My 1 Year Old Won't Drink milk...HELP

Would it help to put breast milk in the cup and gradually add milk so she gets used to the different taste a little at a time?

Hi K.,
I didn't read all the responses so this might be a repeat, my two younger children didn't like milk either at age one so my pediatrician said to add a little flavoring (we used strawberry) and they took to it better. Hope this helps and good luck.

Maybe she does not like it because her body doesn't want it or digest it well? Many people can't digest dairy. My daughter never really has drank milk and eats little dairy food. We get calcium from almonds, almond butter, almond milk, broccoli and other leafy greens, sesame seeds, etc.

Why would you switch your daughter from human breast milk to cow breast milk? The only reason to give anyone cow milk is if they are a cow. Cow's milk=cow. Human milk=human. Goat milk=goat. Giraffe milk=giraffe. The dairy industry should be sued for conning people with what I believe the LARGEST consumer joke in the world. Humans do NOT need and never will need the milk of another species. It's not healthy and it is cruel to the animals.
All vitamins and minerals can be easily attained through natural sources via seed, grain, vegetable.
The ad agencies really have so many people manipulated it's scary. If other companies used the same advertisers that the dairy industry does they too would be millionaires.

check out www.notmilk.com

you might try either goats milk or almond or rice milk(publix carries the last 2, try a health food store for the goats milk)Cow's milk is very hard for some to digest and soy isn't always a good option either...if you feel so inclined, check out the website greensmoothiegirl.com-tons of great info! My daughter nursed til 2, but at year I was getting pressure from my pediatrician to get her on whole milk for the fat content among other things, but I was having the same issue as you....we do almond milk and she loves it! I just make sure she eats plenty of healthy fats, like avocado, seeds/nuts(chopped finely and sprinkled on food)fish, eggs, etc-she does okay with the yobaby yogurts and cheeses too- Good Luck-L.

K.,
The truth is cow's milk isn't good for kids anyway. It contains high levels of cassein which is associated with cancers, and causes mucus buildup. Be glad your little one won't drink it. There are alternatives out there like Almond Milk that is extremely healthy with lots of protein in it and non of the mucus producing stuff of milk.

S. f.

Change your mind set. Breastfeeding is/was for nurishment and comfort. Cow's milk is just a drink. She should be getting most of her calories and nutrients from solid foods now. If you reframe it in your mind, you can relax a bit. Just keep offering it and if she drinks it, fine. If not, just make sure she gets calcium and healthy fats from other sources. Talk to her doctor about alternatives in her diet to make sure she is getting everything she needs. My doctor recommended adding flax to my son's diet (I never did get around to doing that!)

My two did the same thing. My oldest will drink milk all the time my youngest would rather eat cheese, yogurt, or cottage cheese. My ped recommended I water down the milk at first and see if she would take it (you can slowly build it back up to full strenth). It did work with my oldest. Another thing I have done is put a little flavoring in it...I mean real little. Some don't like to do it because of the sugar, if you get the powder it has less but it is another option, if you are real worried about it. Just keep offering but don't make it a big deal especially if she is getting other way.

My son was the exact same way. I couldn't get him to drink milk, and so I switched to juice and water. He still doesn't drink milk, I get calcium in him a different way, and his is now 9 and very healthy. Don't sweat it, it isn't as important as they would try to get you believe.

Good Luck.

Ok so my girl will be 1 in nov. And i kinda have the same problem. She will drink milk and juice from a bottle or cup but will not stop breastfeeding. I try to keep her attention elsewhere when its that time but would like to stop. I haven't been able to work or let alone have any time for myself!! Please help us ladies!!!

i weaned my 1 year old to goat's milk. our reason was more because she was getting a diaper rash from cow's milk, but the transition was easier. it seems like the taste may be a little more similar to breast milk. it took a couple months to makethe switch from the goat's milk to cow. also, she will drink and eat what she needs! don't worry - you're doing a great job.

my son was the same way. at 12 months I was breastfeeding him two times a day (morning & night) and by 15 months we were done. he didn't like drinking milk until he was about 18 months.
don't stress. just make sure you serve yogurt, cheese, broccoli, and google 'calcium foods'- you'll be surprised at what has calcium! lentils! and more.

You have to figure too that if she is breastfeeding in the am and pm that's a good portion of her milk intake and if she gets in maybe 5 ounces during the day she's going to be getting what she needs. Here are some things that worked with my oldest (also exclusively breastfed) when he didn't care for milk either-he liked organic whole milk and would also drink it better if I added just a tiny bit of ovaltine sometimes. It is a gradual process for sure. And like the other ladies said you can also make sure they get other sources like yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. You might try to replace the am or pm feeding with a cup of warm milk. Hold her in the same position that you would use for breastfeeding and feed her the cup of milk. That was also part of how I finished weaning my son when he was 16 months old.

Have you tried to extract your breast milk and mix it with the whole milk? Maybe if you do a 50/50 of each she may be willing to drink more. Then you can slowly bring it to a 100% whole milk. Thats what I had to do with my daughter. Also, try warming the milk slightly. She isn't use to cold milk.

Good Luck!!!

Kids past 1 year don't really NEED milk per se...you just need to supplement their dairy for other dairy. My kids won't drink milk either and I did not want to go the chocolate milk or pedisure route either. So they get string cheese, yogurt, and calcium rich veggies to compensate. Pediatrician says that is perfectly fine.

The breast is best! Push the dairy via yogurt (full fat if you can find it- usually organic and in large tubs), cheese (full fat), and any other dairy she will take... ice cream? Make sure you are feeding full fat dairy, as children need it for their brain development. My son is 22 months and loves milk, and boobs. He does not like cheese, or too much juice, so we don't push it. My idea is not to force hated foods, but to encourage those he loves. If I didn't like something, I wouldn't want someone forcing it on me... lots of kids don't like milk- it has a weird after taste. Have you tried strawberry milk, chocolate milk, milkshakes, or iced milk? I will only drink milk iced, and my son will only drink it cold... perhaps you daughter would like it warm (assuming you are offering it cold). Keep trying, but if you force it, you will only lose trust when it comes to offering new foods. Good luck!

I've heard that you sometimes have to offer a food to a child 10-15 times before they will take it/like it. My son takes even longer. I started giving him whole-organic milk a week after he turned one. Every time, he took a sip, he hated it, threw the cup on the floor. Seven MONTHS later, he took a sip, loved it, drank it down. So every day for seven months, I offered it and eventually he decided he actually liked it. Before this, I tried to make sure I was giving him other sources of calcium in addition to my breastmilk. I agree with the others that milk is not what is important it is the nutrients in the milk and there are so many other sources of calcium etc (besides other dairy, broccoli and other dark greens are great)so if you are getting the nutrients into your son in a different way you are covered. My son is an extremely picky eater. I give him some milk each day to try and fill in our gaps for fat, calcium etc. I too was very ready to wean...we ended up going until 19 months. I sometimes feel bad that we did not make it until he was two....but I was really ready to stop. Good luck.

don't force the issue. My daughter was the same way. try giving her different forms of milk (ie. cheese, yogurt). Some kids don't take right to milk. My daughter is now 2 1/2 and she drinks milk when she wants to but would rather have string cheese and yogurt.

As long as she gets the nutrients she needs it doesn't matter too much where it comes from.

I would just use other ways to get calcium. My son loves yogurt and cheese but not crazy about milk either. Almond milk and goat milk are supposed to be really healthy alternatives. I heard soy milk contains natural estrogen so I would just research that one more first. When I expressed concern to my doctor he said not to worry. Humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after being weaned. That made a lightbulb go off for me. If you choose the yogurt route, buy organic for children - make sure there's no artificial sweeteners. You can get some yogurt starter from the health food store and make your own. It's fairly simple but a day long process. You can make it out of whatever kind of milk you want (whole, organic, goat, nuts, soy, etc) and then flavor it by pureed fruits.

I read all the answers and no one suggested introducing it to her slowly...this means having some pumped breast milk on hand. I just used a hand pump. I slowly mixed milk in with breast milk a little more at a time until it was all milk. This took a month or so. I litterally started with just about 1/10 milk and the rest breast milk. This way my daughters slowly got used to the new taste and thickness (whole milk is much thicker than breast milk). I too switched my two older daughters to milk at one year. They are both very happy and healthy, so don't worry about those who feel you are depriving your daughter. I plan to do the same for my youngest who is now 6 months old.

Hope this helps.

I would not keep offering her milk because like most children, she is probably allergic (sensitive) to it. Children's bodies will reject things that they instinctiviely know is not good for them The same is true if they crave a ceratin group of foods they are highly allergic to it. Milk, dairy, casein causes huge problems in chidren from delays, to behavioral, sleep issues and autism. We are the only species put on milk after we are weaned and look at our society....we are a mess! Research it and you can educate yourself.

If she is still nursing twice a day, 9 oz might be enough. She may like soy or strawberry ot chocolate Quik. I use Carnation Instant breakfast because my son was BF until 18 months & refused milk until we found out he'd drink Carnation,,, he is tiny- so the extra calories are a plus for us! Some people like Soy because it is sweeter. Also try yogurt, cheese, calcium fortified bread, OJ & at 2 she can start on 1/2 of a chewable vitamin. Good luck!

When my daughter was 10 months I began to cut down on the breastfeeding. Once I no longer had stored breast milk and she began to only formula in the bottle, she no longer wanted to drink it. When she turned one, she did not want to drink milk either. I tried all kinds, she would have none of it. I made sure that she got other calcium containing foods such as yogurt and when she was ready cheese.(I continued to breastfeed her at night before bed from 14 to 19 months.) As long as she is getting the calcium it is ok that she doesn't drink milk. My daughter finally started drinking chocolate milk maybe a few ounces a day when she was about 26 months. Steadily she drank more at a time and finally began drinking regular milk. She is still not a huge fan, but she eats healthy and gets here vitamins and calcium from other sources such as fruits and veggies. When your daughter is ready for orange juice, it is a great source of calcium.

Hi K.,
I just went through the same thing!!! My son is 14 months, solely breastfeed. He hated cow's milk. Breast milk is much Sweeter than cow milk, so I started putting a teaspoon of brown sugar in his bottle with the milk, he loved it, he took the bottle instead of trying to get to the breast.
It's been almost 2 weeks, a few times he tried to get to the breast and I gave him the milk with brown sugar and he took that instead. I'm amazed, I thought it was gonna be much harder to take him off the breast but no, he's doing great. Now I'm working on decreasing the amount of sugar. :) Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
R.

When I was weaning my 3yr.old when she was 1yr.old.I would pump breast and mix with a little whole milk then every couple of days decrease the breast milk and increase the whole milk that way she would get used to the taste gradually. That is how I weaned her too.Hope this helps!

My 4th child was like that and wouldn't take milk either. I tried cows milk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk and he wouldn't take any at first. Then I started to try yogurt and icecream. At the time we were slowly moving off of meat and dairy products. He loved ice cream and yogurt, so I got the very vanilla soymilk from SILK and told him it was icecream in a cup and he LOVED it and that's what he drinks now and he's 2 and 1/2. He also likes the SILK Chocolate soymilk too.
It took him a couple of months, but now we don't have any problems, (and he still breastfeeds too).
So this approach might help you. Good luck!
Take care,
V.

K.
I had the same problem with my daughter, but I was never able to get her to drink ANY milk the doctor and I settled on calcium fortified orange juice and dairy in the diet other ways such as cheese. What is funny is that I thought she just wouldn't ever drink milk, then when she was 3, one day at day care I came in to pick her up at lunch time and they were pouring her a glass of milk and i said to them oh she doesn't drink milk and they told me she drank it all the time there! I feel yu pain it was so hard to wean and not just go to milk I struggles tried all sorts of different cups bottles, milks combinations of milk/ breast milk and made my life miserable. I say figure out what your child likes and don't stress so much she can get dairy in some other way. My daughter is 12 now and perfectly fine!

My daughter is 15 months and still won't drink milk. Sometimes if I'm eating cereal she'll eat bites of that with milk but doesn't generally like drinking cows milk. I am okay with it because I want to extended nurse. Good for you for making it to 1 year, only 4% of breastfeeding moms actually make it to a year. My daughter won't take breast milk out of a cup or bottle when I am away. The only non-water fluid she will drink is chocolate hempmilk. It is extremely high in omega 3s and omega 6s. My daughter won't even drink juice. It might be worth trying something besides cow milk.

My daughter wouldn't drink milk for months after she turned one. Not so much as a sip many days!! I asked about it at her 15-month check-up because I was concerned, but the doctor said that as long as she is getting other sources of dairy and protein, she will be fine, and that lots of kids go through the same thing. So....I just stopped even trying to get her to drink it for at least a month, maybe a little bit longer. Then one day, I gave it to her again, and she drank it just like she had never had an issue!! Since then, she drinks milk on a daily basis. (She is now 2 1/2.)

My 2 year old still doesn't like cows milk. I did the extended breastfeeding so it wasn't a huge deal. However, I have learned that cow's milk simply isn't the necessity so many people think it is. Focus on making sure your daughter gets proper nutrition from her food, not just her fluids. Calcium, Vitamin D, etc are all readily available in other sources....pudding, cheese, yogurt, dark green veggies, etc.

On the rare occasion I get worried about milk, I will offer goat's milk or cow's milk with a touch of chocolate syrup (barely enough to change the color.) I do this about once every other week though. Just to see if his interest in milk changes.

Ultimately, be GLAD that your daughter isn't interested in drinking her calories. Whole foods are so much better for her and her little body likely knows that. So many of us grow up drinking all those extra, unnecessary calories and it spreads into drinking juices, sodas, etc. Better to focus on nutrition and Food!