No More Baba!

I just wanted to add something, even though I see a lot of replies so far. My son did the same thing- not wanting to take milk from anything but a bottle- but after about 4-5 days of still offering the milk in a sippy cup at his regular "baba" times, he starting taking it. Now he drinks the whole cup without any issue whatsoever. I just wanted to let you know from my experience that if you do want her to have the milk, if you keep trying it, she just may take it :)

Try the Parent's First (Walmart) sippy cups...that's what finally helped my oldest. Even the Avent ones look similar. They were the only ones we had real success with OR introduce her to the "sippy" cups with a straw! She isn't too young and you could call it her big girl cup.

L.

Milk is over-rated, nutrionally. Yes, it has a lot of nutrients kids need, but it is really "mother's milk" for an animal that is totally different from humans. As long as she's getting her other calcium-rich foods, I wouldn't worry too much. Try one of those crazy straws.

this sounds like your issue not hers! my children were off the bottle by a year and niether of them ever drank 8 ounces of milk most of the time they only drank 4oz at a time. just give her water and at a time that you would wish her to have milk ie dinner just put the cup on the table and move on. If she is eating a good diet then she is fine and you can always give her more cheese, yogut etc if it makes YOU feel better. good luck
by the way my boys are now heathy, strong 7 and 9 year olds and still don't drink alot of milk!

As long as sheis eating yogurt and cheese, she can get enough calcium. My daughter and son never drank milk once the bottle was taken away. Our pediatrician said not to worry as long as she eats other calcium rich foods. Just be happy that you did have to struggle to get rid of the bottle.

If she eats cheese and yogurt then it's fine. You can add milk to foods: to cereal, creamed spinach, pudding, mac'n cheese, etc. I would keep offering her milk in a cup without making a fuss whether she drinks it or not. Also, I would put only water or milk in her cup. She may be more willing to have it if she knows that she is not going to get juice instead. One more thing, for whatever nutrient in the milk that your are concerned about (calcium, protein, vitamin D?) There are many other foods out there that will have that in ample quantities (do an internet search for that) To keep things in focus just remember that there are many kids out there who are lactose intolerant or have some sort of milk allergy and who are thriving. So, please, don't stress too much about it.

hmmm, dont go crazy but you should talk to your doctor or a nutrionalist to get a menu set up to compensate. does she drink water? she does need fluids or she could dehydrate or become constipated. make sure she gets lots of fruits for extra fluids.
try getting a special cup, something really special and only for milk, nothing else. nuby cups in general are similar to bottles and that worked great for our transition. or try straw cups as they are much easier to drink from and she will finish the drink much faster.
i would strongly advise against sweetening the milk. you are setting yourself up for her to only drink sweet things, as well as horrible dental issues. also, not sure if you do, but if you give juice, only like 4 ounces a day. children stop wanting milk once they have juice, but most kids drink way too much juice. again, this has babies under 2 with cavities.
just thought of something that i know works for my daughter, when do you offer it? milk actually fills you like you have eaten. give her the milk before eating, or when she asks for a snack, in the car, ect. if she realizes she isnt getting food, she would probaly take the milk. have you experimented with different types of milk? she doesnt need whole milk. lowfat is recommended by the aap after 2. try 1% or skim. might like the taste better, i know i do. good luck

Hi Jean. I wouldn't try to "trick" her with sugary syrups to flavor the milk. If she is not drinking milk, but is willing to get her dairy through foods such as yogurt and cheese, then she does not need the milk. 3-4 servings a day are needed for children this age. Milk in the liquid form doesn't offer anything over edible dairy products.

I wouldn't worry too much about milk at the age of almost 2, especially if she is taking plenty of other dairy products. If she is on a balanced diet it won't hurt her to go a while without milk. I am sure she will take milk from a cup soon enough when she realises you are not going to give her bottle back.
My daughter loved her bottle until we took it away at 2 1/2 - I thought it would be a huge issue but actually she accepted it really easily and it helped increase her appetite for other foods which was a good thing.

Hi Jean, I am an old mom who thinks baby needs the milk and the comfort of a bottle longer. Many cultures breastfeed for 3-4 years. Only my opinion and experience. When my grand daughter needed to switch to a cup we went to the store and picked out (together) a really pretty princess cup and made a big fuss about what a special milk cup this was. It worked but she was older than 2. Try to go with your babies needs and not with what the others are doing. Your heart and good sense will steer you right. My best, Grandma Mary

It's gonna be rough, but if that's what you think is best then just be strong. When my oldest was 6 months our pediatrician told me to take her pacifier from her - whereas our almost 3 year old had hers only for sleep from 2-3 just up to her 3rd birthday. Sometimes it's all about choosing our battles and the hardest one we had was taking our oldest daughters bottles from her - I don't know exactly how old she was but she started at daycare around 18 mos and had to be drinking from a sippy cup. As far as what other people's children do, I worried way too much about that w/our first daughter - I had her potty trained by the time she was 19 months and boy did that come back to bite me in the butt. She is now going on 11 & is still under the care of a pediatric gastro b/c she began controlling when she would go & stuff. Children can be pretty head-strong, especially girls! I have two & compared to the trials & tribulations my friends w/boys go thru, I wonder how my mom could have ever told me she'd take 20 girls to 1 boy! Try to stay strong, I know w/our oldest w/the bottle & our youngest w/her nuk we wanted so badly to give in just to quiet them down, but like they say.........there's no going back! Good luck!

Try getting her a princess cup, Maybe that would help. Make a big deal out of her drinking milk from the special princess cup.. Hope that helps.

Try a sippy with a straw in it...it's easier to get the liquid out.

Good luck - they can be stubborn sometimes, can't they??!!!
J.

Why are you stressing so much over milk? If your concerns are about the nutrients in milk, there are tons of other sources. The best source for vitamin D is the sun--so lots of outdoors time. Calcium can be found in bone broths, leafy greens like turnip tops and mustard greens, fish, sesame, etc. Remember milk and dairy are not generally consumed in most of the world outside of Europe and America ;-)

Now if you're worried that she isn't drinking enough liquids, try giving your daughter water and other drinks in a regular (not sippy) cup. She's plenty old enough to drink from cups unassisted. There will be some spills in the beginning, but she'll grasp it soon enough. I suggest getting a non-breakable cup while she's still in the practice stages.

Although I personally am against "hiding" and "tricking" when it comes to foods, your daughter might enjoy smoothies and milkshakes with milk and fruit mixed together. We don't use dairy in my house so ours are usually coconut or milk with fruit (either frozen or add some ice) and no sweetener. This is much better for her than adding artificial flavorings and IMO it tastes better too :D

Don't forget: your daughter does not NEED milk, first of all. She needs calcium, and can get that from a variety of sources. When my now almost 4 year old stopped her baba she wouldn't drink milk no matter WHAT we did, we had that same problem. Our doc said it was alright, as long as we gave her an alternate source of calcium (so we give her cheese. Every day). My little one's almost 2 and still drinks formula. She likes it, it can't hurt her, so we give it to her. She's still taking a baba, even though doc said to get her onto the sippy cup. My 3 1/2 year old still won't drink milk, but she's a healthy girl who enjoys her daily string cheese! :) Good luck!

We weaned our son from bottle to sippy cup when he was 11 months old. The first week we took away bottles at daycare, then over the next 4 days we eliminated the bottles at home. He went on a "drink strike" for about 4 days. He refused to drink milk or formula at all until he realized the sippy cup was the only way he would get it. Then slowly he accepted milk in the sippy cup.

We were compelled to wean him off the bottle very early because we had another baby on the way soon and didn't want to try to wean him during the first four months transition to a bigger family.

Hi Jean,

My son was "off milk" for a while--similar situation--and I just gave him OJ fortified with calcium in addition to the yogurt and cheese. After a while (few months!), I offered him a glass of milk with a doughnut or brownie--not sure which, but you get the gist of it, and said "there's nothing in the world that tastes as good with a ____ than a glass of cold milk." I really feel that way, so it wasn't just manipu-lation! He loved the milk with the chocolate whatever it was and was back "on" milk. I wouldn't sweat the milk as long as you are sure the calcium is there in some form, and eventually she'll come around.
A.

Congrats on getting her off the bottle. It sounds EXACTLY like my experience with my son 2 years ago. He loved milk in his bottle and as soon as he got off he never drank a sip of milk again. NO WORRIES!!! My son is 4.5 now and is strong, smart and healthy. I supplement milk at as meals as i can. He eats lowfat yogurts, cheeses and began taking a daily vitamin at three and half years old. Your child is FINE without milk. Calcium comes in many forms...even in enriched OJ, so don't worry. In fact, many families abstain from any dairy products AT because of allergies, asthma and cognitive disorders. Good luck!

My 2 year old doesn't drink any milk. He stopped drinking from a bottle at 12 months and from there he went to calcium rich o.j. and other forms of dairy.

So to answer your question, she really is ok without milk. Just get the nutrients milk provides elsewhere.

Or if you insist on her drinking milk, get creative. Let her drink from a cup with a straw, preferably a cup the same as yours so it is special. This worked for me for about a week, but he just doesn't dig the milk.

A.

Hello Jean! My daughter is 17m.now,she didn't want to drink milk. We started to offer her milk foam,while making cappucino. She liked it very much. First it was taken from my cup with a spoon, then I was making foam in to her cup and on the bottom there was always some milk left and Valerie started to drink it from cup on her own.The amount of foam became more and more, and in few months we ended up with a cup of milk every morning. Now she likes it very much. We also give cheese and yogurt and I made porridges on a milk base. I think it's already good for a child. I wish you good luck and all the best! O.