Author Topic: Just WONT drink cows milk! (Read 4333 times)

Rebecca247 · « **on:** July 12, 2009, 05:12:28 am »

Hey BW mummies,

I have been trying for the last 4 months to get my 18 month old DS to drink cows milk....Firstly we just went cold turkey and he drank the first bottle easily and I thought "wow" we wont have any issues with this, but come the next time to have a bottle he took one sip and spat it out and refused to open his mouth, I ended up giving him another bottle filled with toddler formula and he drained the bottle. My HV told me to do the gradual way of slowly adding cows milk to his formula until it was all cows milk, we get to about 50/50 and he refuses to drink it, its like he knows the taste is different and wont have it!
I have even tried making his breakfast (when he eats breakfast) with cows milk and he wont eat it, but if i make it up again with toddler milk, he eats it!

I have no idea how to get him to drink it, the HV also said to try and flavour his milk, he probably would drink it but then theres added sugar and i dont want him drinking flavoured milk all the time so we have to wean from that aswell. I dont mind buying the toddler milk and they can have it til there like 3yrs old but its only going to get harder and harder the older he gets to get him drinking cows milk!

I dont know what any other optins are but if anyone knows anything i can try, please help me!

Bek
xxx

mum101 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2009, 10:07:07 am »

following along, DS has only drunk cows milk from a sippy cup once! He won't drink formula either. I've tried chocolate milk (with the idea of moving gradually towards straight cows milk). Nothing works. Basically if it's not water he won't drink it.
He will have cows milk on his breakfast cereal

and even with it mixed with formula.
Also when we decide to wean from bf, I'd like to be able to replace the bedtime feed with something!!

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2009, 22:45:22 pm »

Max has drank from my chocolate milk carton once before and he did like it but its not something i want him to have all the time, his toddler formula is vanilla flavoured so i'm thinking its really that nice sweet taste that hes enjoying, I cant find a vanilla flavour here where we live, but then again i dont want added sugar from a flavour, theres no added sugar in the toddler formula!

Its great your DS loves water so much but also a pain for his milk intake.....its always one thing your trying to change and wean at this age isnt it?
I guess they'll all do it in there own time but i'm just worried its never going to happen the longer i leave it, i have images of him as a 5-6 year old still wanting his toddler milk! hehe

Hope we both get some advice and answers then Char

Bek
xxx

mum101 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 13, 2009, 10:22:36 am »

hmm maybe I should try a toddler milk. Haven't tried one yet, but certainly good to try. I still put formula in his cows milk for breakfast and in baked beans to help him gain weight back. I'm eager to go and get him weighed next week, I'm hoping to see some more length and confirm he's gaining weight.

huntersmummyinoz · « **Reply #4 on:** July 13, 2009, 20:45:22 pm »

do you warm the cow's milk or formula still? we did the oz by oz switch and started stalling at 50/50 too, but i found hunter couldnt stand warmed cow's milk. so first we made the switch to room temp formula, then started switching oz by oz cold cow's milk.

or if you are doing it cold, try it warm and see if that helps??

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2009, 00:45:21 am »

No I have always done it warm, thats good to know i will try it cold next time see if that makes a difference! Thanks

its funny when they just KNOW something isnt right!

How is Leo going now Char?? Hope he is doing much better. Max had his 18 month check last week and he has finally hit 10 kg double figures finally and he is 78cm so still a shorty, but i dont think he is ever going to be a big boy! My friends DS is born 4 days before max and he weighs 14kg and is an extra 10 cm taller then max.....But i love my little boy!

Hope all is well with Leo's weigh in next week!
Bek
xxx

Mum-of-Two · « **Reply #6 on:** July 14, 2009, 01:12:04 am »

My LO did the same thing and I now have a 3.5 yr old little girl who still won't drink the milk. We got her to drink strawberry and chocolate flavor by calling it a "shake" for awhile. She'll drink water like its going out of style though, will always choose plain old water over anything else.

My ILs never drank or drink milk. My MIL has a theory humans don't need cow milk. If weight is an issue I'd look at the toddler formula, we did that for awhile with DD and she would drink that. Honestly 1 scoop for every 8 oz and she would drink it. The second we took that scoop out, she was done.

Preschool got her to try milk again just recently, peer pressure since thats all they serve. But she still won't really drink it, comes home telling us every day "you know I really don't like milk" LOL.

Best of luck!!

elliesmama · « **Reply #7 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:04:15 am »

My lo wouldn't drink cow's milk until i got a special cup from Wal-Mart that has a funny straw on it and she drank it right away. Weird, I know, but it might work for you too.

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:11:32 am »

Jill: he is currently on toddlers milk and he loves that, so can i add the scoops of toddler milk to cows milk??? I have never thought you can do this, i just boil water and add the amount of scoops needed to make the milk up!

Laurie: I will try that idea, thanks. I just am at the point where i think he will never ever drink plain cows milk!

elliesmama · « **Reply #9 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:15:48 am »

Yeah. Ellie never drank the milk from a sippy, and even still I can think of only 1 time that she has. the other thing that worked was letting her drink from my milk out of a small glass.

deb · « **Reply #10 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:21:34 am »

Both mine love cows' milk but I try not to give it to them, since, well, let's just say the house stinks for the next 24 hours and you wouldn't want to light a match near my kids after they have cows' milk!

Josie is 7 and Nat is 4 and they're healthy and get lots of calcium. They DO eat yogurt, would eat it by the tubful if I let them - the culturing of yogurt means the milk sugars are partially digested and they can handle it without the nasty aftereffects. They eat more cheese than I'd like, but one cheese stick a day they can usually handle, or a couple slices in a sandwich. They'll occasionally eat broccoli, but J will eat lettuce with dressing so I know she's getting some there, and they'll both eat salmon, which is also rich in calcium. Nat will drink rice milk (fortified with calcium) no problem, although J won't touch the stuff, but J WILL drink kefir (a cultured milk beverage) and yogurt smoothies. Top off with a decent supplement and we're doing OK.

I have a friend whose DD is highly allergic to cows' milk and she's found some good supplements out there; you just have to do your research.

As for the temperature, I rad someplace that warm milk actually activates different taste buds than cold milk, so there's definitely some validity to that idea.

Anyway, if changing the temperature doesn't help, you can try working around it. There are other ways to get the calcium into them.

mum101 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2009, 03:58:41 am »

Laurie - how old was Ellie when you got the new cup?

Rebecca, I add the dry formula to cows milk to bulk it up (I buy it in the small infant satchels, so I don't need to buy the big tin).

re temp, I've tried them all! warm choc milk, cold cows milk, room temp... yet he'll eat his cereal with cows milk on its own.

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 14, 2009, 08:11:30 am »

wow thats good to know i didnt know you could do that, i guess thats better then flavouring with sugary flavours! i'll have to check of we can buy the small satchets here, being a small town we probably cant....but thats a good idea, it doesnt make them sick does it?

mum101 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2009, 08:47:42 am »

If it was a baby on infant formula it wouldn't be good as it wouldn't be the right amount for the infant. I think it's fine for Leo. He only has it once a day, and he has a range of other foods. And he needs to gain weight.

I imagine it might have more sodium? Not sure, but Leo's fine with it, and he always has access to water.

*Amy* · « **Reply #14 on:** July 14, 2009, 09:11:34 am »

Hi just adding my experience! On my LO's first birthday I immediately gave him cows milk which he gulped down and did so for the next few days. About a week later he got a very bad cough and a lot of mucous coming from his nose. I brought him to the doc and although there was nothing that I could give him she told me to put him back on the follow on formula and to keep him on it until he is about three. I did as was suggested as i read somewhere that dairy in children can lead to coughs/colds/build up of mucous. I do however use cow's milk in his cereal in the morning.
Amy

deb · « **Reply #15 on:** July 14, 2009, 11:13:01 am »

Actually, lots of dairy can increase mucous production in anyone of any age. Our church choir director is an awesome vocal coach and regularly advised us during cold season to lay off "loose dairy" (milk, yogurt, soft cheeses) if we were having too much mucous in our throats and sinus drainage, and before big singing events. I'd already discovered that on my own by then as a parent and sometime singer, but it was nice to have it validated.

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 14, 2009, 12:19:51 pm »

well maybe while i'm on a good thing and he's enjoying his toddler milk i should just stick to it! I guess theres no real reason to switch him over, i was just thinking it might be easier now, I dont mind making it up and buying it....So i'll stick to it for abit longer and try again later maybe!
thanks everyone
Bek
xxx

Mum-of-Two · « **Reply #17 on:** July 14, 2009, 14:31:20 pm »

I think a lot of people switch because it is a cue to get rid of the bottle. Oddly enough for us my LO didn't want the bottle anymore once there was only milk in it -- too funny really but easiest ween from the bottle ever!

elliesmama · « **Reply #18 on:** July 14, 2009, 19:46:37 pm »

mum101--i think ellie was around 18 months when I got the funny cup. We'd been trying all that time to do the sippys.

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 14, 2009, 23:17:55 pm »

I think Max will take awhile to wean off the bottle, he LOVES it! He has a sippy cup all day with water but before nap/bedtime he enjoys a nice warm bottle, I even still snuggle him in and give it to him, our time, I think I love it too!

He is my last one so i'm enjoying it abit to much i think!
They just grow way to quick, i wasnt ready for him to be 18 months yet...

I had my first 2 pretty close together and i was busy with them but they are both at school now so Max is all mine during the day, I'm just loving it! So i'll stick to the toddler milk for a tad longer, he wont drink the toddler milk out of a sippy either, I've tried that many times!

*Amy* · « **Reply #20 on:** July 15, 2009, 04:34:54 am »

Roc is my first and he gets his bottle in the morning and at night before bed - I still cuddle him into me and give it to him - he doesn't hold the bottle. But yet he will drink water all day from his sippy. At christmas we will leave the bottles out for Santa. But I will enjoy our time and cuddles every day before that!

~inbalance~ · « **Reply #21 on:** August 21, 2009, 19:40:49 pm »

Hi there! I was just thinking, it's the fat that LO's need, not necessarily the 'milk', so have you tried upping his fats in other ways? i.e. full fat yogurt & cheeses. Also, you could try organic goat's milk, or almond milk mixed with coconut milk has a similar nutritional profile to whole milk and probably a sweeter taste, but without sugar (buy unsweetened almond milk). Plus, adding organic unsalted butter and/or coconut oil to you LO's foods also helps up their fat intake. These are all things our nutritionist and naturopathic doctor told us to try since DS is very skinny. Anyways, he didn't like whole milk at first but I just kept offering and now he loves it. He drinks it out of a doidy, not sure if he'd take a sippy or a bottle since he never really has one! lol Maybe your LO would develop more of a taste for it out of a regular cup? Just my two cents I guess!

HTH

MeAndVee · « **Reply #22 on:** September 01, 2009, 17:19:30 pm »

At 12 months we switched to cows' milk in a bottle and he was fine. Than at 20 months we dropped the bottles. Well, with that he refused to drink milk. No matter what cup we used it didn't matter. He drinks kefir and thats the only dairy he will do. He used to eat yogurt, cheese, ice cream but now won't touch any of it. So frustrating!

deb · « **Reply #23 on:** September 01, 2009, 18:20:36 pm »

Kefir's better for him anyway.

Can you try mixing a little bit of milk and/or yogurt in with the kefir and gradually get him to try different "flavors," like smoothies?

Rebecca247 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 01, 2009, 21:52:07 pm »

I'm so happy to announce that Max is now drinking cows milk, YAH.....I just did it cold turkey again about 2 weeks ago just to give it a go as he is 19 months now! he drank the whole lot and has been drinking it ever since! I was so happy!

What is Kefir?

I'm in australia, I have never heard of it, unless its called something else here!

deb · « **Reply #25 on:** September 01, 2009, 23:15:37 pm »

Kefir is a cultured milk drink. Similar to yogurt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir

MeAndVee · « **Reply #26 on:** September 01, 2009, 23:57:52 pm »

I drank kefir by the gallon when pregnant. You can make it yourself Rebecca. I use Yogourmet Kefir which I buy at our local organic grocer. You could search online and see if you can get it local where you live. It is even easier to make than yogurt. I have tried mixing milk, fruit and yogurt in it. All at the same time or individually. He'll drink it but not with the same gusto that he does with it plain.

josi · « **Reply #27 on:** September 02, 2009, 00:54:16 am »

Hi...
I have only read some of what has been written.. Thats a tough sitaution that you are in
But here's my thoughts...
Perhaps there's a reason he wont drink milk. I've heard that kids can react that way to things that they are allergic to.
My daughter's excema worsens when she drinks cows milk... which she sometimes still drinks (and likes), but mostly she drinks soy milk ( i mix regular with unsweetened), and sometimes goat's milk. I have a friend who's daughter wouldn't drink homogonized milk- she preffered 2%.. she also drinks almond milk. There are plenty of alternatives (less expensive than formula).
Also- Im sure someone's mentioned this- but have you tried different cups/bottles? LEtting him pick out his own?
Also- does he like yogurt? Cheese? Cottage cheese? Soy products? There are plenty of ways to make up the calcuim (including vegetables)
I hope you have some luck... and I hope Im not being redundant by not reading all posts before putting my two sense in!

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Author Topic: Just WONT drink cows milk! (Read 4333 times)