Zero milk intake since stopping bottles. Help!

[Boo44]

When LO turned 2 I decided he should be stopping drinking his milk from a bottle every night and should switch to some form of sippy. I'd tried half-heartedly (and unsuccessfully!) before and always gone back to bottles, so I actually threw them in the bin. He was having approx 6oz of cows milk at story time every night before bed

I offered him his usual slightly warm milk in his different sippy cups (all that he is used to on a daily basis for other drinks) and he didn't like the sensation of a warm drink from a sippy, as he's used to cold drinks in them. So then I tried cold milk from the fridge and no he definitely didn't like that as he likes his milk warm (!). I tried him in a beaker like a 'big boy' and he took two sips maximum then declined it.

So now we've gone from a good milk intake to literally none. It's like it has been erased completely from his diet. He's sleeping fine and seems happy so I don't mind in that sense. However I'm really concerned at the lack of dairy intake. He eats other dairy sources with no issues, but I really want him to drink milk again

Can anyone offer any advice? X

 

[alaskagrown]

If he's having dairy from other sources, you have no reason to be concerned. Having no milk (yet having dairy from other sources) is much better than drinking from a bottle past 2!

 

[Louise88]

My dd decided she didn't like milk come 13 months all I had to do was increase her dairy intake she's been absolutely fine growing fine and looks healthy. I would wouldn't worry to much really

 

[leoniebabey]

I stopped my LO's bottles at 15m and he's barely drank milk since. he will drink a few mouthfuls then leaves it. i cant force him so he has dairy from elsewhere. my oldest did the same and went completely off milk then around the age of 2 someone gave him some out of a carton and he decided he liked it again!

 

[Joybell]

Mine did this after stopping bottles too. Refused milk from sippy cups, open cups, straw cups, you name it! Cold or warm! I gave up. Then around maybe 5 months later someone offered him cold milk from a straw in a little carton now he drinks it all the time any way. it just took time for us.

As others have said, so long as he is having dairy from other sources it's fine.Much better than drinking from a bottle at 2.

Joy x

 

[Leliana]

I switched from bottles to cups sometime between 12 and 14 months and my DD was quite reluctant (even though she'd used a sippy for water since 6 months). She'd have a few sips and get annoyed with me. Once she started drinking from a cup with a straw though everything clicked into place and she now drinks GALLONS of the stuff. Always cold from the fridge. I did ask the health visitor what I should do as she was drinking so little milk and she said it was fine as long as she got her dairy elsewhere. Milk in custard/mashed potato/cereal all counts so I just upped her intake of that.

 

[OmarsMum]

Try plain natural yoghurt. DS doesn't drink milk. You can also add it to smoothies or make rice / milk pudding. He was almost 2 when I weaned him off the bottle.

 

[Mrs HM]

My DS has never drank milk as I BF him until 1 and he'd never had milk in a bottle or cup, so when we tried he just refused to drink it. We just make sure he has cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais etc every day to ensure he gets enough calcium. He's 2.5 now and doing fine, so I would worry too much. If you want him to drink milk, I'd just keep offering it to him from time to time without too much fuss if he won't take it.

 

[lola_90]

My sons the same but will drink more from a carton at nursery.

We make sure his porridge or cereal has lots of milk in. He has a big portion of natural yoghurt everyday as well as cheese.

 

[Boo44]

Thanks that's set my mind at ease a bit. He has tons of cheese and yoghurts daily and milk on his weetabix and in mashed potato. I guess that will have to be enough for now! Hopefully he'll just decide he likes it again one day like some of your LOs did xx

 

[tristansmum]

My eldest stopped milk when we weaned! I just gave him plenty of dairy and he is fine!

 

[CaptainMummy]

My 3.5yr old hasn't drank a drop of milk since stopping bottles at 23 months. She will slurp it off the spoon when eating cereal though, and also has it in porridge, eats lots of cheese, yoghurt etc

 

[minties]

If he has a decent sized bowl of cereal with milk in it, and likes other for s of dairy, I wouldn't worry really.

Thomas went from breastfeeding to milk at 17.5 months and was not impressed at all, so I used to sprinkle a little cocoa powder in his milk and trick him into thinking it was a special chocolate milk. Still do it now!

 

[liz1985]

Ds hasnt really drank any milk since age 1. He has the odd cup here and there but he's not a milk lover and will rarely drink it. I just make sure he gets plenty of calcium from other sauces.

 

[AngelofTroy]

Micah goes through phases of loving milk and refusing it. I don't worry about it, he loves cheese and natural yoghurt, and I often put extra milk in his mashed potatoes/porridge to cool it down more anything!

Some days I'll realise he hasn't had any dairy at all! But then other days he has porridge with milk for breakfast, cheese sandwich for lunch, yoghurty curry for tea, and a cup of milk! So I figure it evens out!

 

[steph.]

My lo has never liked milk. I breastfed until 16 months and after that it was a struggle. We had success a few months ago with using flavoured straws, she would drink a whole cup of milk when using one of them. However it does have some sugar. Now I give her yoghurt,cheese, and a calcium and vit D vita-gummy which she loves.

 

[sbl]

My lo has no milk in a cup since 17 months she's just not fussed by it. She makes up for it in other ways cheese, yogurts etc.

 

[jd83]

As long as your lo is getting other sairy, like cheeses, yogurt, milk in cooked foods, or in cereal, etc, then its fine. Some kids never do like drinking regular milk. I personally haven't liked drinking milk since I was a young toddler, either. I eat dairy, and I drink milk if its not plain milk. Like chocolate milk, or milk that's in something else, like a frappe. Just don't like it plain, as I really can't stand the aftertaste of plain milk.

I wouldn't stress over it, as it sounds like your lo is still getting plenty dairy from other sources.