When will my 19 month old start drinking whole milk?

Question

I have been trying to give my baby whole milk since she turned one. Its been several months now but she has not started to drink whole milk. She takes a couple of sips and is done. She does not like yogurt and cheese either. I have continued to breastfeed her only so that she gets her calcium. She has never drank formula nor used a bottle. Mothers who have only breastfed their babies please share your experience!

Answer 1

Try warming it up.  My daughter wouldn't drink it cold for awhile, but would take it warm.  Good luck!

Answer 2

I didn't breastfeed for long, but when it was time to make the switch from formula to milk, I mixed the formula with the milk, gradually putting less and less formula, and more and more milk. Could you do that with breast milk if you pumped? Also, I think the heating idea is good. Good luck to you!

Answer 3

A baby doesn't have to drink milk to get calcium.  I never liked milk so I was forced to get calcium from other sources.  Don't forget that even vegetables have calcium in them (like broccoli, even strawberries!).  My daughter is 10 months old and isn't weaned yet but if she doesn't like milk then I would do a search for other foods and beverages that you can feed her.  Why not try calcium fortified orange juice?  The calcium in fortified foods will not be as easily absorbed as the calcium in your milk but it will certainly go a long way towards her daily requirement.

Answer 4

You can't just completely switch things around on her all at once. You need to gradually introduce her to new things, and when it comes to milk, you need to be especially careful. For one thing, get her off the breast. She's old enough to drink from a sippy cup, so get one of those sippy cups with handles and a soft spout that still feels a little like a nipple. I think Playtex makes them. Put your breast milk in that and let her get used to that for a month or so, in that time putting more and more breast milk in the cup. Let her drink from the cup first, then your breast so she's not too full or uninterested. Praise her for any effort. After that, start adding some whole milk to the breast milk, starting with 1/4 whole milk to 3/4 breast milk for a couple of weeks, then add more and more. You may have to do it slower considering she's older and not as open to change, but just be patient and she'll get it. She may be somewhat fussy with transitioning to the cup, but give her time and a little tough love and it should work itself out. Don't ever stop with the regiment or she'll think you're not serious with the changes and not cooperate when you try again. Don't want a 5 year old nursing from you, do you? Best wishes.

Answer 5

I never fed my son whole milk. Guidelines and recommendations have changed and not all docs say to give whole anymore.

Talk with your pediatrician. See if you can try 2%. My son loved it. Since he was in the 75th percentile, his doc said skim was OK and that's what the whole family drinks now.

My son was on a bottle for a VERY short time. He started using a sippy at 6 months (for watered-down juice) and I encouraged it. After I quit BFing, he used a sippy most of the time. I perferred the Nuk brand of sippy. They are cheap and kids usually like them.

Also, there are other good forms of Calcium besides milk : legumes, leafy green veggies, egg yolks, and enriched OJ (although he may not be ready for that yet).

Good luck and best wishes.