts a long time. Hope this helps.

Hi M.,

He could be lactos intollorant. ask him if the milk upsets his tummy or makes it hurt is the reason he doesn't like it. they make a lactos free milk called Lactade and it is actually very good. I really wouldn't add any sugary stuff to his milk, as alot of sugar isn't good for anyone.

good luck

It sounds like he knows that if he fusses you will give him back his formula. Stick with giving him regular milk. He may fuss for a long time, but eventually will give in and stop fussing. Try skim, 1%, 2%, and whole. Also try different brands. There realy can be a difference in taste among them. He may like one better than the other. You could also try butter milk. My mom said as a child I always preferred it. Yes... I know... I was a strange kid.

PS: My parents could not afford milk very often when I was a kid. Do not believe it is not important. It is. I now suffer from crooked malformed bones because I did not get enough milk,. Vitamin pills were given to me, but have since been proven now to not be as effective as people once thought. Also calcium in vegies is not absorbed the same as in milk. They often also contain iron which prevents your body absorbing the calcium. I found this out from my pharmacist. You would be best advised if he does not like the taste after trying to get him to drink it for a few months (He will not learn to like it over night.)to sweeten it with some honey or strawberry syrup.

PPS: If you substitute cheese or yogurt for milk remember to make sure he gets a multi vitamin containing vitamin D. If you check the label of yogurt and cheese you may notice it is not listed. Some add it. Most don't.

I agree that milk isn't as important as people make it out to be. We have milk allergies in our family and have done just fine without it (or with very little). The only thing he's getting from milk is calcium and vitamin D, plus some protein. There are tons of other sources for all of that. There are certainly options in the dairy isle such as yogurt and cheese. You might check the labels on yogurt to make sure you're getting real fruit and no high fructose corn syrup. There are several "all natural" and organic brands available at Walmart these days that have "real" stuff in them.
There are calcium+D fortified orange juices (Tropicana or Simply Orange are the best -- not from concentrate). You can find protein in eggs, cheese, meat, beans (my son could eat his weight in green beans...).
Don't worry! There are plenty of options out there for you.
Oh, and I also have a friend who has good luck getting her daughter to drink pediasure.

Have you tried Pediasure? It is pretty expensive, but you can buy the Parent's choice brand at Wal-Mart for a little less. My son seemed to be having trouble with milk when we first switched him over, and Pediasure worked great! It is packed with vitamins and all the other good stuff milk has in it. My son is also a very picky eater and skinny for his age, and Pediasure made me feel that he was at least drinking the proper nutrition! It comes in lots of flavors: vanilla, strawberry, bannana, chocolate. Hopefully you can find one that works for you. Good luck.

Have you tried vanilla pediasure? My 14 mo son hates milk, too, but gulps down plain soymilk. I have to buy in bulk from Costco he goes through it so much now. LOL I know that the Silk brand makes a lot of different flavors in soymilk. And when my daughter was this old she wouldn't drink it plain (didn't think to try soy then) so I added just a little nesquick powder (it's fortified and tastes better than ovaltine) and she loved it that way. It'll probably just be a lot of trial and error. Good luck!!!

Give him the toddler formula with just an ounce of milk in it for a week then keep adding milk while subtracting formula. Soon enough he will be drinking just plain milk. I do agee milk is overrated as long as he eats cheese, cottage cheese, and yogart he will be fine. My daugther stopped drinking milk when she was 18 months old so I started putting Nestle Quick Strawberry mix in it as she will drink at least one glass a day. You could do that, but you might not want him to have sugar.

I had the same problem with my daughter (now 3 yrs) and i ended up doing chocolate milk. I don't recall if she took to it right away, but pretty quickly. I get horizon so it doesn't have the high fructose corn syrup. Now she has decided that she likes "regular milk too" :) hope that helps. Don't sweat it too much if he doesn't drink it. Yogurt and cheese is another way to get the calcium he needs.