I cant get my 2 year old to drink any milk or anything with milk in

[hayleylouise]

My 2 year old boy has cut out all his bottles of cows milk and am struggling to get him to eat yogurt, fromage, rice pudding etc. Any ideas?

Stir a bit of butter or milk into other food.

Mashed potato, pasta sauces etc.

It's not a disaster if he doesn't want much dairy - some kids just don't like milk. Calcium is found in green leafy veg (I think!) and you could always get a suppliment/multi vitamins for him.

Perhaps he knows what's good for him! Seriously though, there are other ways for him to get calcium if he won't drink it. My dd refused any cows milk when I stopped breastfeeding and she still doesn't drink it or eat white sauce, hates butter etc. Dark green veg, cereals, canned fish sesame seeds or the dairy alternatives are often fortified.

does he not like cereals in morning either with milk
have you tried to colour his milk (IE) crusha not alot but just enough to make it go pink

My dp did this while a baby.His mum put ovaltine in the milk and he drank it without a problem.Was only way he would drink it for a while.

my ds 2 won't eat yoghurt or drink milk anymore but will have strawberry yoghurt/milk drinks in those little pots with a straw

Strange cos he isn't actually a fussy eater generally - well not for a two year old.

Yoghurt drinks worth a try if you make it a novelty with a straw/the little bottles?

Try researching Qunioa on google, I mix it into mashed potatoes and DD eats it without even realising,more calcuim than milk and its better than milk as i seem to remember that its absorbed into the body better (??!??! i think magnesuim in milk stops calcuim being absorbed as well?) i get mine from sainsburys is cheap too

have cut and paste this from google:

Quinoa - more calcium than milk!
A staple of the Inca diet and a cousin of the Amaranth grain, Quinoa has so many health promoting properties, traditional South American cultures called it ?the mother grain?. It has the highest protein content of all grains - making it an excellent alternative for newly-converted vegetarians and vegans who may still be craving protein. It also has more calcium than milk. A good source of blood-building iron, phosphorous for a healthy heart, kidneys and brain, antioxidant vitamin E and the anti-stress B vitamins, it also has a higher fat content than other grains.

*i mix it into mash AFTER cooking it btw

What Mrs C said....

Cows milk, despite the advertising, is not the easiest absorbed source of calcium.

But cheese in its varying forms is worth a try?

All my kids hated full fat milk.

Have you tried semi-skimmed?

My son went off milk at 10 months old, and the only way i could get it in him was with weetabix.
They absorb loads of milk if you leave them for a while.

My sister buys the straws for her DD.
They turn the milk pink or brown when sucked up the straw.

I wouldnt recommend semi-skimmed actually.....

It's quite possible that he has lactose intollerance and that cow's milk won't actually be good for him. I've seen adverts for tests that can be done. As others have said, there are other ways of getting calcium, like leafy greens, but also you can try sesame (houmous has plenty in it).
Don't worry too much but make sure he's getting the calcium some other way. I would never force a child to eat something they don't like, but always continue to offer them a bit of it and let them refuse it if they want.
I read recently that genetically most people around the world are lactose intollerant but genetically, Northern Europens have built up a tollerance.
It could just be his genes.