My 1 y.o. won't drink milk from her sippy cup?

Question

She will drink milk from the bottle, but not from the cup. She will drink water and juice from cup. Does anyone have any suggestions?

We stopped giving her bottles 3 days ago. She just refuses to drink the milk from the cup.

Answer 1

In my opinion, you did the right thing. I took the bottle away from my son at 12 mo. It took about a week or week and a half but it worked out. You may want to not give her anything but milk for a few days to get her to take it. She will take it when she gets thirsty. sometimes you just have to be a little tough!

Answer 2

My niece did the same thing (she's 15 months old). My sister found that she would only drink water and juice from the cup, because that's how it was introduced to her. Just be consistent and keep using the cup for milk. Eventually she'll make the switch. She's just used to the bottle having the milk. My sister let her daughter stay a weekend with her mother-in-law and she never used the cup while she was there and has been off it since. Best of luck!

Answer 3

My friend's daughter did the exact same thing. She talked to her peditrician who told her that some child have difficulty getting away from the comfort that having milk from a bottle gives them. They just don't feel the same way when drinking from a sippy.

I guess this makes sense, since a bottle is the first thing that most babies get their milk from. During this time they get snuggles and hugs while begin held and fed.

The peditrician went on to say that it wasn't a big deal. As long as she's drinking enough milk and she knows how to use a sippy, she'll grow out of it eventually.

My 18 month old will drink only water from her sippy. Anything else results in a screaming fit and a thrown cup.

Answer 4

I agree with Jo's response. To ween my daughter from her bottle I gave her a choice, she could have special milk out of her cup or she could have regular milk from her bottle. She'd almost always take the cup and when she took the bottle it was more because there was something disturbing in her world that happened that day. For those days, I learned methods to give her comfort (like buying an inexpensive new stuffed animal, for instance).

For "special milk" I picked up a few different sugar-free Torani syrups to flavor the milk with and then worked up to sugar-free Chai (which is actually her favorite now). Give it to her a few times in her bottle before-hand so you know which is her favorite and then are able to use it as leverage.

One worry when looking at this solution is that she will like the flavored milk more and never go back to regular, but you can "dial down" the amount of syrup you put in to get back on track. My daughter likes them all and will now (at almost 3) ask for specifics.

If it helps, I also talked to her doctor and nurse, they both used this method as well. Made me feel better about doing it with mine.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Well as mean as this sounds, don't give her a choice in the matter. If you feel as a mother the time has come for the bottle to be gone-then do so. Take 1 bottle away and offer the milk in the sippy. It may take a week or two (and a few crying matches) but stand strong it will come. Continue to take 1 bottle at a time away until they are all gone.
Realize though milk is thicker than water or many juices. So the valve may be difficult with milk.

Answer 6

Other than mother's breast milk, I would not offer your child milk from any other source, especially not cow's milk. Your daughter is on the right track.

There is only one reason which I've found to support humans drinking cow's milk. We have grown up hearing that it's good for us and that we've grown accustomed to the taste and texture. Otherwise there is absolutely no nutrition that can not be obtained elsewhere, minus the negatives. Calcium seems to be the major claim for milk. It can be found elsewhere in green vegetables, almonds, and many other sources. Why we continue to drink cow's milk laced with growth hormones, antibiotics, and who knows what else is beyond me.

Since I've given up drinking milk about 5 years ago my health has greatly improved. Fewer allergy problems, asthma and breathing problems greatly reduced, I'm sleeping better, and I have more energy.

Do some research online and decide for yourself.
http://www.strongbones.org/
http://www.notmilk.com/
http://www.nomilk.com/

Answer 7

Try giving it to her in a child sized cup without the sippy. She may want to drink like a big girl. My 9 mo old girl, when she got sick that was the only way I could get her to drink anything. And my son when he was 1 he drank from a cup that way. Now he is 3 and will drink from a sippy.

Answer 8

Get rid of the bottles, all of them. Put everything in a cup. My son was the same way. Once he reliased he was out of options, the cup was better then nothing. Its usually a comfort thing. So keep everything else the same (milk temp). And don't get mad.

Answer 9

Why force a sippy cup? Can she drink from a regular cup? Or is the issue that she won't drink milk?
Milk is not the best thing for young children. If you are concerned about her calcium intake, try giving her soy milk instead. It is easier for children to digest and htey will have less issues (like bum rashes) with it.

Answer 10

I would say try a cup with a lid and a straw...or Nuby makes sippy cups with a rubber spout that is like a nipple on a bottle.
Good Luck!!