Author Topic: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?  (Read 1822 times)

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Offline momma.bear

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Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« on: May 02, 2012, 00:58:02 am »
M just turned a year, but since about 6 months, has needed to be distracted in order to get her to drink her bottles. She drinks like a champ from a sippy cup, and will easily drink 8-10 oz. of water a day from them. However, this is not the case with formula. I've tried putting it in a sippy cup and even regular cup with no luck. I literally have to give her toys in each hand, have her watching tv or anything to take her mind off the fact that she's drinking formula. We're down to our last few days of formula before I switch her over to cow's milk. I've already given her half milk half formula a few times to see how she does and there's no change. I've also tried just plain cow's milk in her sippy cup but as soon as she realizes it's not water, she won't touch it.
Anyone else been here? I just don't want to be bottle feeding her constantly and having it be such a chore. She's down to two 7 oz. bottles a day. I've thought about putting it in cereal or smoothies etc. but breakfast is her worst meal and she's not that into being spoon fed. And as for smoothies, she's not a big fan of them either.


Offline creations

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2012, 06:39:57 am »
Hi.
When I wanted to move DS on from the bottle I did two things:
1. Accepted that he didn't take as much milk from a sippy, offered milk in a sippy at evening meal, plus cheese, and slowly reduced the BT bottle.  I went at his speed, my plan was to reduce by just 10ml every few days but if he didn't finish what was offered in that bottle then the next night I only offered what he had taken the night before and continued to reduce from there.  Eventually (much shorter time frame than I had imagined) I offered a sippy of water just prior to getting into bed instead of a bottle of milk.  He never once noticed that the bottle had less in and this was a very successful move of the BT bottle to pre-teeth brushing and bath.  He sometimes like a few sips of the water and sometimes doesn't.  Over time he has accepted that he gets a sippy of milk at dinner.  he sometimes takes more and sometimes less I suppose it depends how hungry he is and what solids food is on offer.

2. Morning milk bottle was different.  He wouldn't accept the sippy at all and as this is his main milk drink in the day I didn't want the volume to drop dramatically.  I slit his bottle teats and had him sit up for it (still on my knee) so it was very fast flow but still a bottle.  Then I moved on to removing the teat and putting a straw in the bottle.  Then I changed it to a soft straw bottle (a very attractive flip top frog which he loved).  Again he never once protested to any of these changes where as he protested LOUDLY when I tried to just give a sippy of milk in the morning.

You can also increase the amount of dairy in the solids if you are worried that the milk volume is not enough.  Cheese, yoghurt, butter, all count towards the amount of 'milk' across the day.


Offline *Ali*

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #2 on: May 04, 2012, 22:25:18 pm »
I know some people put a tiny bit of hot chocolate powder or milkshake powder in the cows milk and then reduce it down gradually until it's gone.

She doesn't need to be drinking actual milk at this age as creations said yoghurt and cheese and other dairy is just as good. As are other foods high in fat and calcium. If you want to get milk into her you could try offering a milk pudding like rice pudding or semolina. Or do dinner a little early and then cereal before bed.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline momma.bear

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2012, 21:10:04 pm »
Thanks for the advice. I'm giving her yogurt and cheese daily, and 12 oz. of milk. Today I put 1 oz. of milk in her sippy cup mixed with 4 oz. of water and she liked it. I think I'll do that for a day or so, and then keep increasing the amount of milk.


Offline Lolly

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2012, 21:14:54 pm »
Is she having one of her bottles before breakfast? If she is try giving her food first and milk to drink later as a snack. We had to do this with my DD just after she turned 1 as she was filling up on the milk and refusing breakfast. I stopped the first bottle, she had cereal for breakfast and then toast/ fruit and a sippy of milk mid-morning. She didn't drink much of the milk in the sippy at first, but once she realised that was it she began drinking all of it.

Laura


Offline momma.bear

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2012, 00:23:12 am »
Thanks Laura, I will try that! Her morning bottle is actually the easiest as I give it to her in her crib before she gets up and she's been drinking 6 oz. without much difficulty, but then she eats almost nothing for breakfast. I'll try the switch around. Did you give DD anything to drink with breakfast? I'm thinking of offering her a sippy of half water and half milk at breakfast and then see how she does with that...


Offline Lolly

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Re: Any tips to get 1 yr. old to drink milk independently?
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2012, 07:25:41 am »
I *think* we offered a sippy of milk with it but she wasn't interested because she was getting milk in her cereal! Keep offering the sippy, the more often you do the more likely she is to get used to it!

Laura