My kid refuses to drink milk out of a cup.

kleigh926 · March 2014

DD is still drinking 4 bottles a day (of whole milk). A couple weeks ago, I tried giving her milk in a sippy. She drank a little bit, but didn't really seem to be interested. The next day we tried again at the same time, and she threw a fit. As soon as she realized it was milk in the cup and not water, she started wailing and pushing it away. I decided to just do bottles again for a little while and try again another time.

Today we did it again. She drank 2 sips and then threw it down. About 10 minutes later, I put her in my lap and gave her the cup to see if she'd drink more. It was the same as before, she screamed at it and just kept pushing it away. I really want to stop giving bottles (or at least get down to just one bottle before bed), but how am I supposed to do that when she refuses to drink milk from a cup? I know milk is basically just a beverage at this point, but I do want her to be drinking some of it at least. WWYD?

djm31012 · March 2014

what about a straw cup. i think you need to keep offering it to get her used to it...at meals put a cup of a few oz of milk in front of her and see what happens.

kleigh926 · March 2014

We have a straw cup, but she doesn't understand how to use it. She tips it back like it's a sippy cup, and then of course she doesn't get any liquid through the straw. I guess I'll just have to keep offering and hope that she'll eventually take it. She doesn't always get a whole lot of other dairy in a day (we don't really do yogurt because she wants to feed herself, but she doesn't use a spoon yet).

octobermama87 · March 2014

DS won't drink WCM at all. He'll get milk with a bowl of cereal in the morning, cheese for lunch yogurt or yogurt melts for a snack and I give him (occasionally) a small glass of chocolate milk with his graham crackers for an after dinner treat. MOTY award to me. It's the only way he'll drink it. Lol

lbonga1 · March 2014

DD still refuses to take a nap without being given a bottle first. She'll go to sleep at night more often without it, but naps are a no-go. I tried giving her the milk in a straw cup, and she'll drink it, but then spit it out, and drink and spit it out, and it makes a huge mess. I'm not in any rush to stop the bottles. I'm thinking our goal is going to be closer to 15 months.

cinnasugar · March 2014

DS is hit or miss, some days he'll down milk like it's going out of style, and other days he practically won't touch it and one cup of milk will last us all day long. Honestly I put a sippy of milk on the kitchen floor and when he gets thirsty, he crawls up and takes a hit. You mentioned, and have to remember, that they aren't going to down it from a sippy like they do with a bottle, so you can't expect them to always drink a whole cup of it in one sitting. Just keep trying. When I feel like he hasn't gotten a lot of dairy on a given day, I usually give him cheese or yogurt for a snack.

colinsfebmommy · March 2014

lilsebastian said:

My pedi said as long as DD is getting 3 servings of dairy per day, it's NBD. I've been trying to introduce WCM in her straw cup, and she's not really a fan. I just keep offering an ounce or two, usually when she's eating something that will make her thirsty, like Pb&j. Then I can get her to drink some, and I just make sure to give enough yogurt, cheese, hide milk in smoothies, etc etc.

This exactly, my doc said same thing so this is what we do.

brachysira · March 2014

I am in no hurry to give up bottles. We all like them, and she seems so thirsty (and has too hard poops sometimes) that I have to keep her hydrated. I give a lot of 90% water + 10% juice bottles but I want her to have the fatty milk too. However, we are doing some other things too. First, at meals, we work on drinking out of a real cup. I hold it to prevent her from tossing it. I am planning to buy some "toddler cups" that have slots to drink out of...these reduce but do not prevent spills. I'm not sure this will help with milk but my view is that if a sippy is a fight, why not skip ahead to what the true goal is. Finally, we are back to yogurt after a hiatus where she was being really picky about being fed. She now is okay with being fed since she's been eating with her hands 99% of the time since day 1 and it's kind of novel. However, we are also working on eating with a spoon. This is not easy nor clean, but she gets better every time we try. In order for her to get a decent amount, I still have to feed most of the container, but perhaps if you work on the spoon feeding, dairy will be back in the mix soon.

kelly321 · March 2014

DD1 was the same way. We kept using bottles until she was 26 months old because she was teeny tiny (3rd percentile) and I wanted to make sure she was getting fat from milk. She then didn't drink any milk at all for about 8 months and just recently started drinking it out of a sippy cup.

DD2 is also showing no inclination to want to drink milk out of a sippy cup.

If it makes you feel any better, I was the same way as a baby - once the bottles were gone, I stopped drinking milk and still don't drink it plain to this day (I'll have it in cereal or hot chocolate, but drinking just plain milk makes me gag). I think I turned out alright

kleigh926 · March 2014

Haha @kelly321, I don't really care if she doesn't drink milk in the future. I rarely drink plain milk now (I like it, I just prefer water). But like you said, my DD is pretty little too, and sometimes she doesn't always eat a whole lot at meals. I want her to get the fat and calories from the milk.

For now, my plan is to keep giving bottles in the morning and before bed, and offering a sippy of milk with lunch and dinner and maybe a couple other times during the day. I'm hoping that with repeated exposure she will eventually become okay with it

Thanks for all your advice and opinions!

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