This is the one where I ask for your advice, and I'm sure it won't be the only one.
The little lady has never been a big or speedy drinker. When she first arrived, she would nurse for an hour at a time. When we tried to introduce the bottle, she refused it. She refused it for about three months. Finally (and thankfully), she started drinking from the bottle just in time to go to daycare, but it still took her about 40 minutes to drink 6 to 8 ounces.
Since she never really liked the bottle, switching to the sippy cup hasn't been that hard; but she still doesn't drink much. And this is where your advice comes in.
I stress over how much milk she gets, or doesn't get I should say. Her nurse told me to shoot for 16 ounces a day, but 13 is okay as long as she's eating yogurt and cheese daily. And this is what we struggle with everyday.
Today, for example, Keith gave her 6 ounces with breakfast, and she drank 4 which is actually quite good. Usually, I give her 4, and she drinks 2. She drank these 4 ounces over the course of 2 hours.
At lunch, she got 6 ounces and drank 2. To get these 2 ounces in her, we kept trying to get her to have some while she was in her high chair, and then we took it in the car with us. (Giving her the milk in the car used to do the trick until she started facing forward. Now she takes a sip and flings the cup across the backseat.)
At dinner, I gave her about 6 1/2 ounces, and she probably drank 2 1/2. She takes a quick sip and throws her cup on the floor, quick sip, throw, quick sip, throw, quick sip...well, I think you get it. Sometimes, we can get her to drink some while she's laying on her changing table getting dried off after a bath. Tonight, I gave her 4 ounces then, and she drank 1 ounce, dropped the cup on her face, and got a swollen lip. And rocking her to sleep with it? Forget it! She pushes it away and points at her binky.
Today, she had a total of about 9 ounces of milk. She also had a 1/2 a container of yogurt and a slice of cheese.
So, my question for you is...how can I get this child to just chug down 8 ounces of milk twice a day? Okay, maybe that's asking too much. But tell me what you would do or what you have done in this situation. Is it time to start giving her chocolate milk? Should I just not worry about how many ounces she's getting? (Oh, just so you know...if you're going to tell me not to worry, you might as well tell me not to breathe oxygen too.)
I do feel on most days she gets more like 12 to 14 ounces, but of course that's not good enough to make me not worry.
Thank y'all for your help!
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7 comments:
what kind of milk are you giving her? dr. sears now only recommends soy. vanilla soy is sweet and max chugs it down. (max was allergic to dairy, once upon a time.)
he was always a slow drinker too. i was relieved when he turned one and the doc said he didn't need a specific amount of milk anymore. course, now--i am sure he drinks 18 ounces a day.
I am giving her whole milk. Does soy have the calcium and everything else that whole milk has? Maybe I'll try it!
Connor drank milk fine, until one day he didn't. I went ahead and put chocolate in it (Hersey's sugar-free syrup is horrible, but "lite" tastes fine) and he loved it. But the important thing was, it reminded him that he liked milk so he was more likely to have plain milk again. I also buy orange juice with added calcium. And ice cream! Lots of ice cream.
Switch her to whiskey. Add a little Coke at first if she needs help getting it down. That's what my mom did.
I say give her chocolate ice cream everyday, several times a day.
Aunt Carol
I'd tell you how much my kids were drinking at that age, but I can't fine the ounce markings on my boobs!
Really, though, other milk is always a substitute for human milk. There is no biological norm for human toddlers to drink cow's milk or goat's milk or soy "milk." Why is it that American doctors don't usually think a one-year old should still be nursing 16 ounces worth a day, but they need that much of the milk of another species? I'd just feed her a wide variety of healthy foods, get in as many calcium-and-iron-rich foods (like spinach) as you can, and leave it at that. Let her drink to thirst. She'll be fine, I promise!
Ben still does not drink milk. I gave him o.j. with calcium and any other food item with extra or added calcium, like bread. Add milk to oatmeal, MAKE pancakes, waffles, frenchtoast, muffins(packets-just add milk). Keep pushing yogurt and cheese. All the little things add up. I agree with the not worring thing, sometimes nothing can stop you but as long as she's growing and healthy you're doing the right things.
Love ya, Aunt Lauren
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