bottles and milk!

[kisstina2000]

My 18 month old son has all of a sudden become obsessive over bottles. I've tried and tried giving him milk from a beaker but having no joy what so ever!!
Also, he will not drink cows milk! He will happily have it on his cereal and when i make a milkshake for him, but other than that he refuses it point blank.
Any ideas on how i encourage him to drink cows milk, with a beaker!?

[SaxyJag]

For actually drinking it, you're there. If he likes it on cereal and in milkshake, then fine. He's getting it, that's the main thing. After all, we don't eat stuff in forms we don't like - why should he?

Re. the beaker, have you tried one of those with a spouted lid?

[fletcherson]

if he has cows milk in cereal and in milkshake form that should be enough. He still needs powered milk for the extra vitamins and iron which cows milk lacks. My daughters not to keen on beakers, have you tried a sports cap bottle, she loves them. To be honest I don't think there's anything wrong with giving them bottles for there milk and beaker for water/juice. There's so much gripe about getting them off bottles, its not like there going to drink out of them forever. Have you tried drinking through a beaker, its not good, in fact its awful, no wonder most kids don't like them.

[curiosity]

My daughter hasn't drank milk since finishing formula (she's 6 today) I'm not a big fan of cows milk anyway as many people have mild intolerance to it causing aggravating symptoms such as excema (which she does)etc. Anyway, I stressed at first thinking about the calcium etc, but she eats yoghurts galore and cheese and will have milk on cereal, and in icecream, and puddings etc, she just won't drink it. It hasn't made her less healthy.

[xanderma]

I stopped giving my first 2 children bottles when they were about 2, and they haven't drunk milk since that day. So with my 3rd, I let her have a bottle as long as she wanted, just first thing in the morning and last thing at night - she did this until she was 5. I decided I'd rather do whatever it took to get her to her drink the milk than give in to some 'convention' which made it 'wrong'!

It depends what's more important to you - drinking milk or giving up a bottle?

Just remember, if he does keep a bottle, he'll be VERY unlikely to still be using it when he's 16!!

[redcrx]

I was lucky that my son took to a beaker for water and juice from the age of 6 months. I do know many whose children wont take to a beaker though. Some of those have found that the childrens cups with built in straws are much better.

At 18 months your son does not need the formula milk any more and follow on milk is full of sugar and is mainly a gimmick by the formula companies. You son should be getting all the vitimins and iron he needs from a healthy diet.

A yoghurt contains the equivalent of 3ozs milk so if your son really cant stomach milk on its own you can increase his intake by using yoghurts and cheeses.

Could you try making smoothies with milk and fresh furit rather than milkshakes?