Cant get my 1y.o. to drink milk

[ahurley2@att.net]

My 1 y.o. refuses to drink milk. I have tried everything; starting out with reduced fat and then switching to whole. Adding a little bit of flavoring to the milk. Putting ice cubes in with her milk. Not only does she not like to drink it, when she does, she gags... Any suggestions??

[MommyToConnor]

Have you tried warming the milk? My son will absolutely not drink his milk unless it's warm. Just run the bottle or sippy under the hot water faucet. As far as gagging, it may just be because she is stubborn or doesn't want to try a new liquid. You should talk to your daughter's doctor to see what he or she reccomends.

[Spring Chicken]

Is there a reason she NEEDS to drink milk, specifically? And, just a thought, she may be intolerant of it. The gagging makes me wonder. I disliked milk when I was a kid (still do), but drank it anyway because it just never occurred to me to kick up a fuss about it. Kids drank milk. Period. I was continually suffering with gastrointestinal problems, not major enough for my mom to really notice, but enough for me to be uncomfortable. It wasn't until I was an adult and had to alter my cooking/eating habits because someone else had severe allergies to many proteins that I realized that I felt so much better without dairy.

If you're concerned about her getting calcium from a dairy source, you could try a good quality yogurt. Most kids like that, it's good for you, and even many lactose-intolerant people can handle a bit of it. Or if it must be milk, you could sneak it into things. A banana in the blender with a bit of milk, for example. Baked goods with milk powder added to the ingredients (or actual milk). Depending on her tastes, there's plenty of sneaky options

[LadyWho]

I would go right to the pediatrician for this one. I was nervous, my little one wouldn't make the switch and she surprised us all; she made a fast and easy transition to whole milk. Only if we could get her to eat something other than baby food. The dr. will tell you exactly what to do, especially if your baby is having a gagging reaction to milk. I'm thinking maybe she/he didn't like the reduced fat milk and won't even think about giving the whole milk a chance. I believe all doctors for the most part suggest babies switching from formula to whole milk for a year before switching them to 2% milk. I'd call the dr. and see what the doctor says. Some babies stay on formula until they are two. All babies are different. Good Luck!

[Hill22]

We had the same issue so we mixed 1/2 milk & formula and then started backing down the formula each week until she was on only milk. This will only work of course if your child was formula fed prior to starting milk. We also warmed it up just like we did when she was on formula. She gagged at first also and sometimes I still wonder if she has a bit of a lactose insensitivity, but she will at least drink it now.