DD doesn't like Milk!

[metalchic8]

I'm pump weaning myself this week-Friday's the last day I bring it to work-(been once a day since 10/1) and am moving towards weaning completely. My almost 13 mo old DD will most likely continue twice a day (she's not too interested after work) for a bit but I'm trying to transition to whole milk and she doesn't care for it that much. We've tried it in bottles & sippy's, a regular cup worked best but I can only help her for so long! Doc's asked us to step up on her milk intake, wants her to take in a min of 20 oz a day - I only produce 1/2 oz at pumping so doc's guessing she's only getting a couple of oz from me each day. She's 30 inches long-pretty good-but a skinny girl at 20 lbs. Doc's not that worried right now (DH's 5ft11inches & was lucky to break 150 lbs until he quit smoking) but I'm so used to plump babies that I want to make sure she's getting enough.
Any suggestions on how to get her to drink milk? Right now we're supplementing w/that Next Step formula for toddlers to ease my mind. I'm the first in my family to BF this long & no one else had this problem with getting their kids to drink milk. Please help!!

[dulce_de_leche]

Why does your doc want her to drink cow milk? My dc were dairy allergic and most of my family and dh's family members are lactose intolerant. None of us drank cow milk as children. There are plenty of other sources of calcium, protein, vitamin D, calories--whatever you would find in cow milk. If she doesn't like it, I wouldn't push her to drink it.

[babyhellfire]

There really isn't a reason to push milk.I don't understand why your doc is.If it is a weight thing threre are plenty of other fatty things she could EAT.Plus I have always been told too much cow milk can cause anemia in babies.Rory wouldn't drink milk that age either.

[Amommy]

maybe try and borrow a few diff sippys from friends to see what she likes? some babies only like a particular sippy and nothing else. and maybe she also would like it warmed? ds is like that, he wants anything to drink warm. if she will take the formula...try putting 3/4 formula and 1/4 milk ....then slowly up the milk content and down the formula content. i would make sure too she does not have an allergy that makes her uncomfortable, but most likely she is just not liking a new taste.

[ima062002]

Doc's asked us to step up on her milk intake, wants her to take in a min of 20 oz a day

Does your pedi know that this much of cow's milk likely will interfere with iron absorption??? There are many who say not to go over 16 oz!

How much did your dd weigh at birth? Bf infants don't triple their birthweight. They on average 2.5 it. My dd was born 6 lbs 7 oz and now is about 18+ at almost one year. Right on target. I doubt that she'll be 20 lbs. at 13 mo.

There a lot of foods who have calcium in them and protein. If you are worried about her being skinny, why not add healthy fats to her diet - avocado, hummus, flax seed oil added to foods, sun butter?

[metalchic8]

Ok, let me clarify - doc didn't say, make her drink 20 oz of milk, he wants her to take in 20 oz a day, whether BM, cow's milk, etc. I've been anticipating the switch to milk since I'm leaning towards weaning but want to make sure she gets enough nutrients and money's tight when thinking about formula. We only nurse when she wakes in the AM and before bed (I'll offer if she wakes in the middle of the night but lately she's not very interested, just wants a fresh diaper & then back to bed). So it was my decision to get whole milk going now.
It's been just over a week since I posted this and, of course, she's drinking it pretty well now. Mainly takes it w/meals and still gets an afternoon 8 oz helping of toddler formula.
How much did your dd weigh at birth? Bf infants don't triple their birthweight. They on average 2.5 it. My dd was born 6 lbs 7 oz and now is about 18+ at almost one year. Right on target. I doubt that she'll be 20 lbs. at 13 mo.
Had forgotten about that fact...She was 8 lbs 3 oz at birth (full term, 2 days before due dt) and on 10/22 for her check-up was 20 lbs 8 oz so right on target.

[aprilshowerz]

my son can't really handle milk either. he is taking formula, but im not sure how long he should be drinking it. i knew he probably wouldnt like milk bc while nursing i had to limit my milk intake and the formula he drinks is Enfamil GentleEase with less milk. I'm kinda lost on that topic myself. right now, I just make sure the foods he eats make up for the calcium and vitamin d. Let me know if u get things figured out.

[KaraJ]

I slowly introduced cow's milk by mixing it into Rebekah's formula. She LOVES cow's milk, and drank a min. of 24 oz a day at 12 months. Hasn't done a thing to mess up her iron.

[catkrazy99]

My oldest drank a lot of milk and it didn't mess up her iron but I think she was the exception and not the rule. My youngest won't drink milk at all unless it is chocolate.

[kohlby]

I notice the first post is from a while ago, but I'll post in case anyone else has this problem. Cow's milk isn't needed. Replacing breastmilk with cow's milk isn't really a good replacement. (Cow's milk isn't a complete food like breastmilk). A 2 year old should have 3-4 calcium servings a day - breastfeeding 3-4 times counts as all of them! Or cheese, yogart, etc. My DS wouldn't drink more than one sip of cow's milk until 2.5 years old. I actually limit his cow's milk to one cup a day now even though he barely breastfeeds. (I worry about iron absoption. Plus, he's a sturdy kid and I think it's too easy to drink calories at his age - 4.5). My DD, who is nearly 2, drinks about 4oz of cow's milk a week. But she still breastfeeds at least 4 times a day. I'd rather my kids eat yogart than drink cow's milk.

The whole gain 2.5 times weight isn't exactly correct. It is what the books say but I think it's better to look at the child. Birthweight doesn't say what growth curve the kid is going to end up on. My son, was 2.5 times his weight at one- which meant he was huge. My DD, wasn't even twice her birth weight until 18 months - but that was perfectly fine for her. She gained far less than average slowly, but continued to gain. DS would gain a lot then stop gaining, gain a lot, then stop, etc. Kids grow differently.

*I tried everything to get my son to drink cow's milk earlier and nothing worked. I've heard that kids who may be allergic won't drink it until they outgrow the reaction. I was actually allergic to milk protiens (caseins) when I was younger, though I didn't have any symptoms! For my son, I tried cow's milk, soy milk, chocolate milk, milk mixed with breastmilk, rice milk (which doesn't have the fat so be careful to get enough fat). My DD did have a milk intolerance when she was born so I knew not to push cow's milk on her. (I had to go dairy free until she was a year old due to breastfeeding).

[irisheyes81]

My oldest will only drink milk if it is chocolate or strawberry...she loves chocolate milk. My second, though, refuses to drink milk period. I just give her cheese instead, and she loves that! Also, yogurt goes over well.