So LO is still not drinking milk. He refuses the bottle and supplement formula. I still nurse at night so he’s getting BM. I stopped pumping once at work since yesterday because he won’t take BM in a bottle or cup. He will only drink water from his cups. It’s a good thing he weaned from the bottle so quickly but I am worried he hasn’t drank enough milk. I give yogurt,cheese and other calcium foods daily. Doc said to give time. I’m just scared he will lose weight. Is it normal for a 12 mo old to start to “thin out” as he’s walking and not on the formula etc???!? My family thinks I am worrying too much and he just had his well check up but that was before the transition. Any other suggestions? I offer high fats and he eats but is so active and just wants to go go go which I assume is normal because he just learned to walk....I give some solids and pouches because he’s eating that more. He throws his food on the floor at times so we feed him or hand him the food and encourage him to put in his mouth. We do a lot of praising for positive behavior and ignore the negative. I’m just worried he’s not getting enough.... sorry for being all over the place 
——TIA
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Both of my kids "slimmed down" when they started walking and became more active/less interested in sitting for meals. My first was tiny to begin with, and I remember being stressed about it at the time. But I found as long as I was offering a variety of balanced food options, she ate what she needed. (It just often wasn't as much as I thought she needed in one sitting, or as much as I thought she'd been getting from her formula!) She also wouldn't drink milk from the same kind of sippy cup she was used to using for water. We ended up using different cups for milk and water for a while.
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Neither of my kids liked milk while nursing at all. My first eventually learned to like milk (but probably past 2 - she weaned at 18m but wasn’t nursing a lot past 12m).
My second still won’t drink milk at 3.5!! And he weaned at 13m. Neither was super skinny but until about 3 his height %ile way outmatched his weight and he’s always been sup r active. No one ever said anything to me, he likes yogurt and cheese and we’ve just had to go with that. Try not to worry as long as they are healthy! He still eats in spurts too - skips or nearly skips meals for no reason, etc. He just has his own way. -
If he’s still getting some breastmilk, and eating dairy in other forms, I wouldn’t worry about it. My son also wouldn’t drink milk, and he’s 4 now and he still doesn’t really like it. I don’t like milk either so it didn’t strike me as too weird.
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@erinbaderin: @bhbee: @caitcat: I worry that he’s losing weight. Again, family says I am worrying too much :/. I will try a different cup... and if “milk” isn’t his thing right now I guess I have to be okay with it. I look at these templates online and read 1/2 cup of milk multiple times a day and freak out that he’s not gaining the nutrients or weight he will need from that alone. The breastfeeding at night helps but he’s still waking twice so now I am thinking he’s too hungry but then again that can just be habit?! Ugh
thank you ladies!
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My 2nd LO still barely drinks milk. She still nurses at 18 months but def not getting that much. She is also super super tiny and we've been concerned for a few months but as long as she's growing, even just a little, then she's alright! She eats well otherwise so I try not to stress!
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@cake2017: The websites say 2-3 servings of dairy a day, which means 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 inch cube of cheese. Getting two of those serving sizes over the course of a whole day is pretty easy. Plus... you're still getting some nursing sessions in, which counts too. Focus on getting him to eat a well balanced diet overall, rather than just on dairy intake. Kids slow their growth way down around a year... think about how many clothing sizes you go through in the first year vs. the second. Your guy is doing fine.
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@cake2017: i think after 12m nursing at night can definitely be a habit. My son was nursing 2-3x at night, then we sleep trained and he just stopped. I think it was mostly comfort vs nutrition.
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I have a milk drinker and a milk avoider! DS1 never drank milk out of anything but a bottle. We stopped bottles at 18 months (a little late, I know), and that was the last time he had any milk. He's just not a fan. He eats a TON of yogurt and cheese, so I don't worry about calcium. He also thinned out a ton once he started walking at 12 months and he was still drinking milk then. It's natural when they start building muscle and start losing their baby fat.
I wouldn't worry about it so much. It's completely normal for some babies to not like or want milk.
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@kiddosc: Okay you’re right- I’ll look over everything again and go shopping to get more things. Thank you
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@2PeasinaPod: @bhbee: @snowjewelz: For some reason I always thought a baby would drink whole milk. I didn’t know these “transitions “ would be hard. First time mommy here. I guess it’s a learning curve plus many other reasons. I tried the mixing, different cups, diluted with water and he just sips and throws it across the room. He loves his water though. I will try not to worry too much. Giving pouches that are geared for toddlers okay? I also give small finger foods... pasta,meats,puffs etc... thanks so much
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@cake2017: Totally understand your anxiety! Also if you offer yogurt/cheese, kids can get their diary from those sources too.
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He’s getting hydration from water and BM and calcium from food sources. He’s fine! He may eventually like milk or he may not. Drinking milk actually isn’t really a “requirement” for babies/toddlers.
Thinning out as they get older and walk is also very normal. They lose their baby chub!
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This article also has some helpful points.
1) kids/babies only need about 16oz of milk a day
2) but they also get what they need from foods
3) milk after 1 isn’t a meal, it’s a complementary beverage with food. Don’t expect them to chug it in the same quantities as they did a bottle.https://www.parents.com/baby/feeding/solid-foods/introduce-cows-milk/
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My guy doesn’t drink milk either. The only thing he drinks is water. He does eat cheese and yogurt. His ped is not concerned. He has definietly thinned out and is dropping percentiles, but again, his ped said it’s normal. I keep OCD records of his weight and height and they show that he has hasn’t gained much weight at all. He’s perfectly healthy though!
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One of my kids could not drink milk and the other would not. There is absolutely no medical reason kids need to drink milk. It's just a cultural preference. Drinking water is super important, but toddlers can meet their entire caloric and nutritional needs with regular food. Milk adds in fat and calcium, so just make sure to offer enough of that in other forms.
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I have another LO who doesn't drink milk. DH and I don't drink it, so we never offered it. She LOVES yogurt and cheese, and the pediatrician has never once asked about milk intake. It is NOT necessary for kids to drink milk, so if your LO doesn't like it, I would shift your focus to encouraging other foods. You can always sneak milk (cow, breast, or other) into a smoothie if weight becomes a problem, but they are not supposed to be baby pudgy forever!
At two and a half, I am thrilled that my LO loves water and we don't have to fight a milk monster.
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At that age my kid was weirdly rigid about what cups were for what. He would only drink water from an open cup, but was perfectly willing to drink pumped milk or cow milk from a straw cup or a 360 cup.
Now, at 3, he'll drink anything out of anything. Except that it is unacceptable to put milk in a blue cup of any kind. :shrug:. Kids are weird.
So maybe he's be into it with a different cup?
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Just wanted to say perfectly normal concern and you should talk to your pedi to be sure but it is most likely just fine. My son refused milk forever, he finally started to like it...I can’t recall when to be honest. I am trying to remember if it was around the time I night weaned him.
I stressed because around a year he was moved to a new room at daycare and breastmilk was not allowed. And he just would not drink whole milk. He did eat cheese and yogurt throughout that time. He has remained steady in his percentiles for height and weight but has slimmed out considerably.
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@MACSUNSHINE: @lilyofthewest: @lady baltimore: @MrsSRS: @SweetiePie: Thank you for the posts and articles. They were very helpful. I’m going to focus on his foods and try to be more creative with options. I guess I love that baby fat that he seems to be losing! I’m happy he’s growing and eating though! Thanks again everyone!
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@peaches1038: Thank you! His last visit doc said he was good too! I’ll defin call if my concern stays the same but I think I should focus on the foods!
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