How do you get your baby to drink milk?

Michelle - posted on 01/29/2010

My boy is 1 year old and doesn't have no bottles through the day at all and I am giving him milk in a sippe cup and he pulls faces all the time but I just give him water for a drink now and I leave milk in a cup and give it to him for lunch and breakfast but he refuses to have a bottle

Kylie - posted on 01/04/2010

Quoting Cindy:

I give my son his in a sippy cup w. a little bit of cereal(rice and apple) and sugar or honey he loves it: he is 11 months.

I'm sorry but I have to ask...Did anyone ever tell you what NOT to do with your baby? Honey is ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN to children under the age of 2. In fact, it's not recommended until almost 4 years old! Someone should have told you that, doctor, family, friends, anyone. That is a definite way to make him sick or even kill him. Stop the honey immediately or things could get really bad for your child.

Lindsey - posted on 01/03/2010

I know this is a little beind. If you still have not gotten you son of formula, this is what I did with my daughter. I started her out at 11 1/2 months drinking milk. Her ped. said the more solid foods they are eating depends on if you can go ahead and try it out. At first we were mixing the milk and formula together. But Addisyn didn't like that so we ust started giving her the milk. I personally took the bottle away as soon as I started giving her milk. She doesn't miss it at all. Now the passie thats another story. but thats just what I did. I know everyone is different. let me know how it works out! Oh and about the formula you already bought if you can't take it back tothe store you bought it at there are some places that will buy it. like kid-to-kid.

Jenny - posted on 12/21/2009

What I've been doing is giving my daughter two onces of formula and two onces of whole milk and warming it up a little and she has had no problem taking it.

Rebecca - posted on 12/21/2009

Quoting Melody:

what do you do when your child has only ever had goats milk formula due to eczema?

If your baby is happy with the taste I wouldn't worry about it too much - there is no hard and fast rule that we all have to drink cows milk.

I have vegan friends who supplement breast milk with rice milk, so it is really personal choice,and if it's better for your baby's health, go for it!

Lori - posted on 12/21/2009

When I introduced whole milk to my daughter about 2-3 weeks ago I did it cold turkey. The first few days she didn't drink much (per serving).... I did warm it up a little to get the chill out of it at first. After a few days she did get used to it and start drinking more and more... now she will drink 6-8oz cold in her cup each meal (give or take)

I did hear alot of babies just plain do not like the taste of whole milk since they are so used to BM/fomula, so mixing half and half could work and decrease the amount of BM/formula slowly.

Babies are so different and do things at their own pace... be patient and it will happen before you know it :)

Rebecca - posted on 12/21/2009

I would suggest getting them on to the sippy cup with formula so you can phase out the bottle all together.. I am still having trouble with my two year old giving up the milk bottle!
With my daughter I am trying to phase it out early - I found my son is a very lazy eater due to loving his milk so much!
I give my 1 year old Weet Bix with whole milk in the morning, and small meals for lunch and dinner with water in a sippy cup. She has two bottles, one at her morning sleep, one at night and if she wakes during the night. (This mainly happens if she didn't eat enough dinner)
I am alternating milk and formula until I run out of formula and to make sure her tummy is okay with it - I actually add some water to the whole milk at the moment which helps as milk seems to make my kids a bit constipated.
The milk transition is really more for financial reasons, as the toddler formula is actually pretty good for nutrients while they learn to eat properly.

Sorry, bit of a ramble, but I hope it helps!

Melissa - posted on 12/21/2009

I mix formula and cows milk. gradually using less formula and more cow's milk. Good Luck.

Sarah - posted on 12/20/2009

Quoting Kevlyn:

this is what the doctor told me to do with my first child and it worked and is working with my one year old... Put milk in the bottle add just a tad bit of sugar and if the baby is use to the formula being warm, then warm the milk the same as you did the formula...slowly take the sugar and the warming away... only give formula at night and slowly try to take that away also...

Let me know if that helps..please

I've read not to do this and have seen why not to do this...a friend of mine did this trying to get her one yr old daughter to drink milk and Oh boy she wouldn't drink it any other way after that! it was a battle that lasted over a year, and by 2 she already had a cavity.

May I suggest having a glass of milk with them and really put emphesiss on how much your injoying it...babies love to do and have things that "bigger" people have.

Shelby - posted on 12/20/2009

A girl at work told me she put 1/2 formula and 1/2 whole milk in a sippy cup and that worked for her daughter for the transition to milk.

Krystle - posted on 12/18/2009

i was told by my doctor to mix milk with formula ! like 4 oz of formula and 2 ozs of milk then once they get use to it mix half and half! my daughter just turned 1 and it seems to be working ! so good luck and hopes it works for u !

Melody - posted on 12/18/2009

what do you do when your child has only ever had goats milk formula due to eczema?

Jennifer - posted on 12/17/2009

mix formula and milk together. :)

I got lucky, both my kids love milk!

Laurie - posted on 12/17/2009

when i had my first child in 04 and it was almost time to switch to whole milk. the dr had had told me to start transitioning his formula to whole milk a week before he birthday.... 7 days before his first birthday i started with 7 oz of formula and 1 oz of whole milk. day 2 i did 6 oz of formula and 2 oz of whole milk. day 3 was 5 oz of formula and 3 oz of whole milk and so on..... so by his actual birthday morning he was ready for a whole 8 oz of whole milk... my son never had a problem with the whole milk..... i also did that for my newest child who turned a yr old yesterday... she is doing fine with it... hope this helps some of the new mothers out there.... god bless....

Misty - posted on 12/17/2009

My daughter turned one this week. She loves drinking whole milk cold from a sippy or with a straw, but when I tried to give it to her from her bottle, she wouldn't drink much of it. I started doing 4 oz of cold milk and adding in 2 oz of warm formula. She will take it just fine that way. It might be that it's cold.. try warming up the milk and see if that helps. Good luck!

Victoria - posted on 12/17/2009

well my daughter just took to it fine i was drinking a glass of whole milk and she wanted some she tasted it and has been drinkiing it for a week or more now stil on formula at night just because doctor told me to because of her weight

Katie - posted on 12/16/2009

Elijah started refusing his formula at about 10.5 months so I started to add a little bit of whole milk and he enjoyed it, he also likes his cheerios with milk and other foods as well...

Heather - posted on 12/16/2009

we flavor it with banana baby food. it works very well.

Heide - posted on 12/16/2009

hi,
my son just turn 1 year and what i did is half formula and half milk and he is doing good..

Marian - posted on 12/16/2009

maybe do 1/2 and 1/2 to start with just mix them and see if that works and just gradually go more milk then formula

Nora - posted on 12/16/2009

Tried this today for the first time. He is STARVING when he wakes, so that's the best time. Gave abottle with half formula and half milk. Balked at first, then drank it hungrily. Let's hope this continues!

Alecia - posted on 12/15/2009

My son will be 1 tomorrow. Been trying to make the transition the past two weeks and he too spits it out. So... I just went ahead and bought a small container of formula and giving him 4 ounces of formula to 2 ounces of milk. Next week I will cut it some more and put more milk in it. Get him used to the taste before I put it back in the sippy cup. Working great so far. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Seenita - posted on 12/15/2009

I give my son his in a sippy cup w. a little bit of cereal(rice and apple) and sugar or honey he loves it: he is 11 months.

India - posted on 12/15/2009

Yeah breastmilk is sweet. With my son for two weeks I did 1 oz whole milk and 3 oz breastmilk (he only does 4 oz bottles) to get him used to whole milk. He drank those bottles fine. So this week I am doing 1/2 and 1/2 and next week I hope to do mostly whole milk and the week or two after all whole milk.

Kevlyn - posted on 12/14/2009

Quoting Adele:

Good luck! I'm still struggling with this and its now been 4 days... I was really hoping for an easier transition than this!! I'm going to try the chocolate milk thing!

The only thing about trying the chocolate milk thing is then getting them to drink plain milk. My three year old use to drink plain milk all the time, but my mom gave her chocolate milk and strawberry milk and now she absolutly refuses plain milk.... So just be careful with that

Heather - posted on 12/14/2009

Mix half milk half formula It was th only way to get my son to drink formula after 7 months he ha been off formula for a few months now because he would not drink it evn mix after awhile

Adele - posted on 12/14/2009

Good luck! I'm still struggling with this and its now been 4 days... I was really hoping for an easier transition than this!! I'm going to try the chocolate milk thing!

Nichola - posted on 12/13/2009

I'm at this stage too and will be trying with formula/cow's milk mix approach once we're over his throat infection :o(

Kevlyn - posted on 12/13/2009

Quoting Becky:

I have never heard of putting sugar in milk, I remember reading somewhere not to do this, but I can't remember where. Plus formula isn't sweet at all, so it won't mimic the taste of it. I did read that you don't do it cold turkey. You should start out with a little whole milk mixed with EBM/formula (1/4 whole cows milk with 3/4 EMB/formula) and slowly increase the amount of cows milk as they get used to it. It is a new taste so it might take a while. Does he take his formula from a sippy cup? It could also be that the transition to sippy cup is different, too.

have you ever tasted formula or breast milk... the formula my children were on was sweet and breast milk is sweet also

Lydia - posted on 12/12/2009

We have been giving our daughter milk on her weetbix for a couple of months - dunno if this is why she had no trouble taking milk but it could be worth an experiment? Also she loves milk with a little yoghurt mixed in to drink...

Becky - posted on 12/12/2009

I have never heard of putting sugar in milk, I remember reading somewhere not to do this, but I can't remember where. Plus formula isn't sweet at all, so it won't mimic the taste of it. I did read that you don't do it cold turkey. You should start out with a little whole milk mixed with EBM/formula (1/4 whole cows milk with 3/4 EMB/formula) and slowly increase the amount of cows milk as they get used to it. It is a new taste so it might take a while. Does he take his formula from a sippy cup? It could also be that the transition to sippy cup is different, too.

Kevlyn - posted on 12/12/2009

this is what the doctor told me to do with my first child and it worked and is working with my one year old... Put milk in the bottle add just a tad bit of sugar and if the baby is use to the formula being warm, then warm the milk the same as you did the formula...slowly take the sugar and the warming away... only give formula at night and slowly try to take that away also...



Let me know if that helps..please

Holly - posted on 12/12/2009

I am with you..my son is breastfed and I am trying to introduce milk and he wants nothing to do with it..whole, skim or soy. Hope someone out there has some help??