Help!! 13mo won't drink any milk or formula at all!!

[mom2b2013]

Sorry in advance that this is so long...

I'm really concerned because my 13mo recently just started refusing milk. I started weaning her off breast milk a few months ago and for a while I've been nursing her just before bed and when she wakes up in the morning. She gets formula throughout the day as well as solids.

So on saturday she was fine and finished her formula as usual. At bedtime I went to nurse her and she flatly refused which is odd for her. The next morning she also refused. So I tried giving her formula as well as regular cows milk in a bottle and in a sippy cup. I know this sounds crazy but I even tried giving it to her in a syringe and she spat it out. I have no idea how she can suddenly go from liking milk to refusing it. I should add that she is a very picky eater and it takes a lot of work to get her to eat solids. She is naturally on the skinny side (has been since birth but is also tall) so she really can't afford to loose any weight. She is drinking water but has less urine output.

Any advice or ideas on what to do? I thought that milk is supposed to be their main source of nutrition at this age, maybe I'm wrong?

Thanks so much

 

[MindUtopia]

At her age (past a year), she really should be moving to having solids as her main source of nutrition and it's quite typical of them to take less milk around that time. I think my daughter dropped down to only a cup of milk when she woke up and before bed, followed at around 14/15 months with just a cup of milk before bed. So if she doesn't want it, I would try not to worry and not force it. But do make an effort to offer her plenty of food throughout the day, regular mealtimes, plus snacks, and sneak extra calories/fat into her food by adding a bit of butter to her porridge or cheese on pasta, etc. Also, make sure she's offered plenty of water throughout the day as well. You might also find ways of adding dairy into her food - cow's milk in porridge, yogurt as a snack. They do need dairy (or a dairy substitute if they can't have dairy) for the calcium, but it doesn't have to be in the form of milk. Also, if she prefers formula or cow's milk more than the other, I'd offer that. I found my daughter much preferred cow's milk and once we make the switch she was much happier to drink a larger amount in one sitting, even if the overall amount had reduced because she was eating more solids. If she's really thirsty or hungry, she will eat. Just try not to stress about it and trust that she knows what she needs.

 

[mom2b2013]

Thank you! I definitely feel much more at ease now. I was under the impression that babies her age still have milk as their main source of nutrition. Fortunately she does eat other sources of dairy like yoghurt and cheese. I guess she is just ready for more solids now.

Thanks again