kid/baby question

OK, Xman is a year old, and he should be transitioning to regular whole milk. The problem is when we give him milk, or milk mixed with formula he gags, spits it out and will not drink it. To the point of refusing a bottle or sippy cup because he thinks it might have milk in it. This would normally be OK, he drinks tons of water, but he will only eat Peaches,mandarin oranges, yogurt, and applesauce, and oatmeal( he prefers maple and brown sugar)and those dam Gerber Cheeto things .Anything else gets spit out, or thrown down.
I don't mind buying the formula, but I would really prefer not to, it is expensive.
Ideas? Advice?

Have you tried soy milk? Saige hated milk but she would drink soy, she eventually started to drink reg milk. Or maybe mixing milk with the formula slowly until it's more milk than formula? Maybe chocolate milk, like Ovaltine so it's still mostly healthy not just sugar? I personally hate the stuff so I don't blame him

We tried Soy, he wasn't having it. We started mixing 1/2 oz with 7 1/2 oz formula, gradually worked up to 2 oz and 6 oz, and then he could taste the milk apparently and stopped drinking it. He will drink straight formula all day, and is happy to do it, just not with Milk in it.

How long can they stay on formula?
My kids never took formula, or a bottle for that matter, so I am stumped.

If he eats cheese or yogurt then it's no big deal. Quinn won't drink milk but he loves cheese and yogurt so he just drinks juice and water. You can also switch him to the older baby formula (6 mos. and up) if you haven't already because it's cheaper.

Have you tried chocolate milk? They don't need much chocolate and sugar in it for them to like it. And once they're used to the texture of the milk you can start adding less and less.

soy milk for boys isn't the best thing... something to do with hormones... just don't remember. on the other hand, as a female I've been drinking it for more than 10 years and love it... can't stand cow milk!

I'd forgotten that, Dee, but you're right. Part of the reason soy is so good for women is that it has hormones very similar to estrogen in it. Probably not the best thing for a boy toddler. But I think in small amounts it should be OK since some formula is soy based.

Wait, I was wrong. But it may still be a problem because soy can interfere with calcium absorption so he'd still need a calcium rich diet.

I've heard that soy milk contains hormones. Are they safe for my toddler to ingest?

Expert Answers
Debby Demory-Luce, research nutritionist
Soy milk does contain phytoestrogens (an estrogen-like hormone found in plants such as whole grains, potatoes, dried beans, and apples), but there's no scientific evidence to date that drinking soy milk is harmful to children or adults. People have been drinking soy milk since the 1960s without ill effect. In fact, many brands of soy milk highlight the fact that they contain isoflavones, phytoestrogens that may lower blood cholesterol levels in adults. Soy milk is a good alternative for children over a year old who won't drink or are allergic to cows' milk. Just be sure to buy the vitamin-fortified whole-fat variety to make sure your child is getting the nutrients she needs.

Also make sure your child's diet contains other sources of calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods because soy milk contains phytates, naturally occurring substances found in whole-grain foods, legumes, and nuts that can decrease the absorption of calcium and other minerals. While the label on a container of fortified soy milk may say that an 8-ounce glass contains 200 to 300 mg of calcium, the phytates can prevent your child from absorbing that full amount. Studies have found that the body absorbs only about 75 percent of the calcium from soy milk. Calcium-rich or fortified foods include broccoli, kale, lime-processed tortillas, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified juices, cereals, waffles, and breakfast bars.

There's also more at The Washington Post

Does he have a lactose sensitivity? Kids can be funny like that, there may be a reason he doesn't like it. If not I would just keep offering it and getting it too him as much as possible (oatmeal, mashed potatoes anything you can get it in) and make sure his yogurt is whole milk yogurt.

He has been on a milk based formula for a while now, 9 ish months, so he shouldn't have a lactose issue. He can/will take any milk based formula.
I got some enfamil Next step with the coupons from tara, and he likes it....as long as no milk in it.
I would like to avoid Soy if at all possible, but we may have to go there.

I feel stupid for saying this, and please don't be insulted. Make sure that he doesn't drink any sodas. I've seen people start kids on them that were still using bottles, although I haven't for a long while so maybe people are starting to learn.

BUT the reason I mention it is that while a little sugar isn't going to hurt him, the phosphoric acid in most sodas actually leeches calcium out of you. So not only do kids who drink sodas often take in less calcium, they lose calcium every time they drink it. I know that Xander's mom and dad are quite young and also aren't being as responsible as you'd hoped. I figured there was a chance that they wouldn't realize how bad it would be for him. But with him not eating any calcium rich foods, not drinking milk, and being so young it could put him at risk for breaking bones. I read some articles about it recently and for some kids it's a real problem. There's a much higher incidence of broken bones than there used to be and when they studied it they realized that it wasn't just more accidents or even more serious accidents. It was that injuries that shouldn't cause a break are now causing breaks because a lot of teens, pre-teens, and even much younger kids are drinking so many sodas.

Like I said, I know that YOU know better. I just don't know if his mom and dad would think of it as risky for him.

I think I'd throw this one to the pediatrician at his next appointment and get his/her take on it.

edbson wrote:He has been on a milk based formula for a while now, 9 ish months, so he shouldn't have a lactose issue. He can/will take any milk based formula.
I got some enfamil Next step with the coupons from tara, and he likes it....as long as no milk in it.
I would like to avoid Soy if at all possible, but we may have to go there.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the milk proteins in formula are partially broken down so they are easier to digest than straight milk.

He goes to the Dr on thursday I think, not sure if I am taking him or if Kristin is.
He doesn't drink Soda's, juice only occasionally, just formula and water. He does eat yogurt, and cottage cheese, and string cheese. He will not eat any other kind of cheese.....he is extremely picky.
I wanted to ask the dr about his Blood sugar, and have her check it. He pees ALOT, but he also drinks alot, and with diabetes runnning in the family he is predisposed.


Ok, I made Kristin call the Dr, she said let him drink formula till college if he wants to....

If he's eating other dairy products it's probably OK. That's what they told me about Quinn. He hates milk. But he loves cheese and yogurt.

I'd keep up with the cheese and yogurt. Sam refused milk at first too. I wound up starting him by sitting down with a glass of milk for myself and letting him have sips straight from my glass. As long as he thought he was taking mine he was happy to drink it!

My daughter was breast fed until 6 months and then formula until 12 months. When we tried to trabsition her to whole milk the same thing happened. We tried soy, rice, every kind of milk but she did not like the taste. Then we tried mixing her milk with those yogurt drinks just a little and she loved them. When we traveled we bought the packets of carnation vanilla and mixed just a couple teaspoons in her milk and again she loved the taste. We did that for years, now she is 4 almost 5 and loves plain whole milk...go figure.

Matt and Brett trasnistioned really well, but they went to cows milk around 6--8 months..

Rayley was HARD, she nursed to 11 months. never had a bottle or formula- so we did the chocolate milk thing. and then it was REALLY hard to get her off that.. LOL Bow drinks it just fine, but only from a cup, like the big kids. of course, the leech still nurses... I dont know how to make him stop. seriously. LOL

I am like you though, formula is expensive. I'd switch him to water until he will drink milk. just give him other calcium rich and vitamin D rich foods. Will he eat ceral with milk in it? coco pebbles maybe? Thats one thing we did with Rayley, gave her cereal and then she would drink the milk out of the bowl. cause it tasted like the cereal.

I have a hard time drinking the milk you buy. Its just awful, even with us only buying full strenth. But I was raised on real milk.

I have no advice on this. Both my kids are addicted to milk. Just between the 2 kids, I easily go through 1 Litre of milk per day (if not more). Zach would drink milk all day if I let him. I have cut back on their intack during the summer and made them drink water, but now that it's starting to get cold, they have been wanting more milk again.