My 21 Month Will Not Drink Milk

That is too much water. I think she should be drinking about 16 to 24 oz each day, but you'll need to confirm that amount with a doctor. (I don't know if I remember correctly) She doesn't 'need' milk to be healthy. She does need the calcium with D vitamin and cholestrol is important for this young age. As long as she is not constipated, cheese and other full-fat dairy should take care of this. Also, all kiddos could use a quality multi- vitamin (try Whole Foods, or the brand Shaklee online is excellent). Take Care!

Cow's milk isn't good for kids anyway. Maybe her body is in tune to that fact. Have you tried rice or almond milk? Oat milk? I wouldn't use soy because of the phyto-estrogens. How about fortified babies juices. At Whole foods they have apple juice with calcium. Cow's milk is contaminated with growth hormones, and antibiotics. It's good she's not drinking it.

If you think that she is drinking too much water, then yes I would have that checked by a doctor because it could indicate a health problem. However, there is nothing wrong with her not wanting to drink milk. Milk is a great food for baby cows, but is not very good for baby humans. In fact, most children loose the ability to digest milk properly after a certain age. There is no reason she needs to drink milk if she is getting protein and calcium from other sources.

Please have her checked for diabetes.

My grandson was 3 when he drank all kinds of water and was always cranky and thirsty.

At least I would have her checked out by the Doctor.

I am so glad that you are asking and concerned. BUT I am also perplexed about why you haven't asked your doctor. If you are concerned about finances, and IF you have a regular pediatrician, and when your child doesn't appear ill but you're concerned, perhaps they wouldn't mind your calling or faxing him to ask that question. In those cases, the nurse might ask the doctor and respond back to you to say if and why you need to come in or not. Don't be shy about telling them your financial condition if that's the case. If you don't have a regular doctor but do have insurance, sometimes they have "Ask a Nurse" services (UHC does). You can call them anytime with medical questions. They are terrific. If people on this site suggest anything other than seeing a doctor, don't listen unless they say they are a nurse or doctor or a parent who had the VERY same condition.

Here is a quote from "About.com":
Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much. What Happens During Water Intoxication?

When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.

From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days.

Reading this post makes me concerned that maybe she is intolerant to milk. Her body maybe trying to tell her and you something. My son is intolerant to milk and later we found out that he was allergic at age 6. He would show no reactions but had frequent stomach aches and loose stools. I order a milk substitute called Dairifree from www.vancesfoods.com He loves it and it is loaded with nutrients. I would also suggest trying yogurt but a Soy base such as Silk or Whole Soy brands. Just see if she goes for those. If not you can always try to supplements. A nutritionist I highly recommend if Faye Elahi in Plano, Texas. She would be able to help with nutrients she is lacking.

Does she like yogurt, cheese or other milk products?

When I weened my daughter from breastfeeding, she would not take straight milk either. She loved YoBaby yogurt however, so for a few months we mixed her milk with the yogurt, gradually putting less yogurt and more milk in the mix until she drank the milk on its own. She drank from a cup with a straw. A lot of - even children's - yogurt contains high fructose corn syrup, but YoBaby does not, so I'd recommend it.

10 cups of water a day does sound like a lot for such a little girl. It is probably a good idea to speak with her Pediatrician. (I drink that much water when I want to loose weight. It fills the stomach and curbs the appetite. ;-)

Yes a little one can drink too much water and also excessive thirst is one of the warning signs of diabetes. PLEASE get her to her doctor to be checked out!

First, check to make sure there isn't a medical problem that's leading her to drink so much fluid, as others have suggested.

Second, don't worry about her lack of drinking milk. Give her a calcium supplement, instead. One with magnesium is important, because calcium and magnesium are both needed to be metabolized effectively. Two of my children are allergic to milk. As one doctor put it, cows milk is meant for baby cows, not baby humans. Both children stopped drinking milk at a young age, and both children have very healthy teeth and bones. They are 16 and 19 now. Neither has ever broken a bone, and there is only one cavity between the two children.

Hi B.,
Wow, she does drink a lot of water! Have you asked her why she doesn't like it anymore? Is it the taste? Does it hurt her tummy? I have heard of children stop drinking milk instinctively if they become lactose intolerant You can become lactose intolerant at any time of your life, it is not something you are or are not born with. Soymilk may be an alternative. Have you tried flavored syrup in milk? We call it "special milk". We usually have it warm but it is also good cold. Our favorite is Hazelnut syrup made by DaVinci (it is most common to put in coffee). All my kids love it and so do I. Does she eat cheese, yogurt cottage cheese, etc.? This will give her the vitamins/calcium she is lacking by not consuming the milk.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Have a blessed day.

K.
Working from home and loving it

When my first born wouldn't transition to cow's milk after being breastfed for a year, our pediatrician told me not to worry.. Cow's milk is meant for cows (similar to what another post stated). You can get vitamin D and calcium from other sources. Eventually, my son did acquire a "taste" for milk - now at 13, he drinks milk with every meal. I was glad I never added sugar, chocolate or anything "sweet" to encourage him to drink milk. He eventually came around to drinking plain old milk and I wasn't "stuck" loading it with unnecessary sugar for him to drink it.
Definitely consult your doctor, as they know your child's medical situation best and would be aware if there are other factors to watch for. Good luck.

MY daughter never drank milk, to this day (she is four) she might have a glass once a month and some in her cereal. She also only drinks water. When she was that age she drank water constantly! There was never anything wrong with her in fact the opposite her doctors were all amazed at how healthy she was and so encouraging of the amount of water she was drinking. As long as her weight is ok then there really shouldn't be a problem. While milk has some good vitamins in it, it is not essential. There are other sources for those nutrients, like in food she doesn't need to get them from milk.

That really is too much water for her size. Usually, you don't need to drink more your body weight in ounces. That's only 24 ounces for her.

I would check with your pediatrician. Constant thirst is a warning sign for diabetes. There may be other symptoms of importance your pediatrician will know to ask about.

I'm not so concerned about her drinking milk, but make sure she is getting adequate calcium. You can do this with supplements also.

My first two children did not like milk until they were almost 4. I kept alot of cheese sticks and yogurt on hand. My ped doctor still wanted them drinking milk.

That is alot of water. I would be concerned she is filling up on water and not eating. I would find away to decrease the water (especially in the winter months) and introduce more nutritious foods. Don't leave the sippy cups around. What until she ask for it. Just keep trying on the milk. It will come.

I would ask the doctor. I can not imagine there being a problem with too much water, but my med degree is from Grey's Anatomy. My son wanted no part of milk. I finally bought pedisure, which is a little expensive. He LOVED pedisure! He is now 7 1/2 and we are using pediapals, the next step. Good luck, I spent hours and so much frustration trying to get him to try/drink milk.

I do know that infants under 2 months of age should not have any water because it will affect their kidneys. I also know that babies under a year should have limited amounts of water b/c of kidneys. However, yours is almost two - I would ask a doctor about that. I do know you can get calcium from other sources. So you may want to look into that since she is not drinking any milk. Maybe her tummy gets upset. I would definetly consult your pedi.

Have you tried any milk alternatives like soy, rice, or hemp milk. Maybe she would respond better to one of those. I also try to give as much cheese, yogurt, etc.... as possible. It is my understanding that the fat and nutrients in milk are very important when they are that young. And would also ask your pediatrician about the water, I would be concerned she's getting full on water instead of something with nutrients in it.

Good luck!

My son did not do this but my 3 year old cousin did this I went with her mother to take her to the doctor and they told her to try giving her Ensure, yogurt and cheese. Hopefully this works for you.

I also know when I was younger and to this dday I don't drink milk that often but I do eat a lot of yogurt and cheese. So i get the nutrients I need from other sources.

OMG! That is way too much water for a baby to be drinking. Most adults don't even drink that much water. I would try giving her pediasure and if that doesn't work I would ask a nutritionist or her pediatrician. She is drowning in water and that is very dangerous. People have died from drinking too much water. Just last week on the news some teenage football player died from drinking 2 gallons of water. Have you tried soy milks? Ask if there are certain foods that can be eaten with the milk nutrition she needs to make up the differece in hydration to can cut down on the water consumption.
You say that she drinks that much water, but is it from thirst (does she ask for the drink) or do you just keep a sippy cup full of water available for her and she carries it around all the time. She may be drinking it as a comfort, just like babies who still suck a bottle. She may not be thirsty, but bored, sleepy, or drinking it because it has been made available to her even if she is not thirsty. Good luck, and please be careful with your precious little baby.

Too much water is bad. I had a friend ended up in the hospital because of that. Lots of kids seem to not drink a lot of milk. Try milkshakes especially if she is skinny. But it is good she drinks water. I was so skinny in high school I was ordered by a doctor to drink a milkshake every night with adding things in it like a banana. Good Luck G. W

Lots of people have given you some good advice, about electrolyte imbalances from too much water (you have heard of water intoxication in the news ) and alternate resources for adequate hydration and calcium. A milk that we use at The Nestingplace is oatmilk. It has calcium, vitamin d and tastes great. No soy type potential hormonal side effects, and many of our kids will take this in a sippy cup. It is also good to use in shakes. You can find it at whole foods, sunflower shop and sprouts on the shelves next to the rice milk.
K. @ The Nestingplace

Wow. That is a lot of water! She needs milk. My 11 month old weighs 25 lbs. What does her pedi say? I would be very concerned. Does she like juice? Maybe you should try the next step formula. Good Luck and Best Wishes.