We’ve been weaning her off the bottle for a while now. Started with cutting off the bottle at night time and have now stopped giving her the bottle completely.
She hates sippy cups so I got her one of those straw cups. She drinks water and juice from it but refuses to drink milk It’s been a couple of days and she’ll only have a sip or two of milk and then refuse to drink anymore.
She’s 2.5 years old … I’m worried! Does she really need to drink milk in order to be healthy or can we substitute that with yogurt and cheese etc. She LOVESSS yogurt and has it every day.
Did anyone else go through this?? I need some tips on how to make her drink milk …
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
I went through this BUT I was the stubborn child . I can’t remember ever drinking milk out of a glass. My mom says I used to drink milk from the bottle and she finally refused to let me use the bottle when I started kindergarden! And I totally refused to drink milk from anything else.
'til this day I can’t drink it. I’ve tried and the taste/smell makes me want to throw up. But I love cheese and other dairy products. Personally I’ve never experienced any health issues due to this. I’m not a doctor but I have no idea why your daughter would experience health issues as long as she gets her calcium/nutrients from other sources.
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
Many kids give up milk once the bottle is gone. I think technically after two they don’t really need it. If your child otherwise has a low-sugar healthy diet, maybe try chocolate milk. I’ve seen it work.
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
My eldest who drank milk from the bottle till she was almost 3, never liked milk from a cup, even now we kind of make her drink her 2 cups daily, my other two, who never got the bottle, went straight from nursing to cup and straw, love to drink milk, no issues with them.
But of course if your daugther is having yoghurt and cheese, then u dont need to worry.
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
My sister still drank from the bottle till she was 5! Reason being because the rest of us stopped completely once the bottle was gone so mum let her have it before bed and in the morning as she was in nursery for the day, I think I will do the same with my daughter too just so she still has her calcium intake, even tho she will be eating cheese and yogurts iA.
Is it considered a bad thing if kids still drink from the bottle?
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
If the child is taking a bottle to bed, it promotes tooth decay, and the constant sipping/sucking on the nipple can inhibit oral-motor muscle development,speech and articulation development.
My now 7 yr old is facing all sorts of dental problems right now, and one reason is because he took the pacifier for a long time (past age 3). It’s the same concept with sucking on a bottle.
You should consult a dentist to find out of the possibility of damage
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
Not only does it impact the health of their teeth (because of the sucking motion and the fact that milk is sweet and therefore can damage their teeth) but personally I feel like kids as old as 5 need to know they’re big kids and not babies anymore! Feeders are for babies. I admit I’m kinda late with weaning my daughter off and should have done it earlier .. But I would never let her have it until she is 5 .. that doesn’t sound or look right at all.
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
The thing is that we’ve been relying on milk for her calcium intake for so long now that it just feels weird to just quit milk like this. I tried again this morning but now she wont even have juice or water in the cup! She even woke up in the middle of the night last night and cried for her feeder!!! I mean it’s been days!! I know I need to stay consistent and not give in .. I just feel so bad for her
Unfortunately my child is the pickiest eater ever and wont even come close to porridge/cereal these days
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
WendyDarling, mine is now 4, but the stuff she put us through in her early years, I wish upon no one. I guess I shouldn’t blame her entirely, since I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. But as a result of all, she has been and still is the pickiest eater alive.
She went through phases starting as early as 5 months, where she refused to drink milk. I tried things like ThickIt, to make it a pudding consistency and got whatever I could into her. The only good thing that came out of it was she got a hang of the sippy cup by 8-10 months, and was pretty much weaned off the bottle by 14 months.
She was put on on a high calorie pediasure-like formula (Nutren Junior) by her ped for a long time 'cause she just wouldn’t eat enough. It’s from age 1-12 years. Maybe you can try something like that? It comes in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavours. It’s made with whey protein, which is easier to digest than pediasure. I found her appetite got somewhat better on it. You can also try regular chocolate milk, or even add rooh afza to milk if she takes to it? After two years, it would be ok to give her dairy alternatives like plain or fruit yogurt and cheese. You could even try making rice pudding or something. Mine loved mashed potatoes, so I would make that with milk and butter to get some dairy into her. If she eats pasta, you can add a ton of cheese to it. If she eats rice, you can add yogurt to that. In any case, they only need 2 cups of milk a day by this age, so I’m sure you could go by with yogurt and cheese and other alternatives, while trying to get her taste developed for flavoured milk. I know it’s not as good as plain milk, but in my experience and a million tips I got from various dietitians, occupational therapists and peds, you just focus on getting in the calories and nutrients.
p.s. My daughter now loves plain milk more than flavoured.
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
Thanks seabee! My child sounds a lot like yours. You know, I don’t even know what she likes anymore. It really depends on her mood and just when I think I’ve figured her out she just changes again. She’ll eat rice .. sometimes. Not a fan of pasta, will eat roti sometimes. She’s just not a fan of food and only likes things like fries etc
Today she hasn’t eaten a thing!!! Can this be because of the bottle? Is she trying to tell us something? I don’t like this bhook hartal she’s on .. it’s making me frustrated. She seems so sad and weak. Won’t drink anything and just throws her sippy away if I try to give it to her. Made her waffles (which she usually loves) but she won’t eat it. Didn’t want toast, cereal bar .. I even tried giving her cookies .. She won’t eat anything!! I don’t wanna give in and give her the bottle but it just breaks my heart to see her this sad and I feel like a bad mom for not giving it to her
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
You are not a bad mom!!! Stick to your guns! She’s just being a normal toddler…pushing the boundries to get what she wants. Believe me, she’ll eat when she gets hungry enough! Just keep offering her food as normal, don’t act like it’s a big deal if she refuses…she will give in!
And yes, Pediasure is great…that’s how I trasitioned my eldest when I had to quit breastfeeding cold turkey at 14 months..he wouldn’t go near milk in a sippy cup! But a straw and regular glass worked!
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
I wish she could just tell me what she wants … bachi ko bolna bhi nahi aata!!
You should start right now! It’ll just get harder the more you delay it. I took away her feeder a few months ago too but gave in (I know!! ) and gave it back to her. To prevent that from happening again I just threw her feeders in the trash
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
I’ve been thinking of giving her pediasure too … she’s tall for her age but she’s a skinny little thing and not quite where she should be weight wise. Her dr told us to try it. Maybe it’s time we did ..
Re: My toddler has stopped drinking milk completely
Wendy I started a thread not too long ago.. overweight kids. Mine wouldn’t stop drinking milk or eating.. he can eat like an adult and he is just 20 months. I took advice of people here and his doctor. I give him water instead of milk in his bottle. I was surprised he didn’t cry or care that he was getting water not milk. I think some of them just like the idea of taking bottle in bed… don’t care what’s in it. Try giving her water in her bottle instead of milk. His pead said eventually he won’t ask for anything in bed.. water or milk.
I don’t know why your daughter isn’t drinking milk.. but just wanted to tell my experience with milk bottle in bed.
It’s been a couple of days and she’ll only have a sip or two of milk and then refuse to drink anymore.
I can’t remember ever drinking milk out of a glass. My mom says I used to drink milk from the bottle and she finally refused to let me use the bottle when I started kindergarden! And I totally refused to drink milk from anything else. 
really?! How so?
But I would never let her have it until she is 5 .. that doesn’t sound or look right at all.
I guess I shouldn’t blame her entirely, since I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose. But as a result of all, she has been and still is the pickiest eater alive.
