any idea how to get 15mo to drink milk from a beaker?

[olivo]

she drinks loads of water all day from either a tommy tippee or a similar but free flow beaker. she'll also use a sports type water bottle (but only if its peppa pig ). however, she will not touch milk from anything but a bottle. i have tried all sorts - all the types above, avent magic teat things, beakers with built in straws, doidy, 'real' cups, a cow cup, boots own etc etc but all rejected. she is cutting down on the amount of milk she takes morning and evening - only about 4oz in the morning and about 6oz at night so i was hoping to give her cow's milk at meal times (she still has formula as i worry about her iron, being a veggie) but i dont want to have to give her a bottle. i'd also like to start weaning her of her a.m and p.m bottles, and just give her a beaker of milk instead.
any miracle suggestions?

oops, just realised this should probably be in the bottle feeding section. but if you can help...........

This might not help but as soon as I changed from formula to cows milk my DS wanted it out of a cup! Maybe he associated formula with bottles and because cows milk tastes different he didn't mind it in a cup. We swapped at 12 months - we are veggie too and make sure he gets lots of lentils, green veg, beans, chickpeas, etc in his meals to compensate for lack of iron. We still give DS a bottle at night (he's 15 months too) but more because I like the fact that it makes him sleepy rather than him wanting it!

Iron levels - I'm veggie, and ds doesn't eat much meat (dh not veggie and cooks organic meat for ds sometimes) - ds loves having carob powder added to his milk or breakfast cereal or yoghurt - fantastic source of iron.

Re cups we went through the Avent ones - perhaps you can use the 'magic' cups with standard teats, then change to toddler spout etc after she's got used to handles/colour etc.

ah fellow-veggies, thanks for your replies. interesting points you both make.and good ideas too. maybe i'll ask them at nursery to change her to cows milk at snack time - lots of the others already have milk and it'll be from a beaker - i find she tends to go with the herd too so maybe thats a good start. then i could use an avent cup with a teat at bed time till she's used to it.
IWGOT - i agree about the sleepy thing, will try the cup with the teat
MT - is carob powder chocolate-y? sounds like it should be! do i ge tit at the health food shop? never heard if it but sound s great for iron. she does eat quite a lot of lentils, tofu, trying to ge ther onto chickpeeas but not keen! and she likes her broccoli ( unlike me!!)
thanks for your help!

We're currently trying the stealth avent approach...

We're currently trying the stealth avent approach...

hello FP - please let me know if you have anyhting i can try!

I got onto carob as violently allergic to chocolate. But don't approach it as a chocolate substitute - not the same at all! For one thing, you can use the powder without adding any sugar. You used to be able to buy carob beans in the health shops but I havn't seen these for years. You can get as a bar, but the carob powder much better - not got anything added and gently sweet on its own.

Ds now specifically asks for carob in his milk or on his cereal as a 'treat' - it makes the milk go nice and brown and tastes nice! As it is such a good source of iron and is easily absorbed in this form, very good for me too.

Just to give you indication of iron value - was borderline needing a transfusion after d&c several years ago (lost 1.5l during op and was not great before then anyway) - they gave me iron pills, anticipating that it would take 3 wks to get to a more acceptable level. I was having a teaspoon of carob with breakfast, yoghurt at lunchtime and yoghurt in the evening. In 1 week had a further blood test - almost normal levels. It doesn't have all the -ves of iron pills either.

wow! i may look at it for myself as well!
thanks, will check it out when i'm next in town.

i think it is a case of gradually getting used to the taste of the milk- we just et her have it on a spoon from a bowl for a while, accepting she might not get enough for few weeks but she soon got used to the taste and accepted it out of a beaker.but the iron thing may mean you arent prepared to risk not having so much for a couple of weeks....

Have you tried telling her not to?

Kind of joking, but my two respond well to pantomime shock and horror when they do the thing you've jokingly told them not to.

Like the carob tip. We are veggie too. I sometimes give mine a teaspoon of Minadox(?) vitamin syrup from Boots which has iron in. Not sure if it's for use with children as young as your daughter, or even if the health professionals would recommend it, but it gives me some peace of mind when I think their diet's been a bit lacking.