My toddler won't drink whole milk?

Question

When my boy was little he was on soy formula b/c he couldn't digest milk based formula. At a year old we tried switching him to whole milk but he would NOT drink it at all. So the doc said to give him soy milk. I give him the organic plain kind. However with all the stories going around about soy milk and products (and I don't know if its true or not) I am nervous about making this an important part of my sons diet. His doc says its ok, but I would rather him drink whole milk, just in case all these rumors do end up being true. So my question is, how do I get him to drink it? Should I mix it or something and gradually transition to whole milk? What would you do? Plus its a lot cheaper to get whole milk vs soy milk. Or will it be ok for him to continue with the soy milk? I buy Silk Plain in the red carton. Oh yeah, he is 16.5months.

Answer 1

Try skim milk.  My kids were raised on skim milk.  They also get dairy from cheese, and the skim has all the vitamins of regular.  Skim tastes almost like water, so it goes down easy.  You can also pour it over cereal or put it into oatmeal.  Drinking milk is not a big deal as long as kids get dairy from other sources.  Don't let anyone tell you to add sugar or chocolate sauce to milk.  When kids get a palette for sweets, it makes eating veggies and meats a real struggle.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

i have heard soy is bad.

try skim plus,

it is skim but has vitamins and a lot of calcium

Answer 3

I've known mothers that refuse cow milk and went to goat milk.  The kids(6) grew up on it and liked it.      Better than milking chickens.

Answer 4

That is OK your child will not drink whole milk.  You can give your child soy milk, goats milk or rice milk.  Goats milk is easy to digest it is like mother's milk.  My daughter who is 2 drinks soy, rice or nurses.  You may want to find out if he has an allergy to cows milk and that is why he will not drink it or that it is hard from him to digest it!

I wish you the best!

Answer 5

Go with your instinct,like you said mix soy and whole milk and gradually get him off soy.Your the parent so def do what you think is best

Answer 6

Give him lactose free milk and see if he can handle it.

Answer 7

Don't believe the hype! I was concerned because I drank tons of soymilk when I was pregnant, but was reassured by my doctor.

This is from a good site, Babycenter.com. They get experts to answer questions, so here it is from a nutiritionist.

Expert Answers

Debby Demory-Luce, research nutritionist

Yes, soy milk is a good alternative for children over a year old who don't like or are allergic to cows' milk. Soy milk comes in different flavors (you can add your own flavors if you like), and it's perfectly safe to give those to your child. Soy is also a good source of protein.

Be sure to buy whole soy milk, not the low- or nonfat versions, because fat is important for brain development in children under 2 years old. Also, make sure the milk is fortified with vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium. You may want to make sure your child's diet contains other calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods because soy milk contains phytates, naturally occurring substances found in whole-grain foods, legumes, and nuts that can decrease the absorption of calcium and other minerals. For example, while the label on a container of fortified soy milk may say that an 8-ounce glass contains 200 to 300 mg of calcium, the phytates can prevent your child from absorbing that full amount. Studies have found that the body absorbs only about 75 percent of the calcium from soy milk. Calcium-rich or fortified foods include broccoli, kale, lime-processed tortillas, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified juices, cereals, waffles, and breakfast bars.

Because soy milk is plant-based, it doesn't have any vitamin B12, a vitamin that you get only from animal foods (including cows' milk). Pouring soy milk over a cereal fortified with vitamin B12 is enough to ensure that your child starts the day with the right amount of nutrients.

Many brands of soy milk highlight the fact that they contain isoflavones. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens, estrogen-like hormones found in plants such as whole grains, potatoes, dried beans, and apples that may lower blood cholesterol levels in adults. The phytoestrogens found in soy milk are safe for children and adults.

Answer 8

keep giving him soy, he's fine, trust the doc

Answer 9

I mixed Hershey's chocolate syrup into my kids' milk to get then to drink it...and ended up doing this until they were about 3.

My doctor said that since there were no weight issues this was a good thing - you need to get them to drink the whole milk.

Answer 10

What is it about soy that you're worried about? The fact that it's the largest genetically modified crop in the US (in which case, get organic non-GMO soy milk), or because it fakes estrogen? If it's for the latter, I think, well, for one, you already gave him soy formula, so he's been exposed to the phytoestrogens. For two, the jury is definitely still out on the risks associated with infants drinking soy milk.

For an alternate, though, my sister's child was on fortified rice milk. I think it lacks the fat that soy and cow milk has, so you might have to supplement. But last thing I read recently is that they lowered the age recommendation for high fat milk.

I'm shocked that cow's milk is cheaper than soy! Here, soy is a bit cheaper.

Answer 11

Try to mix in a small amount of strawberry or Chocolate syrup.   I had the same problem with my son and our doctor told us to do this for him.  I mixed just enough to give it the taste.  After six weeks I was giving him less and less and finally he drinks it plain.  Good luck!

Answer 12

Yu have gradually transition. Or Mix the whole milk with water. Watering it down. And slowly decrease the water

Answer 13

You have to slowly transition. When I put my son on whole milk I gave him 5 oz of formula with 1 oz of milk for a week, then down to 4 oz of formula with 2 oz milk for a week, etc etc until we was transitioned completely on milk. It worked great and now he drinks milk like it's going out of style.