About 10 days ago, my almost 2 yr old daughter stopped drinking milk all of a sudden. She used to have some whole milk morning, afternoon, and during bedtime. Here, I have to admit a monumental mistake I made. She still used her bottle for milk (sippy for water). One fine day, she just refused to drink milk - in bottle, sippy, or cup. Totally. I have no clue what the reason might be. But I didn't push it. No biggie. I know for sure she is not lactose intolerant, because I also give her yogurt, and add little milk to her oatmeal or cereal, pudding, and sometime to her fruit smoothies (she's not into cheese, :(). And am glad this is a God-given opportunity for me to throw away the bottle for good.
My worry is this - its not just milk. She refuses to taste, sip, drink any other fluid other than water. Its like she has developed some sort of aversion overnight. She never was much of a juice drinker, but she was always game to try a sip of anything that we were drinking, out of our adult cups. Now, she vehemently refuses. We thought of trying almond milk, soy milk or such, but she looks at what we're offering, and if it is anything other than colorless water, she refuses. Do all toddler go through such phase? Any ideas how I can try to get her to drink other fluids?
Plus, am worried if she'd go to bed hungry because she isn't having her bedtime milk. I've tried to slightly delay her dinner by about half hr, but will it be enough? If she doesn't sleep when we put her to sleep, what if she stays awake and gets hungry? What can I give her that will not cause indigestion, close to bedtime?! And what other foods can I try to give her, to ensure she gets enough calcium and vitamins?
I know a million parents have been there, done it, but am beginning to lose sleep worrying about this. Would love any advice, suggestions and reassurances from you all!
Thank you so much in advance!
A big thank you to all of you!!
I'm more than relieved that this is known behavior, and that not drinking juice or other liquids is OK! Actually, we're all milk drinkers in both our families (not by gallons, but you know..just regular..), and my parents and in-laws were worried she is not going to get all necessary nutrition. Common sense told me to adapt, but the ambitious parent in me started freaking out a bit.. :)
I'll continue, maybe up the yogurt and other calcium rich stuff. Given her appetite for food in general, I'm more than glad if she has even one small portion of all the stuff I give her, but I'll just have to go with it.. :)
Thank you all again...your reassurances helped me calm down quite a lot!
We never did nighttime milk at that age & DD has always been very healthy. As long as she's getting calcium in other forms, I don't think it's a big deal. It's most likely a phase she'll grow out of, anyway. Don't stress!!
I think this is actually a great thing!!!! I see so many kids that will ONLY drink juice! Drinking water is great, milk is great too, but you can get the calcium/protein in plenty of other ways too. Give her a small snack after dinner, before bed - yogurt, cheese and crackers, apple and pb, oatmeal cookie???
It's really not a big deal at all.
Water is really the only fluid your body needs. Whole milk is recommended from age 1-2 because of the good fats it contains. It is good for brain development, plus a great source of calcium. After one year, however, most nutrients come from food...as long as you are eating a balanced diet.
There are lots of alternative sources of good fats (coconut milk, avocados, fish oil, olive oil) and calcium (almonds, broccoli, enriched juice, spinach, soybeans, other dairy products, etc).
If your child is healthy, happy, and growing well, there is no reason for concern.
You have nothing to worry about at all. It's totally fine if she does not drink anything but water. If you want her to get more dairy just make sure she eats cheese, yogurt, sour cream (my toddler loves to dip things in sour cream), etc. Seriously, you don't have to worry. Feed her a snack before bed if you worry she will get hungry. My daughter likes to eat ritz crackers with butter on them, fruit (like chopped apples) and almonds before bed when I read her a story (yes she eats a good dinner too). They don't have to have milk. Water is better than juice anyway. Just feed her her fruits and veggies and dairy each day. I really can't tell you enough this is not something for you to spend one minute worrying about. And most likely this is a phase she will outgrow and in a few months she will want milk again. Again, stop worrying!
The good part of this is that she is still drinking, and drinking water. Not like she is only drinking apple juice or soda.
As for her calcium needs, try to get it through other sources - cottage cheese, cereal w/ milk.
As for her bedtime milk, kids don't need milk at bedtime. If they drink it after they've brushed their teeth, they can actually develop cavaties.
Since she is almost 2, why not switch to skim milk or fat free? It's more like water, and will still provide the vitamin D that she needs. She may like it since it's pretty watery.
My son is very similar he's four and prefers water. I found that propel clear gatoraides and things to that nature he is ok with. Every now and then he will try white grape juice or clear to no color juice of any kind and will drink it... But drinking water is great! Not a bad thing by any means. Embrace that because most kids only want juice milk and what not. Give her water before bed if you are worried or you can do what I do before we crush our teeth at night we have a few crackers or gold fish, my son also loves croutons he eats them regularly as a snack. I wouldn't stress give it a few months tops and she will get more apt to trying more and exciting things, Maybe if you have her help you squeeze orange juice or make your own apple juice with her help she might be willing to try it. But I'd leave it be for now she is just fine... Good luck and give your baby girl a hug for me :)
Kimmie
My daughter stopped drinking milk around this age also, so I switched to 2% and she was back to normal. My son didn't like whole all that much either so we did the same with him. Try that and see what happens. Is she getting molars in or something? Maybe it was hurting her to suck the bottle, so now that it is gone, she is probably just adjusting to that. I would keep offering the milk, maybe try a new sippy to see if she will take it in that. Keep trying, she will be fine, she is just adjusting to changes :)
I wouldn't worry about it. Drinking water is terrific!! She will go back to wanting things other than water at some point, but I wouldn't push anything else (especially juice) until she's ready. I actually have more parents tell me that they can't get their kids to eat good meals, and the reason is usually because at this age children are still having too much milk and filling up on it. I tell them to cut back on it and suddenly their "picky" eaters become willing to try new and different foods.
So don't worry. There are lots of other ways for her to get the fat and calcium she needs, so feed her those foods and let her have water. :)
Here's a list of calcium rich foods:
Tofu
Salmon
Green leafy vegetables like collard greens, turnip greens, kale and spinach
Beans
Broccoli
Almond Milk or Butter
Papaya
Calcium-fortified cereals
Calcium-fortified soy milk
Calcium-fortified orange juice
Good luck!
I wouldn't worry about this. Toddlers always go on strike like that. But I WOULD take this as a God-sent opportunity to NOT reintroduce juice. One of the biggest mistakes I made with my son was introducing him to juice as a toddler. He's still never touched soda, but it's hard for me to get him to drink anything BUT juice at age 6.
Toddlers go through these aversion phases. She'll get over it, just keep offering the milk. I think it's more of an independence thing than it is a 'taste' thing, though it may be alittle of both. She's exercising her new-found ability to control the environment around her, and this is how she's implementing it.
So, give her her calcium in ways you are already doing, and she'll get back to her milk soon. As far as being hungry at night, give her a snack before bedtime, and make sure she's getting enough calories during the day. She'll be fine.
