Worried sick about 18 month old's lack of milk intake

[Ivebeentangoed]

My 18 month old DS was ebf until 6 months and then mainly bf until 13 months apart from two bottles of formula 4 days a week when I was at work/cows milk from 12 months. When DS got to 13 months and I stopped bf, I gabe his milk in a bottle until 15 months when I decides to get rid. The problem is, since then he has been hardly drinking any milk. He will take a few sips from a cup and then throw it away/get up and leave it and just refuses to sit and drink it.

After a few months of this I am getting worried sick about the lack of milk he is having. The only milk I definately get into him is on his daily weetabix. I give him greek yoghurt and cheese but this can't be anywhere near the amount he is missing from milk.

I explained the problem to my hv, and she suggested trying different types of cups but I have already done this and he won't take it from even the most bottle like cup I can find. She then resorted to telling me that most 18 month olds still have a bottle at bedtime and strongly hinting that I go back to that.

I am now seriously considering trying it just to guarantee I can get one big milk drink into him a day. I always brush his teeth last thing so would it really be thst bad? The alternative is a lack of calcium which I am worried sick about - what is worse?

[EmLH]

I breastfed DD until she was two and she has always flatly refused cows milk. The only milk type drink she would take is Alpro soya chocolate flavour as she said it tasted exactly like breast milk?! I had the same concerns about calcium etc as you and spoke to my GP about it. She spoke to a nutritionist who sent me a leaflet detailing how many mg of calcium there are in everyday foods, including things like cake! It made me feel so much better as she was getting way more than the recommended amount. I would be happy to dig it out and send you a copy if you pm me.

[noblegiraffe]

They don't need that much calcium at that age at all. My DS never drank cows milk as a drink so when I stopped bfing at 17 months I looked it up and it turned out that milk in cereal, some cheese and a yoghurt was fine.

[Fairylea]

Please don't worry. .It sounds like there is enough calcium coming through in general so it really doesn't matter. Both my dc refused all milk from about 10 months (!) I just replaced it with other stuff like yoghurt and custard and cheese etc etc etc. Even peanut butter has calcium.

I also (bad mother alert) occasionally let ds now aged 2 have a strawberry nesquik as he really enjoys it and it's a great way of getting some milk into him - he wouldn't drink it without the flavouring and it has added vitamins and minerals (and lots of crap too but oh well)!

[museumum]

Sorry the sippy is bedtime, not breakfast.

[museumum]

My one year old has a short bf at breakfast and about 100ml in porridge then another 100ml or so in a sippy at breakfast. That's all.
He has cheese often and usually a low sugar baby yoghurt or fromage frais each day.
It hasn't really occurred to me to worry at this stage - how much should he be drinking?

[hollie84]

I don't think giving him a bottle matters at all by the way, the HV is right that lots do still have a bedtime bottle at that age. But when I stopped bfing DS1 at 13 months he never had a bottle and rarely drank cow's milk.

[fishfingerSarnies]

HV sounds off. At my dd 1 year review (she was about 17 months) I said she wouldn't drink milk. HV asked if she ate cheese, yoghurt etc which she does so HV said not to worry. I wouldnt worry feed plenty of other calcium foods. Sardines are good because you mash up the bones and they are full of calcium.

[hollie84]

They only need about 300ml of milk a day, so I really wouldn't worry.

100ml milk can be used on weetabix or porridge
a yogurt
a portion of cheese

That sounds like plenty to me?

[HavanaSlife]

Goodbye the nhs website says between 1-3 they need 350 mg of calcium a day

[HavanaSlife]

My first didn't drink milk from 12 months as he was intolerant he's 19 and perfectly fine. My friends son was the same and is also fine at 14.

If it really worries you just make sure he's having enough calcium other ways.

[TooFly]

My DD didn't drink any milk from 12 months when I stopped breastfeeding. She absolutely refused cows milk.

Like others have said I used to give her a lot of other diary like yogurt and milky cereal.

She's now a very healthy 7 year old who still doesn't like milk.

I can see my DS starting to go this way as well, he's started weaning and becoming increasingly uninterested in milk.

[NCISaddict]

My DD hasn't really drunk milk since she gave up BF and bottles at eleven months, she ate cheese and yoghurts plus a bit of milk on cereal.
She is 22 now, very healthy with good strong bones and teeth but still would only have milk as hot chocolate, she even has muesli with only a spoonful of milk on it.

[goodbyeyellowbrickroad]

I often think about this as DS who's 2 point blank refuses to drink milk. He'll eat milk in stuff like porridge and cheese sauce. Refuses yogurt aswell. I try to make sure he has other calcium rich food, for example he loves spinach.

Does anyone know how you figure out how much calcium a child needs or am I being too PFB?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I managed to get some milk into my dd by giving it to her in an open cup in the bath, I think the novelty worked for her.

Could you add some calcium rich or enriched foods to her diet. Ready brek and some white breads are fortified. Dried figs, broccolli, almonds (smooth almond butter is suitable at this age) and tinned fish with bones are all good. Try to get some good fats into him too like salmon, oily fish and avocado.

[BotBotticelli]

My DS stopped drinking ALL formula at 10mo. he has never had a drink of cows milk. He just doesn't like it. He just drinks water from a cup.

He will hhowever have ready brek with whole milk so he eats a big bowl of this every morning, and i give him lots of cheese based meals, yoghurts, butter etc.

He is on the 75th centile and has been since birth. He is a big happy healthy thriving boy. I think the hysteria about milk drinking on these boards can be unhelpful. Try to chill out about this, and don't go back to the bottle!

[FreeButtonBee]

Look, you really don't need to make yourself ill over this. They only need 300mls of milk a day to get the recommended calcium intake.

Lots of other foods have calcium - yoghurt/cheese/hummus/chickpeas/leafy veg - in fact, lots of these are better sources than milk. Plenty of babies are allergic to diary and manage fine.

My DTD drinks very little milk )about 100ml in a day at most) but has milky porridge in the morning and plenty of calcium rich foods throughout the course of the week.

also recommend trying an open cup - I often let my DTs drink out of a small glass (actually an ikea tea light holder but it is the perfect size for a toddler!) - they love it.

Oh don't forget things like custard (and even frozen custard and fruit puree in lolly molds) and rice pudding will all add a bit extra.

[Gerty1002]

I know you've said you've tried lots of cups but does that include open cups? My 11mo Ds has just recently began point blank refusing to drink from a lidded cup, just plays with it and throws it. Though he's a bit dribbly he will drink enthusiastically from an open cup.

[redcaryellowcar]

other thought i had was a hv mentioned that hovis best of both bread has added calcium, so we use that too!

[redcaryellowcar]

ds isn't a milk drinker either, i give him lots of yoghurt and fromage frais and cheese, when he was younger i used to stir cream cheese in to lots of stuff e.g spaghetti bolognese, if you Google calcium rich foods things like watercress, broccoli and leafy green Vegas have quite a lot as do canned fish e.g sardines (on toast for a nice simple tea?) he has cheese on oatcakes as a snack before bed too?

[RandomMess]

My eldest bottle fed baby gave up milk altogether from 11 months to about 20 months when I suddenly tried weak chocolate milk. She was absolutely fine, my youngest also pretty much gave up milk at the same age despite being breast fed whilst the middle 2 were milkholics!!!

I would stop trying altogether for a few months, I can't imagine anything more offputting than constantly being "forced" to try something I don't like anymore.

[tortoisesarefab]

Mine wouldn't drink milk from a cup either until he started using an open cup at around 2 years. I would keep doing what you are doing. My Ds has oatibix instead of weetabix as he can't tolerate weetabix and oatibix absorbs milk like a sponge! He must have about half a pint on one! Maybe try that to get a bit more into him?

[Ivebeentangoed]

Wow thank you for replying at this time! I cant sleep for worrying about him, always seems worse at night. Good idea about working out the calcium he gets from food makemine - might put my mind at rest too. That sounds familiar about the stories - I keep putting it in his mouth and have tried holding him like a baby but he wriggles away, clamps his mouth shut, pushes it out, or dribbles out of takes a minute sip and then pushes it out. It is so frustrating for such a minute amount drunk.

Thanks waffle it is good to hear your ds is doing well despite lack of milk intake. I think part of my worry is I havent been that religious about yoghurt/cheese intake and am now worrying I have done damage. He otherwise has a very healthy diet and drinks tons of water but I am going to be shovelling more cheese and yoghurt into him

[WaffleWiffle]

My ebf son flatly refused all milk as a drink as soon as he was weaned at 6 months, including breast, expressed, formula and cows.

To this day (he is nearly 9) he doesn't have milk as a drink.

I make sure his diet is dairy-heavy. Cerial for breakfast, always has yoghurt for pudding after every meal.