My son will be 13 months old in a week and he has no interest in whole milk. I am still breastfeeding about 5-6 times a day. I've tried several different types of sippy cups and he just throws them on the floor! I haven't tried a straw cup yet, that's my next step! I'm wondering, is he not wanting to drink out of a cup because he's nursing so much? Or is he not ready? Is he getting enough nutrients without whole milk right now? He eats cheese and yougurt. I'm thinking, he has to eventually take the cup right? Please help! Thanks so much.
He's getting way better nutrients from you than he will ever get from cow milk. He could be very comfortable with the breast and you may have to take measures to wean him. You should pump breastmilk and put it in a sippy cup, that's a good start.
Your son is definitely getting enough nutrients from your milk. Are you wanting to wean him or are you just concerned about him drinking milk? My son hates milk. He absolutely refuses to drink it unless it is extremely diluted with water. I still nurse (he's 17 months) a few times a day and my Dr said he is still probably getting enough nutrients. My Dr said it's not so much that kids need milk...they need dairy and they need vitamin D which not all dairy contains. If your son eats yogurt and cheese and other forms of dairy just check to make sure he's getting enough calcium from the serving sizes you're feeding him. As for vitamin D, 15 minutes of sunlight everyday should do the trick! If you're looking to wean your son then I would definitely try pumping and putting it into a sippy and then gradually mix in cow's milk. Also, when you wean, start with his least favorite time to nurse and work your way up to his favorite time. Spend a few days weaning each feeding...don't try and do it all in a week. If you're still worried about nutrients I would talk to your Dr and see about vitamin supplements or other calcium rich foods to use for supplements. Good luck!
Dear Rebecca,
Please remember that cows were not domesticated until fairly recently in human history, and even then, as refrigeration was not common, so milk drinking was not either.
Ancient people had pretty darn good health too, all considering. Cow's milk is not essential to human childrens' nor adults' health. If you have any doubts, look at all the people's around the world that don't eat lots of dairy. Most often, their teeth and bones are just fine.
The dairy industry of this country would have you believe that you would melt into a puddle without the calcium in milk, despite the fact that multiple factors make strong bones and teeth...including little discussed nutrients like strontium.
Common beliefs versus truth. Propaganda/advertising blurs the distinction.
Good luck in the parenting adventure!
PS: The vitamin D added to most dairy sold in this country is the inferior D-2 type. D-3 is reputed to be superior. It comes in drops that can be added to food or drink, or capsules/tablets OR sunlight exposure can produce D-3 naturally...but don't bathe or shower too soon after...Vit D will wash off...has to absorbed by skin over a few hours.
Try Soy milk, or Goats milk.. Has more to offer than Cow's milk....
Don't worry about milk, it's one of the worst things for a human body. It's made for baby cows. Many people have allergies and hypersensitivities to it and don't even realize it. Be glad. Your son can get calcium, vitamins and nutrients from other things. Have you considered weaning him? He may be confused and prefers you to a cup. If he has no other alternative, he may drink from the cup.
both my kids nursed to about 17 months. they never and still dont love milk, they did do the straw before 12 months which worked good. but getting enough from the milk and yogert and veggies has been enough for them, keep trying though! goodluck
No worries- he is getting all he needs even if he never drinks whole milk again. Whole milk is not necessary in a humans diet- there are other ways to get the vitamins. I would not push it. Does he take water or diluted juice out of a sippy cup? He will take a cup when he is ready- just always offer it to him and one day he will shock you- in his time. There is nothing to worry about:)
My daughter wouldn't drink whole milk at that age either. She was small for her age and needed the calories really bad. We chose to give her Vanilla flavored pediasure. We did that for almost a year. Around 2 years old we transitioned her into Whole milk with chocolate Carnation instant breakfast. She is still drinking that but will drink "regular" milk as she calls it too.
First, there is no comparison of breast milk to store milk it tastes different. He probably doesn't like how it tastes. Since he is getting calcuim-don't worry about it. V8 Fusion juice has calcium in it too. It doesn't have to come from a cow. I didn't like milk growing up either. Another alternative is Silk or Rice milk, along those lines making sure that it is calcium fortified but that can be expensive. I have also learned that the more you push the harder they push back.
Hi Rebecca,
My son was the same way ~ he would eat cheese (not yogurt though) and wouldn't touch cow's milk. I tried him with vanilla soy milk, and he loved that. As it turns out, he has some sort of milk intolerance; he gets a rash around his mouth when he eats some products with dairy in them, like milk and ice cream. Even nacho cheese Doritos give him the rash! I don't know if he knew and instinctively didn't want milk, but he has been on soy milk now since he was 14 months old (he's now 25 months). His pediatrician also suggested calcium fortified orange juice, so he gets that as well, plus cheese, which he loves. Good luck!
Will he drink juice or water from a cup? If not, it could be an issue with the cup. He sees the "big" people around him drinking from regular cups (with no lid) so maybe he would drink some from a regular cup.
try a toddler formula. my daughter won't take whole milk either, but loves the toddler formula.
Cows milk tastes very different than breast milk. He may not like the taste. (There's always a possibility of a milk allergy too) If it's just that he doesn't like the taste, he'll eventually get used to it. My daughter was the same way, so I got some pure maple syrup (not the artificial stuff, full of sugar and corn syrup, make sure that it's 100% PURE maple syrup) and mixed a little of it in with her milk. Once I did that, she loved her milk, and I was able to gradually get her to drink milk without the syrup in it.
Please don't use formula at this point. At his age, keep nursing, as that is the best nutrition. Offer him a cup now and then, but don't sweat it. If only everyone were nursing at 13 months and feeding their baby the best!
Does he take a cup with water or juice ? Is it a cup issue or a milk issue ? I'm still nursing my 1 yo and he won't drink any kind of milk... we have even trid goats milk. He does drink water all the time from a cup and has been since he was about 6 months old.. He doesn't like juice either.. just water and breast milk ! :) He also eats yogurt and cheese. For me, I'm not going to stress about it. I figure at least he is getting dairy with other food groups and the milk he gets from me is the best milk he can get ! :) And same for you.. your milk is the best for your son.. I have read that cows milk is very over rated for nutrition and actually really hard to digest. As long as he is getting the nutrients from other dairy and other food sources.. I think you would be ok. I'm no expert but just a mom of 3 boys ages 5,3, and 1.. :) I nursed my first two boys until they were 2.. My second son didn't like cow milk at first either so we bought him goats milk for about 6 months then switched to organic cow milk.. now he is fine with drinking regular cow milk which he tried around age 2 1/2... I hope it helps a little bit for you to know your son isn't the only one :)
Nichole
My son was the same way.....refused whole milk any way it was given for the longest time...but he would happily drink water out of a cup. Turns out he has a severe milk allergy.....which we found out when he "finally" started drinking milk about 2.5 yrs old. So I would definitely not recommend doing anythign to 'trick' him into drinking milk (adding sweeteners, formula, etc that'll make it taste different)....it's much better to wait until he's ready.
If your son doesn't drink anything out of a sippy cup, maybe try a regular, small cup? You can buy tiny cups (I got one at Barnes & Noble) or use a votive candle holder cleaned out - easier for small hands to use. My son was unable to drink from a sippy cup until about 15 mos, but he started using shotglasses at 7 mos, and was using his own small cup & the candle holders by age 1. (Have you tried drinking out of one of those things yourself? it's HARD to get stuff to come out!!) Or maybe try the Nuby style sippy cups if you haven't - the ones w/ the soft top that you just have to squeeze the spout to get something otu. Beware though, w/ nursing - those taught my son to bite.... (which is why we switched to the small cups!)
13 months old eat 5 times a day and drink 4-6 times a day. So you can either keep nursing as he doesn't need anymore liquids. Or cut back on the nursing to make him thirsty for something else.
cows milk is over rated. there is more calcium in broccoli then in cow milk. there is the same amount in most soy milks. there are a ton of people who are allergic to cow milk, so keep that in mind, maybe your son is letting you know this information.
my daughter, 16 months old, doesn't like milk either. I am still nursing her a few times a day, but trying to wean her slowly. She's not too interested in drinking from a sippy cup either (she does ok with the straw sippy), but if she sees me or her two older siblings (ages 3 and 5) drinking from a cup she's ok. Your son probably just wants to be big like you. She loves drinking bottled water. It will spill and will be messy for a while, but at least water isn't sticky! She doesn't like milk (although she LOVES Muscle Milk--you could try that?), but like your child, she will eat yogurt and some cheese. I think your child is getting enough calcium with the other foods, so try not to worry about him not wanting milk. Pediasure is a good option too if you are worried about him not getting enough vitamins. If you are still nursing him that much, he is probably getting plenty of liquids and nutrients.