how to get 18m ds to drink cows milk?

[muslimah28]

hello

im 10w pregnant and since i got my bfp ive cut out the day time feeds as i got sick straight away and the bfing was becoming a strain. i'm now reducing night time feeds too. ds was (and is!) a boobmonster so had more bfs than most for his age, but i didn't mind as it was his main source of milk.

but now i need to get him to drink cows milk. he goes through a couple of days of liking it and then days of not liking to drink it at all. we've tried different things- normall full fat, then cravendale, now we're jersey cows milk gold top stuff- he likes this most of all but has gone off it now too.

A TYPICAL DAY:
-we did blw but ive taken to spoon feeding him cereal at breakfast to sneak in a bit of milk then (he probably gets about 200ml then).

-then i give him a yogurt drink every day as a snack, thats probably about 100ml, but its low fat not full fat as i can't find any yogurt drinks that are full fat.

-he will sometimes eat a babybel on some days.

-i give him 2 petit filous per day as desert.

when i read that back maybe his intake is OK? also he has a small appetite generally and is only on 9th centile so sometimes i think 1pint of milk (or equivalent dairy) is more than he would stomach with his size. but mostly i just worry hes not getting enough.

please give me your inspirational ideas for how you get your reluctant milk drinkers to drink milk!!

Different cheese? Yoghurts? Custards? Maybe it doesn't agree with him in large quantities (I've not had dairy for months and started again with cheese etc. However cows milk makes me feel sick).

You can also give other calcium rich foods (green veg, legumes eg beans, chickpeas with hummus) or try calcium fortified milks like oat milk which are easier on the tummy.

interesting, so it seems that up'ing other dairy is the way forward! it does sound like a easier approach than constantly offering milk in a cup/beaker and then throwing it away later after its been rejected....

ds does sometimes like mature cheddar, will try that again as a snack.

i like the ideas of main meals with dairy, any other ideas of other things? ds does like omellette but hed probably get bored if i gave it to him every day

milkshake is also a great idea. will it last a day or two in teh fridge? as making small quantities seems a waste, and such a load of washing up with the liquidiser faff too...but that wouldn't stop me trying it of course, i'll try anything right now!

thanks :)

They only need about 12oz/350ml of dairy a day anyway, so he sounds fine.

rita isn't it a pint a day? ive heard that from so many people but now you're questioning its making me think whether ive heard it from anywhere 'authoritative'...if you're right ill be so glad as hes difinitely getting at least 350ml!

joyful thank you, those are great ideas. will try rice pudding as an alternative pudding too! he also gets fruit for pudding, he loves fruit.

i did try to get some other yogurts that were just sweetened with fruit puree (tried rachels and also olum) but for some strange reason they always went off before their best before dates. it doesn't make any sense at all, but that's what happened! so i went with petit filous (which are full fat and have a decent amount of calcium, something like 17% of daily amount but cant be sure ive got the right figure there). also petit filous is a much better (thicker) consistency for self feeding.

thanks for your ideas, i'm definitely going to give the milkshake a go, i think (hope) ds will really go for it and i do have some frozen fruits in teh freezer so i can vary it a bit too.

It's only a pint (500-600ml) of formula for a baby 6-12 months. 12-24 months it's 350ml.

this is from the nhs website:

Children between the ages of one and three need to have around 350mg of calcium a day. About 300ml of milk (just over half a pint) would provide this.

(you can substitute other dairy products though so it doesnt all have to be in drink form).

rita and seona thank you so much for this info ive learnt something new and now i shall stop worrying!

Another milk-refuser here! DD is now 21 months, and still doesn't like milk as a drink. However she will happily have plenty on her cereal, ADORES cheese and will eat plenty of thick Greek yoghurt, which is higher in calcium than milk. Fromage frais too - she ate two Petit Filous today.
I also give her almond butter on toast / in sandwiches, which is another reasonable source of calcium.

If your DS is happily eating other dairy products, I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure he gets the opportunity to have plenty of them!

I'm a milk refuser and won't be giving it to my DS. For calcium we'll have tofu, sesame seeds, almonds, figs, green leafy vegetables and enriched rice/soy milk, to name just my favourites. The added bonus of this is that these foods are low in phosphorus (which meat has a lot of and dairy has a fair amount of) which inhibits calcium absorption.

Immaculada with the Greek yogurt is it pl if it's fat free? I bought some the other day for me fat free and also some for ds which was the normal stuff, but they didn't deliver the normal one in my online shop:(

Sparkly I like your list, how will you be giving the sesame seeds and almonds?

Tahini on toast and ground almonds in stuff. Sesame milk made with tahini, dates, vanilla, water, snap almond milk. De-LI-cious; we've been putting lecithin in our milky/smoothy things too, it's verily nice to drink.

If I was a modern day mum, with all the info on health that is out there these days, at our fingertips, I'd steer whey clear, pardon the pun, of introducing milk as a drink to my child's diet. Horrible stuff meant for cows. Still, if you want the usual health problems that Brits get from their unhealthy diet, go ahead, at least the NHS is free.

Sorry should say is it ok not pl

Thanks sparkly some good ideas will check how old the tahini in my cupboard is:)

Good question muslimah - I seem to remember that full fat has a higher protein content than fat free, but I'm not sure if the amount of calcium is affected....

Just Googled and it appears calcium content is just as high in low-fat varieties as in the full-fat versions.

thanks immaculada will share a pot of some greek yogurt today with him. yummy :)

Calcium requires fat for absorption so though low fat versions have as much calcium, you don't get as much.

Oh interesting sparkly, thanks. We never had a chance for the Greek yogurt today anyway, we had breadsticks and cheese instead and then that was enough for ds as his post nap snack. So maybe I'll save this pot for me and get some proper stuff next time. Thanks.