Pregnant - want to wean, but he won't drink milk!

[Aydinsmom]

Thanks for the info! I am glad your LO is drinking some type of milk. I will try enfamill vanilla and vanilla soy milk. For a while i thought he was going to drink milk mixed with orange juice, but he started protesting after a while and I am afraid he will get dehydrated. I have resorted to mixing milk and water. He will drink it with very little milk, and I am going to up the milk very very gradually ( unless he takes to another milk).

I am currently nursing only first thing in the am and before bed, which he is completely fine with. I bought iron kids calcium fortified bread to help boost his calcium and also started giving him almond butter or peanut butter most days. I am feeling less worried, but if he still won't drink by his 15th month appt, I may ask the dr to refer us to a nutritionist. I am still thinking of trying the cold turkey wean suggested by the dr (she said he would realize he has to drink milk from a cup), but only as a last resort when I am sure I am okay with weaning. It seems he is not getting a lot, so my milk may be starting to dry up.

[songbird516]

A great way to get calcium is with homemade bone broth/stock. I would never give my baby soy after learning about how it's mostly GMO and and not good for the thyroid.

yogurt/kefir are also great ideas. My daughter didn't like milk until I started weaning her, now she drinks more. We get raw milk, though, which is much better tolerated by children and adults, and closer to breastmilk.

[Aydinsmom]

Thanks for the ideas. I do make homemade chicken stock sometimes so I will try to see if he will drink some soup. He used to, but he has his own little mind now.

Unfortunately, yogurt and kefir are also refused...

[MamatoGreta]

I second the bone broth! Very highly absorbed calcium, much better than any dairy product.

[Aydinsmom]

Slowly but surely DS has started drinking cows milk. Probably not 16 oz a day but sometimes it gets close to that. Mixing it with water and just decreasing the water slowly did the trick. I think it was the consistency he had to get used to. Thanks for all the suggestions.

He is now fully weaned (my milk has dried up I think) and he never even cried when I stopped. I think my supply must have been decreasing for a while.

[ericandash]

I weaned my dd #1 when she was about 18 months. My dd has a sensitivity to cows milk and won't do cheese at all. She never took a bottle and would drink water from a sippy cup but nothing else. I stopped worrying about it and just made sure that I was feeding her a healthy balance of food. I also give her a childs multivitamin (rainbow light) and vitamin d3 drops (1,000 IU a day) She is now a very active very healthy 3 1/2 year old. Still doesn't do milk or cheese. I don't know if this helps at all but I thought I would share our experience.

[cdmomma2]

my daughter refused milk till about18months now she will drink fat free lactose free milk. (it's what i drink) but nothing else. I figure it's a building point... maybe you can try lactose free milk. It tends to be sweeter like breastmilk and easier on an adjusting toddlers stomach