Stop milk at 1 year old?

[bbyoshi]

Hi hi,

I am wondering if it is alright to stop giving milk at 14 months. My twin boys are 14 months now. They have not been drinking milk since 7 months plus. Ever since they started semi-solids, they refuse to drink milk on it's own and we had to mix the milk with cereal. This had gone on till now. We also give them food like porridge(chicken, meat or fish) or mee sua.

They will usually have 3 meals of cereal with milk (sometimes 1 of the cereal feed is replaced with brown rice porridge but still with milk) and only 1 feeding of other food like porridge or mee sua.

I realized the boys seems to be getting quite sick of their cereal. (I would too if I had to eat it 3 times daily)

We have started feeding them bread with cheese in the morning for breakfast. My mummy gives them soft-boiled eggs for breakfast too but they dun seem to like it.

I am wondering if it is alright to stop giving them milk. I am worried tat if i stop their milk, they will not get enough calcium and nutrients and will not grow strong n healthy...

So I am wondering if I can stop giving them milk. Then what I should I feed them?

 

[Amulet]

it's best to give milk, but if they really hate it, you can try those soya milk fortified with calcium, whole milk yogurt, high calcium cheese ect..

 

[meiteoh]

Hi hi,

I am wondering if it is alright to stop giving milk at 14 months. My twin boys are 14 months now. They have not been drinking milk since 7 months plus. Ever since they started semi-solids, they refuse to drink milk on it's own and we had to mix the milk with cereal. This had gone on till now. We also give them food like porridge(chicken, meat or fish) or mee sua.

They will usually have 3 meals of cereal with milk (sometimes 1 of the cereal feed is replaced with brown rice porridge but still with milk) and only 1 feeding of other food like porridge or mee sua.

I realized the boys seems to be getting quite sick of their cereal. (I would too if I had to eat it 3 times daily)

We have started feeding them bread with cheese in the morning for breakfast. My mummy gives them soft-boiled eggs for breakfast too but they dun seem to like it.

I am wondering if it is alright to stop giving them milk. I am worried tat if i stop their milk, they will not get enough calcium and nutrients and will not grow strong n healthy...

So I am wondering if I can stop giving them milk. Then what I should I feed them?

If you want to stop giving milk, you have to give other foods that are high in calcium - but not too much as calcium affects iron absorption. These are things like tofu, yogurt, cheese...

Also, please start introducing finger foods or chunky foods - going on porridge for months on end is enough to drive even adults bonkers! They need to learn how to handle adult/family foods now.

 

[Amulet]

oh ya.. even fresh milk and chocolate milk they also don't like?

 

[meiteoh]

oh ya.. even fresh milk and chocolate milk they also don't like?

Why would you want to give them chocolate milk? That stuff is full of flavouring and sugar. :/

 

[Amulet]

Why would you want to give them chocolate milk? That stuff is full of flavouring and sugar. :/

if it entice them ma.. of coz, if they would take plain fresh milk it would be best.. if not, some chocolate milk can cover for some of the milk intake?

sometimes i mix like chocolate milk 1:2 plain fresh milk for my DD wen she doesn't wans to take her milk..

 

[meiteoh]

if it entice them ma.. of coz, if they would take plain fresh milk it would be best.. if not, some chocolate milk can cover for some of the milk intake?

sometimes i mix like chocolate milk 1:2 plain fresh milk for my DD wen she doesn't wans to take her milk..

I guess if it works for you, why not?

I usually stay away from flavoured milk because of the high sugar content and the principle - teaching a child to favour flavourings over unflavoured foods. This was under the advice of a paed nutritionist who also told me that it's okay if they don't take in milk, especially if they are above 12 mths old. There are other sources of calcium. For me, if Eva doesn't want to take milk, no biggies - I just give her other dairy products like yogurt or cheese or in forms like pancakes, etc, etc.

 

[veronica]

bbyoshi, you are not alone. My 20mths old gal has not been drinking from bottle since like 1yr old. Like you, i was worried that there will be lack of calcium which I did like what you have done, add them with cereal day and night.

Recently my gal was due to 5 in 1 jab and I asked the PD. He told me that it is alright to stop their milk if they are not keen as milk is not the main source of nutrients now for them. We can always substitue similar nutrients source like cheese, yoghurt or add ikan bilis to their porridge.

 

[bbyoshi]

hey hey mummies,

thank you for your comments.

I tried giving them chocolate milk. They drink but a little only. At least they didn't reject it. Maybe can continue to give them... but will it be too sweet for them...

How much milk should they be drinking now at their age? They are 14 months old, gor gor is 9.5 kg and di di is 10 kg.

When the boys eat porridge with small bits of minced meat or fish, they will eventually vomit coz of the small particles. How do we get them to learn to chew and eat adult food?

What kind of other food can we give them? I do give them bread with cheese for morning tea time... occasionally some biscuits (small gerber ones with fruity flavour)

 

[meiteoh]

hey hey mummies,

thank you for your comments.

I tried giving them chocolate milk. They drink but a little only. At least they didn't reject it. Maybe can continue to give them... but will it be too sweet for them...

To me, yes as you're teaching them to prefer sweetened and flavoured food.

How much milk should they be drinking now at their age? They are 14 months old, gor gor is 9.5 kg and di di is 10 kg.

Maximum is 500ml - any more and you increase the risks of iron deficiency which affects growth.

When the boys eat porridge with small bits of minced meat or fish, they will eventually vomit coz of the small particles. How do we get them to learn to chew and eat adult food?

No short cut around it, I'm afraid. You'll need to make sure that the food is soft. Give them some time to practice and they'll learn/adapt from it.

Since your babies still don't know how to chew, it's limited - you can give yogurt with cereal but otherwise, things like muffins, pancakes, muesli bar, cereal with milk, waffle - all homemade, btw - are out of limits for your kiddos.

 

[xicloudix]

hey hey mummies,

thank you for your comments.

I tried giving them chocolate milk. They drink but a little only. At least they didn't reject it. Maybe can continue to give them... but will it be too sweet for them...

How much milk should they be drinking now at their age? They are 14 months old, gor gor is 9.5 kg and di di is 10 kg.

When the boys eat porridge with small bits of minced meat or fish, they will eventually vomit coz of the small particles. How do we get them to learn to chew and eat adult food?

What kind of other food can we give them? I do give them bread with cheese for morning tea time... occasionally some biscuits (small gerber ones with fruity flavour)

My boy also can;t eat porridge with mince meat or fish.. i make sure all already gluey gluey soft soft already.. he will vomit...

BUT he can eat other stuffs like biscuit, nugget , bread etc... but no porridge for him T_T

 

[meiteoh]

My boy also can;t eat porridge with mince meat or fish.. i make sure all already gluey gluey soft soft already.. he will vomit...

BUT he can eat other stuffs like biscuit, nugget , bread etc... but no porridge for him T_T

If his main meals are just porridge, chances are, he could be bored of the stuff. Maybe shift to pasta, rice or noodles?

 

[xicloudix]

yes he wanna eat rice!! but he can't digest... i think maybe i use soup to soften the rice before giving him ba..

 

[meiteoh]

yes he wanna eat rice!! but he can't digest... i think maybe i use soup to soften the rice before giving him ba..

Unless the rice is coming out in his poo like the way it went into his mouth, I don't understand what you mean by "he can't digest".

 

[xicloudix]

no, i tried to feed him rice he eat happily... and 2 hrs later, he vomit out.. and the rice still same shaped as when i feed him not digest yet... so i assume he can't digest the rice???

 

[meiteoh]

no, i tried to feed him rice he eat happily... and 2 hrs later, he vomit out.. and the rice still same shaped as when i feed him not digest yet... so i assume he can't digest the rice???

Urm, you do know that it takes time to digest food - sometimes even up to 2 days? It's not an immediate process.

 

[Mrs Han]

yes he wanna eat rice!! but he can't digest... i think maybe i use soup to soften the rice before giving him ba..

Hihi,

I'm now also giving my 17-mth-old girl porridge/ rice with soup for her lunch & dinner (plus steamed fish & veg).

Other than that, I'm also facing the problem of reduction in milk intake for her - my hubby keeps insisting that we should wean her off milk (esply at nite) and eventually should be totally off milk! I'm also very worried about the calcium intake she'll get if she's totally off milk. I'm surprised to know that there are so many of u out there who are also having this issue... now I'm less worried abt the lack of milk intake but anyone has suggestions on how to get my girl to drink more water in the day? She doesn't really like plain water and I have to her Gerber's apple juice (but I limit to at most 100ml per day) which she likes. My MIL sometimes also give her barley water...but how to get her to like plain water (which I feel is still the best thirst quencher) and since she's drinking less milk (aka fluid) these days?

 

[xicloudix]

Oo izzit?? make me feel guilty when i saw him vomit out the rice... i tot i feed him wrong things cause him indigest then vomit... coz babies usually want milk every 3hrs.. so i tot rice also same around 3 hrs haha

 

[meiteoh]

...anyone has suggestions on how to get my girl to drink more water in the day? She doesn't really like plain water and I have to her Gerber's apple juice (but I limit to at most 100ml per day) which she likes. My MIL sometimes also give her barley water...but how to get her to like plain water (which I feel is still the best thirst quencher) and since she's drinking less milk (aka fluid) these days?

Begin by watering down her juice or barley gradually - eg first week 90% juice, 10% water, then when she's okay with it, 80% juice, 20% water and so forth until you reach 100% water. The best is to NOT offer juice when you start solids - it's not necessary. The only fluids Eva had since she started solids (apart from fresh milk) was water and she loves it. She has tried a sip or two of juice or barley water but we don't make it a habit.

 

[Mrs Han]

Begin by watering down her juice or barley gradually - eg first week 90% juice, 10% water, then when she's okay with it, 80% juice, 20% water and so forth until you reach 100% water. The best is to NOT offer juice when you start solids - it's not necessary. The only fluids Eva had since she started solids (apart from fresh milk) was water and she loves it. She has tried a sip or two of juice or barley water but we don't make it a habit.

Thanks for your quick reply! =) My Ashley started off refusing water when we tried to feed her some, that's y I resorted to giving her bits of juices... Think for my 2nd one (who is due in 1-2 wks' time!), I shall train her to drink water earlier!