Any tips on how to get a 1 year old to like cow's milk?

Question

I've tried mixing it with my breastmilk, but once a the mixture becomes more cow's than breast he won't drink it, I've tried it at every temperature. I would like to avoid any formula if possible, but I don't want to cut him off breastmilk cold turkey so he has no choice but to drink it, any suggestions?

Answer 1

sometimes cold turkey is the way to go. I used to add just a spoonful of chocolate flavor to my sons to temp him.  

Answer 2

It took my son a while to like cow's milk.  Matter-of-fact, he just started to like it two days ago!  And he's 14 months and has been completely weaned for almost a month now.  I didn't worry much about him drinking milk.  As long as he was eating enough yogurt, cheese and calcium fortified snacks, I laid off pushing the milk.  I would just try it every once in a while to see if he liked it.  Two days ago he finally did =)

Although, my aunt suggesting putting a tiny bit of maple syrup in the milk (the 100% pure maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworth or anything like that)  100% pure maple syrup is actually good for you (in small amounts I imagine).  It didn't work on my son, but it might for yours.  Or if you mix a tiny bit of vanilla with a tiny bit of sugar in his milk.  Though I would just wait and keep trying it every once in a while.  

Answer 3

I use to add a little malt or chocolate to flavor

Answer 4

Don't stress too much if your little one won't take cows milk.

My daughter was breastfed till 22 months but wouldn't touch cows milk till she was around 18 months old. Are you planning to keep breastfeeding for a while?

Even if you do stop breastfeeding soon, it's not bad if he won't take cows milk. He will be getting calcium etc from other foods such as cheese, yoghurt, some vegies etc.

Answer 5

My son was the same way.  We added vanilla to his milk and it made it sweeter like breastmilk.  You also don't have the added sugar of the chocolate mix.  

Answer 6

at one year old, he needs neither formula nor cow's milk. ruby wouldn't drink cow's milk either. the only reason it is "necessary" is that it is an easy source of calcium. i give her the calcium fortified OJ (1/2 juice, 1/2 water) instead. it has as much as cow's milk. also, as backup, i make sure her diet is rich in calcium containing foods. she eats cheese (hates yogurt, sadly). and i put kale in a LOT of her food -- i dice it up fine and put it in her mac and cheese and other pasta dishes. likewise, i sneak in lots of spinach, broccoli, and tofu. do not even worry about the milk! at one year, you can switch him to a "regular" diet, and cow's milk (or any other animal's milk -- i mean, think about it. it makes no sense anyway) is totally unnecessary. good luck.

Answer 7

My youngest was breast-fed until 13 mos. and refused any sort of regualr milk.  He was eating well, so the doc told me no to sweat it. He got the same nutrients from cheese, yogurt, etc.  I continued to try (my oldest always liked milk), but to no avail.  Finally, at age 3, he started drinking milk.  Now at 4, he actaully asks for milk (ok, so I do allow strawberry syrup in it). Bottom line, he is perfectly healthy, happy and strong.

Answer 8

Warming it slightly is normally best.

You should only feed your baby the full fat milk, don't use any of the light milks. They are not suitable.

You could also feed your baby cheese or yogurt if you are concerned about the level of calcium your baby is getting

Answer 9

Make the change VERY slowly.

If you start with a breastmilk - formula ratio of 20:1, then 19:2 after a week, 18:3 after another week and so on, he should get used to the gradually changing flavour.

Good luck!  

Answer 10

My oldest niece didn't like milk either, so my sister used to make "smoothies" for her. She'd mix fruit juice and milk, and my niece loved it.

Answer 11

try nestle milkshake powder, all calcium and big boys milk with it job done xx

Answer 12

At 12 months of age there really is no reason your son has to drink formula even if he won't drink whole cow's milk.  If you are ready to wean him from the breast yet he won't drink cow's milk then it is fine, nutritionally speaking, for him to receive his daily allotment of Vitamin D and calcium from other sources.  Toddlers in the 1-3 age range require about 500 mg of calcium daily which is equivalent to about 2 glasses of milk.  Yogurt, cheese, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and white beans contain calcium as do a variety of calcium fortified foods such as orange juice.  If you read labels, it is possible for a child to get a full daily allotment of calcium in other foods besides liquid cow's milk.  You can try putting milk into foods such as making oatmeal with milk instead of water or pudding.  Some children just don't care for the taste of milk and won't drink it and some children experience cow's milk sensitivites or even allergies.  It is possible to have a healthy, complete diet without drinking cow's milk at all.  Studies have shown that it can take 15-20 tries of a particular food for a child (or adult) to develop a liking for it.  If you've only tried a couple times or if you've only been at it a couple weeks, it is possible, with continued attempts, that your son will eventually become accustomed to the taste.  Some children need to have the mix of breast milk and cow's milk start out so small and gradually increase that it takes several months for the switch to be complete.  Try substituting only 1 ounce of cow's milk in place of 1 ounce of breast milk for several days than offer a 2 ounce substituion.  When it gets to the point where he is balking at the taste, go back to what he will drink for a couple weeks then make the substitution even more discreet with only a 1/2 ounce substitution at a time.  It'll be time consuming, but it may be the only way to transition him completely to whole cow's milk.  Meanwhile, read some labels and find some foods he likes that are high in calcium content and make sure he stays hydrated by offering him water in his cup.