https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 15 May 2026 13:25:01 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927140 Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:39:26 +0000 nwm 2927140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>both of my older two were like this, once we took away bottles they really stopped drinking milk! we try to serve milk in cereal, cheese and/or yogurt every day, but don't sweat it too much and it has been fine. my 2.5 year old transitioned just fine to drinking milk from a sippy cup but now he drinks way too much milk and has reverted to asking for it when he wakes up overnight, so i'm probably biased from this experience, but i would say you're in a good spot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927133 Sun, 12 Jun 2022 05:44:58 +0000 pachamama 2927133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: let's see... he was probably 2.5? I distinctly remember thinking both my kids were never going to give up the bottle lol. But they did! And FWIW, don't worry about the calcium thing too much, there's other good ways to get calcium. Also, take a look at the milk myth: <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/4/19/8447883/milk-health-benefit" rel="nofollow">https://www.vox.com/2015/4/19/8447883/milk-health-benefit</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927131 Sat, 11 Jun 2022 19:52:54 +0000 Chuckles 2927131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@togetherthroughlife: Thanks! It really helps that she's not too upset and I just keep reminding myself that she won't remember this at all after awhile. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927128 Sat, 11 Jun 2022 18:48:57 +0000 togetherthroughlife 2927128@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This sounds hard! And we have been in similar situations twice - with both my kiddos. Around the same age, too! I think at this point it is routine for her. She will definitely get enough calcium even without milk. We had to stop offering milk to my youngest in order to get rid of the bottles. She is also old enough to do a Flintstones (or similar) vitamin each day, cut in half. If you're worried about nutrients. I would just offer water in a cup she enjoys water in, and not worry about the milk for awhile! I know the headache it causes, especially in the bedtime routine, is really difficult. But it is only a season! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927127 Sat, 11 Jun 2022 09:55:29 +0000 Chuckles 2927127@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: thanks! Yes, I'm going to give him a call this week just to check in. </p> <p>@Lowell: and @pachamama: yeah, I don't know why I got so stuck on this one. Usually I'm like, the guidelines are fine for you, but my kid isn't ready. @pachamama: we had also started to decrease the amount of milk. Do you remember how old your DS was when he moved to the sippy cup? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927126 Sat, 11 Jun 2022 05:08:46 +0000 pachamama 2927126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son did the same! I just let him have the bottle. It was a comfort thing. Of all the battles there are with kids, this one was not worth it. He grew out of it. I did start watering down the milk and putting less and less in it. Then we went to a sippy cup. Eventually maybe after 6 months he never really asks for it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927125 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 22:56:53 +0000 Alexandra603 2927125@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just stop giving her milk. I have 3 kids and I've never really served them milk. It's unnecessary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927124 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 20:49:59 +0000 Lowell 2927124@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Same as Mrs Champagne, I let both my kids drink milk from bottles for a really long time. I failed to understand how an activity they did for maybe 10 minutes total each day was bad for their teeth - both of mine enjoyed milk at night as part of their bedtime routines and I never stressed about it. I did switch to one of those sippy bottles with the flexible silicone sealer (like a very early toddle transition thing, kind of like a camelbak, but no biting required to make liquid flow) and then they both kind of lost interest around age 3ish. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927123 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:32:32 +0000 MamaCate 2927123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: I would talk with your pediatrician! It was a long time ago for us but my memory was that he was very unconcerned. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927122 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 10:44:38 +0000 Chuckles 2927122@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JJ2626: thanks! She would happily eat cheese every day, so hopefully she'll be fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927121 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 10:27:17 +0000 JJ2626 2927121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter hardly drank any milk. Our pediatrician said it was fine as long as she has some dairy. Doesn’t need to be a ton. Some yogurt or cheese or cereal in milk. I do think there is a misconception that kids need a lot of dairy. I wouldn’t worry! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927120 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 09:56:58 +0000 Chuckles 2927120@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: I honestly wouldn't care if she drinks milk as long as she gets enough calcium. What did your pediatrician say about making sure your son got enough? People gain a lot of their bone density as kids, so I want to make sure she's not missing something now that could impact her later. I'm not sure about research into the current calcium guidelines and whether there's thoughts that they are outdated or influenced by the dairy lobby or something like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927119 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 09:38:27 +0000 MamaCate 2927119@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: this sounds really hard! At this point if you have drawn the line in the sand that the bottles are gone, I would be hesitant to give them back, just in terms of setting a precedent for how non-negotiable things are in the future.</p> <p>I am also wondering how much you think it matters if she just chooses not to drink milk at all? My son loved to nurse but when we tried to switch him to cows milk he was not interested. So ever since we night-weaned when he turned 2, he just doesn’t drink milk. </p> <p>He is almost 7 now and continues to basically just drink water. He is growing and strong and his pediatrician says he is fine. There are lots of other cultures where kids don’t drink as much milk as we do in the US. I think I did a multivitamin for a little while to manage the mom guilt but we stopped at some point.</p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927118 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 08:10:05 +0000 Chuckles 2927118@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Champagne: :heart: that's, of course, what I really want to do. I feel like, she can drink from all sorts of cups and we brush her teeth after, so who cares.<br /> I felt like I had to give it a good effort to see if she'd switch to cups if the bottles were truly gone, but if she still isn't drinking milk after a week, I might just give the bottles back.<br /> But was your DD willing to drink milk from cups if the bottles weren't available, like at a restaurant or at someone's house? Did your daughter switch to a cup around age 4? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927117 Fri, 10 Jun 2022 05:37:47 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2927117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: I just let my daughter have a bottle. She was (still is) pretty scrawny so 1-2 times a day when she had milk, it was in a bottle. She eventually stopped around age 4 😅 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/25-year-old-will-only-drink-milk-from-a-bottle#post-2927116 Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:52:11 +0000 Chuckles 2927116@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Help! My 2.5yo DD will only drink milk from a bottle. We tried transitioning from a bottle to a cup around 12 months, 16 months, 18 months, and 2 years. Each time, she absolutely refuses the cup. I've tried all the things - different milk temps, different cups including letting her pick a special cup, the Nuk sippys that are basically bottles, snuggled up with the sippy, etc. She is very strong willed and just has none of it. </p> <p>She was drinking 2 bottles a day - at wake up and before bed (but always brushing teeth after). Otherwise she drinks water from all sorts of cups, including straw and open cups. </p> <p>So on Monday I was like, we really need to stop. We told her the bottle fairy was coming to bring her bottles to new babies and would leave her a gift. I really hoped that eventually she would cave and use a cup. </p> <p>So far she's been mild-medium upset about it at bedtime and in the morning but otherwise isn't super distressed. It's taking her *forever* to fall asleep though, like not until 10pm. And she has been eating a snack before bed. But she still absolutely refuses to drink milk from a cup. </p> <p>Since she's not crazy upset about it, I'm mostly worried about how to make sure she's getting enough calcium, but also I just need her to go to sleep. She loves cheese but if she has more than a piece a day she gets constipated. She will also eat yogurt and oatmeal, but not every day. Same with ice cream. Otherwise she's kind of picky and won't eat other foods that have calcium like leafy greens. </p> <p>Thoughts? Advice? Commiseration? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921768 Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:37:49 +0000 karenbme 2921768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: have you tried any other toast toppings? My daughter loves hummus on bread and I have a friend whose daughter loved avocado toast so much they had to hide the avocados when she was little. We’ve also done cream cheese and berries on toast with good results (still messy though). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921767 Sat, 02 Jan 2021 00:33:21 +0000 karenbme 2921767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: pasta she eats with her fingers, but is also starting to take fork bites. We usually undress her before and then go straight to the tub because it gets MESSY. Quinoa she can eat with fingers, too, because it’s clumpy, but we also feed it off a spoon sometimes when we want to be fast and/or clean. The mess actually isn’t that bad when she self feeds quinoa, there are always stray grains, but they brush off/sweep up easily. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921752 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:28:28 +0000 MoonMoon 2921752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: pears always worked really well for us for constipation, more reliable even than prunes! Fresh or pouches, both always did the trick. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921749 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 17:16:44 +0000 erinbaderin 2921749@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chuckles: My son is 4.5 and has been on daily Restoralax since he was a year, whereas my 6 year old has never had problems. Some kids just have a harder time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921747 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:43:48 +0000 Chuckles 2921747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: Thanks! She had been eating a lot of cheese and pouches with banana, so we cut out most of that, but it's still an issue. I keep thinking we're doing something wrong, so it helps to hear that some kids are just more prone to constipation.<br /> @Baby Boy Mom: Thanks for the reminder that fruits are carbs, too.<br /> @karenbme: How does your DD eat the noodles with meat sauce and quinoa? Fingers? Off a fork? I'm totally fine with a mess, but I want to make it worth it :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921746 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:39:17 +0000 Chuckles 2921746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks, everyone! Lots of good ideas here. I keep forgetting about toast. We've done some with a thin smear of peanut butter because pb is a favorite, but it's hit or miss. I think I have to keep reminding myself that most things are hit or miss with a toddler :grin: I think we'll try oatmeal muffins, noodles with some squash puree with a little cheese, and hopefully some lentils out of homemade soup. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921743 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 14:03:28 +0000 ilovepie 2921743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oatmeal muffins can be loaded with all sorts of good things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921736 Fri, 01 Jan 2021 12:11:04 +0000 MoonMoon 2921736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Smoothie pops? I blend oats or cooked oatmeal into smoothies and I'm sure a bit of squash or other cooked veggies would work too. Then freeze in a popsicle mold. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921725 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:45:11 +0000 karenbme 2921725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with others—if she likes Mac and cheese why not other pasta dishes? Our DD loves pasta with anything but especially meat sauce (I make bolognese, but I’m pretty sure any meat sauce would work). We also do whole wheat bread with hummus or peanut butter and starchy vegetables like steamed carrots and parsnips are favorites. She’s also really into pinching quinoa, which was hilarious when it was new. She was cold on oatmeal too until we stared mixing in a little applesauce and cinnamon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921724 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:33:19 +0000 meadow 2921724@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Try some cinnamon in oatmeal! And/or mix fruit in </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921723 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 19:31:17 +0000 greencraftycello 2921723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Quinoa, farro, beans-black, pinto, chickpea, navy, etc., brown rice </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921722 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:41:45 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2921722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Carrots, beets, turnips, butternut squash are yummy roasted. Lentils are my kids’ favorite. Also refried beans. We are mostly grain free as a family and it has been good for all of us. If she’s eating fruit she is probably getting the carbs she needs from that. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921721 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:17:49 +0000 catgirl 2921721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with the previous post. Also at that age we had to give DD some sort of prunes every day, otherwise everything would make her constipated. So prune puree mixed with apple sauce, stirred in oatmeal, or even spread on toast. Or some prune juice in a smoothie. </p> <p>For another mac and cheese sub try making a sauce with butternut squash. You can mix in just a bit of cheese, if you want, but you don't have to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/healthy-carbs-for-young-toddler#post-2921719 Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:01:15 +0000 erinbaderin 2921719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don’t think there are unhealthy carbs for a toddler. If she likes Mac and cheese but the cheese causes problems, what about noodles with butter and maybe just a sprinkle of cheese, or some kind of veggie sauce - tomato, or you could try puréed carrots loosened up with some butter. Rice cakes, crackers or bread sticks, toast? </p>