what should i do to get my baby to drink milk?

Barbara - posted on 08/09/2012

You can give yoghurt since it is equally good for your baby

Jennifer - posted on 12/10/2009

Well my advice would be to stop juice. I never did juice, my son always got a bunch of water and milk but occationally when he did get juice, he didn't want any milk or water later, I believe that if they know they can get sugar or I like to say dessert b4 dinner, they won't eat dinner, get rid of the juice, it might be hard, give it a couple of days and you might see you child switch gears once she knows you won't give in :)
Hope this helps

Sara - posted on 12/09/2009

my son didnt like milk either so hid pediatrician said to only give him milk to drink at mealtime. she said to mix strawberry or nesquik with it since they dont have caffeine. i felt kinda bad the first meal or two but after the second meal of only milk to drink he loves it! he went through a phase where he would only drink it with the chocolate nesquik but he's over it and will drink it plain. cant offer any advise on the juice...my son never liked it. i've been giving him water to drink since he started baby food veggies and fruits around 6-7 months. even now he prefers water to juice or even the occasional 'treat' of koolaid at hid grandma's house!

Zoe - posted on 12/04/2009

Water during the day is best!!!!

Zoe - posted on 12/04/2009

My daughter also drinks watered down juice since she stopped drinking boob... I spoke to the early childhood nurse, and she said that it is common for kids not to like cow's milk/formula after stopping breastmilk. As long as you are not putting your baby to bed on a bottle of juice and leaving it in her mouth once she falls asleep, and she doesn't walk around all day with a bottle of juice, her teeth will be OK. I was also told that because she eats plenty of cheese and yoghurt, she was getting her dairy intake. My daughter is also quite picky about which juice she gets ... she prefers only watered down apricot nectar!! Hang in there :-)

Amy - posted on 12/03/2009

I would suggest not giving her juice for a while (We only give our son juice every once in a while). Once she is drinking other things ok then you may want to try giving a little juice sometimes, and just try not to give too much.

Also, I would suggest maybe bringing her shopping and see if she'll pick out a new sippy cup, then when you get home wash and hide ALL bottles.

It may take a few days to get her to drink more, but she'll be fine, if they are thirsty they will drink.

Also, does she react to the milk at all? like are her diapers different than others? You can always try other kinds of milk.

Our son's dr actually told us not to give him juice very often because then there's a good chance he may want just juice, and although some juice may be good for the child, they need to be able to drink milk and watter too. His dr also said that if we can get him in the habit of drinking watter now, that it *should* install healthier habits. (I'm not saying not to ever give her juice, but to try avoiding it until she's willing to drink other things).

Also, Recently we've found that if we create a schedule for our son that it has helped a lot. We give him milk with every meal, and watter, juice, or other liquids with snacks or when needed. Allowing her to only drink milk at meals, and watter during snacks to start with may help her get used to drinking the different liquids.

Good luck! I know it can be frustrating when babies/toddlers don't get what they want when they want it!

Cheryl - posted on 12/03/2009

Have you tried any milk alternatives? You child may have a dairy alleregy and instinctively knows to avoid too much of it. Try almond milk, rice milk, or goat's milk. I don't recommend soy, but that's another whole can of worms.



If you're worried about the Calcium, add green beans, broccli, and carrot juice to their diet. They are great sources of Calcium!



But ultimately, yes I agree with the other moms- WATER!!!

Emma - posted on 12/03/2009

My baby also won't drink milk except in a bottle, and wouldn't drink plain water either until recently. I noticed that if she didn't drink until after breakfast and the first drink I offered for the day was plain water that she would then drink water when it was offered later as well, but as soon as she sees juice or cordial she will only drink that.

Melaina - posted on 12/02/2009

I don't agree that all juice has no nutritional value. There are plenty of Fruit and Veggie juice combos that offer full servings of fruit and veggies. Of course, they still shouldn't be given in huge quantities, and teeth need to be brushed to make sure the sugar isn't rotting away the little pearly whites! But that doesn't really have anything to do with the milk question, lol. My son also doesn't like milk, and my doctor told me that as long as he's still getting his daily dairy portions from cheese, yogurt, etc., its ok if he refuses the milk.

Kerry - posted on 12/01/2009

First of all, try and stop the juice all together. It's very bad for their teeth (even diluted)and doesn't offer any nutritional value and your child is probably filling up on juice instead of milk and water. Don't worry too much if she won't drink milk. You can give her other dairy like cheese and yoghurt to supplement the lack of milk. At this age water is the best drink and if she doesn't get juice, she will eventually go to water. Perhaps you could get her to choose out a new "water" cup?

Rebekah - posted on 12/01/2009

I am guessing that cow's milk might not be as sweet as breastmilk (if you did that). I had a friend who added sugar free vanilla syrup to her baby's milk to help her make the transition and then phased it out....