Help Toddler won't drink milk!

[Josie]

I didn't know where to put this question but since it's a health issue, I figured this might work...

My 18 month old grandson has decided that nothing that resembles milk will pass his lips. Actually, he started to refuse the bottle at nine months if it had anything white in it. But he would happily nurse though. They tried sippy cups with formula and whole milk with no success. His first experience with frozen custard (from the custard stand) was a total bomb, too! What kid hates ice cream?!?! My mistake, maybe I should have gotten the chocolate instead of vanilla since vanilla looks too much like milk!

He will eat all things cheese and yogurt with no ill effects. So I don't think it's any sensitivity to dairy. He will drink water and juice from his cup, so it isn't like he hates the cup. He will also take and eat milk on his cheerios. I thought maybe it's the "texture" of whole milk (which personally I can't stand!) and tired 2% but he wouldn't drink that either!

Any suggestions? Pediatrician is always telling mom and dad that he needs the milk. Which makes them feel bad. But how to you get a toddler to even put it to their lips if they don't want it? And he will fight you to the death if you try!

 

[joyfulheart]

I breastfed all 3 boys, and my youngest son did the same thing.
My son hates cheese, dairy of any kind, milk, ice cream. Refused every "solution"/compromise the doctor insisted we tried.

At age 6 he finally was willing to drink CHOCOLATE milk and now at age 13 that's the only dairy he's willing to consider.


I just re-read it and you said your son is willing to eat cheese and yogurt. And milk with cheerios.

He's fine. Ignore the doctor. Stop panicking.
He's getting dairy.
Add in chocolate flavored milk if you desire, but at that age= he's getting dairy in. Just in different methods other than milk. THATS OK.
Tell the doctor he's drinking the milk and let it go. The boyy isn't going to suffer.

Trust me, he's going to go through stages of only eating certain things that make you worry, but he's fine.

 

[summerthyme]

Agree with joyfulheart that as long as he's eating yogurt and cheese (but YOGURT? That doesn't "look like milk"- but ice cream does? Weird!) that he's getting the benefits of dairy.

And if he's letting you put it on his cereal, it's almost certainly a phase he'll outgrow.

My oldest would lose his mind if his dad would forget and put pepper on the breakfast eggs! He swore it was "ants". I don't think he ate added pepper until he was about 10!

The only thing I'll add here is for his parents to NOT replace the milk he would be drinking with juices (or, God forbid, sweetened flavored drinks)! In our house, it was milk, water (thankfully from our own artesian well, which has fantastic flavor) or OCCASIONAL whole juice for a treat.

Summerthyme

 

[Josie]

Okay...that's what I thought, too. Actually it's my grandson and DD is first time parent, so what the doctor says is gospel!! He gets one glass of juice a day with his afternoon snack that is watered down. The rest of the time, it's water (or milk but we know how that will go!). Don't want the little guy to get dehydrated! He seems to be thriving and is a little too smart for his own good!

 

[Pinecone]

Just a thought. I'm lactose intolerant, which seems to vary throughout the years in severity.

Cheese and yogurt do not bother me, but when you think about it, the lactose has been altered in those products. Milk and ice cream was off my list. Now, I can tolerate some ice cream, and a little milk. If I go over my limit there is a penalty to pay.

If he quit drinking milk at 9 months I'm wondering if he's figured out just how much he can tolerate without feeling bloated or crampy or gets "loose." Maybe, the milk in his cheerios is tolerable, but a whole glass later will cause discomfort.

Did he have ear infections when younger or spit up a lot when milk was put in his bottle? That is a sign, according to one of the kids' pediatricians, and how we figured out that both my kids were lactose intolerant as infants.

Otherwise, he's just being a kid! Enjoy.

 

[kilagal]

Have you tried fresh goats milk? Put in a special cup he picks out at the store. We had one that was shaped like a crayon for years. It worked great.

 

[duchess47]

I wouldn't drink milk as a baby, still don't - I hate it. My son was/is the same way. Lactose intolerant. He will be fine. My son's pediatrician many years ago told me no child ever willingly starved himself to death.

 

[Redcat]

I didn't drink much milk as a kid and rarely touch it as an adult. I will eat cheese and butter, but drinking milk is repulsive to me. My mom would get some dairy into me by making soups with it. That overpowered the taste and the texture to me. I'm fine as far as weight and bone density and I'm rarely sick. For me it's the texture of it. Fluids should be just that, like water. Milk has a slimy mouth feel to me if whole and taste like nasty water if skim. I guess some people just don't like it.

 

[packyderms_wife]

That overpowered the taste and the texture to me.

I think this is the problem, some types of milk I'm fine with, generally I prefer whole milk or 2%, but skim milk grosses me out and big time. It's a textural issue as it goes down my throat kinda reminds me of drinking slime.