How do I encourage 1-year-old to drink more milk?

0 votes

Our 12-month old bundle of energy has transitioned to acceping cow milk without a problem. There's still plenty of breastmilk available fresh and pumped, but whole milk is a fine back up. The issue is getting her to drink enough of it! The pediatrician's recommendation is to aim for about 16oz of milk a day for her, and I am afraid we are falling quite short here. She nurses well in the morning when she has woken up, probably 4-5 ounces over 2-3 sittings in one hour. In the day she has as a goal 6-8 oz of milk (which she will take before naps) but frequently does not finish the milk. In the evening she'll nurse anything from a sip to maybe 3 oz. We offer her milk at mealtimes. She enjoys trying to drink from a cup, but it all goes down her front (so not a great way to get her to drink breastmilk she didn't finish earlier). Sippy cups and bottles she sips at and then throws across the room. Water she drinks much more happily from a sippycup.

How did you get your kids to start drinking milk with the meal and at mealtimes?

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Anonymous

Feb 2, 2010

4 Answers

  • 1 votes

    If I remember correctly, it's just 16oz of dairy in general.  So if not milk, try yogurt and cheese.  Our pediatrican said even ice-cream counts.
    aknitter

    Menlo Park, CA

    Feb 5, 2010

  • 0 votes

    Does it really matter that the milk is consumed with the meal?  With our first, he would regularly drink nearly a whole 8oz bottle of milk just before bed.  Our nighttime routine was basically "pyjamas, story, lights off, bottle, sleep"   Maybe trying to integrate a bottle into a similar routine at some point in the day would help?  Maybe offer her a bottle after she's done nursing?  (Yeah, I know...)

    With our second, she's less into having a routine as above, and I've certainly seen that although she can drink from a sippy cup, that she'll actually drink more if we give her a traditional bottle nipple (at 13mos).   It's quite a bit slower, but maybe that's would help her drink more overall?   You can also offer her a sippy cup first, and then when she stops, you can switch to bottle nipple and see if she keeps going.

    Mealtime can be really distracting for the young ones, and focusing to hold & drink might just be asking too much!
    Steve Lacy

    "Daddy do it!"
    Silicon Valley

    Feb 3, 2010

  • 0 votes

    My son is not a big drinker either (of any beverage). We discovered that he just couldn't sit still long enough to finish his milk rather than not actually wanting it. Starting when he was around 1, if we really wanted him to finish his milk, we would make it more interesting for him by singing songs or reading a book while he was drinking.

    Now he is 3 and he finds it entertaining if I count while he's drinking. Either keep drinking until I get to 10 or How many numbers will it take for you to finish your milk? (This sometimes works with other food as well. How many spoons will it take to finish your yogurt? Yay for how ever many it turns out to be.)

    This not being able to be still long enough to drink sounds more like what we've got here... Maybe we'll try the counting trick!

    - katja, Feb 3, 2010
    sweethi

    bounce, bounce ... hop, hop
    Seattle, WA

    Feb 3, 2010

  • 0 votes

    What your pediatrician is telling you is only a guideline. If your child is growing and developing normally, don't worry about exactly how many ounces of milk they consume. Each persons requirements vary from another person's and vary from day to day. Try to keep the bigger picture of general nutrition in mind and you'll be a much less worried parent!

    Good points again! Thanks. Our kid devours yogurt and cheese, too. Okay, we'll stop being concerned now. Any chance that ice cream mom eats counts as well?  :)

    - katja, Feb 5, 2010
    Lindsay

    San Mateo, CA

    Feb 5, 2010



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