Bah! This child of mine!

[Clarity]

I can't get her to drink anything out of a cup besides water. And I'm trying to lay down my horns - I'm tired of pumping, but I don't want her exclusively on soy formula/soy milk. She won't drink anything else! I've tried rice milk, hemp milk, coconut milk (she wouldn't even take the coconut milk in a bottle today) ARGGGH! I drove an hour to my closest Whole Foods for that coconut milk.

She is drinking currently drinking a soy formula/bmilk blend out of her bottle at daycare. I guess if I have to stick with soy I have to stick with soy. But she's in a kosher daycare and has egg/dairy/nut allergies so I'm going to have to regularly rely on soy as a protein source at lunch. I'm in the "some soy is ok, too much soy, not so great" camp. But I'm struggling with how to get around the fact she won't drink anything else.

If I can get her to drink coconut milk - (she tolerated coconut milk yogurt just fine) - it has 5 grams of fat. Rice Milk has 2.5 and Whole cows milk has about 8. Would I need to add even more fat to the coconut milk? I think the soy milk I looked at only had 2.5g of fat as well.

I could really use some advice on how to manage these issues - I'm at a loss at the moment!

[deenass]

Are you using a sippy cup or a straw cup? A straw may be easier for her. The liquid will enter her mouth in a "more organized" way (according to my son's OT) than a sippy cup will.

To get her to understand the concept of sipping from a straw, take a juice box (no matter your feelings on juice this is just a way to learn how to do it) or you can try a milk box and give it a little squeeze when she has her mouth around it.

And don't give up yet, it may take a little while for her to get the hang of it, jsut keep offering it.

[Clarity]

Oh, I've tried both. She's used a straw since she was about 8m.o. or so. We typically use the take-n-toss sippys and straw cups, but I did just buy a nuby straw cup for them to try at daycare. She drinks water regularly out of them, but won't take any milk substitute that way. Funny, but she is not good at regulating her intake from a straw or sippy. Most sips out of the straw are accompanied by spitting out some of the water. She has similar issues with the sippy, but then excess just dribbles down her chin.

[Tondi G]

I remember someone mentioning they had issues with getting their kiddo to drink milk from a sippy (would only drink water from a sippy and milk from a bottle). They added some milk to water then gradually added more and more so it went from maybe 1 oz of milk to 5 oz of water then 2 to 4 then half and half... eventually they got their kiddo drinking milk from the sippy cup!

[deannanb]

do you need her to be drinking milk for a reason?
after 1 it is okay to only give water in a cup -
and get calcium and fat from other sources - cheese, yogurt, vegetables, healthy oils in cooked foods

[Momof3Labs]

do you need her to be drinking milk for a reason?
after 1 it is okay to only give water in a cup -
and get calcium and fat from other sources - cheese, yogurt, vegetables, healthy oils in cooked foods

ITA. My 3.5yo drank only water after he weaned - now he'll also drink some watered down OJ w/ calcium. He's fine.

[o_mom]

Maybe look at flavoring the Rice Milk... doesn't it come in flavors? I know soy does. We flavored cow's milk to get them to drink it. I used Vanilla Quik, which is no longer made, but maybe you can find something that is safe for her allergies (other people mentioned Carnation Instant Breakfast, but that might have milk). I used just a small amount, less than half of what was on the directions and after a week started using less until they were on straight milk. If you find a flavored version of Rice/Hemp/Coconut milk that she likes, then just mix it with the plain.

[o_mom]

do you need her to be drinking milk for a reason?
after 1 it is okay to only give water in a cup -
and get calcium and fat from other sources - cheese, yogurt, vegetables, healthy oils in cooked foods.

She mentinoed that her DD has egg, nut and dairy allergies, so I'm thinking that the usual calcium and fat sources are not available

[Clarity]

do you need her to be drinking milk for a reason?
after 1 it is okay to only give water in a cup -
and get calcium and fat from other sources - cheese, yogurt, vegetables, healthy oils in cooked foods

I do only because daycare requires that I send in 8oz of "milk" each day. In dd2's case, it has to be a milk substitute because of her dairy allergy.

[Clarity]

Maybe this is the trick to get her transitioned off the bmilk/soy blend. In fact it's what I did when I transitioned dd1 from bmilk to cow's milk, thank you for reminding me! She didn't blink at soy formula which is why this didn't occur to me. Thanks...I feel silly now. LOL

[MontrealMum]

We've done two things (out of desperation) to get DS to drink milk. [he only drinks water and milk, we don't give juice yet]

Originally, he also refused to drink it out of a cup, but had been taking water (with help) from a regular cup for a long time, and alone from a sippy. We resorted to giving it in a bottle for awhile after he was weaned since he was used to taking bm in a bottle. No idea why milk in a bottle was fine, but not in a cup. We also "concealed" milk in an opaque sippy, like a Foogo or KK - if he couldn't see it through the side, he was willing to drink it. The pressure of all the other kids having milk, not water, at daycare helped too, though for a long time he got water even tho it was against their policies(but called it milk). He now drinks milk out of a regular cup at mealtimes. Maybe my devious tactics will help your DD to drink white liquids too!

[Clarity]

We also "concealed" milk in an opaque sippy, like a Foogo or KK - if he couldn't see it through the side, he was willing to drink it. Maybe my devious tactics will help your DD to drink white liquids too!

I might try this devious tactic as well - we have a little foogo thermos that I may try later.

After reading the suggestions, I think my plan may be to transition her to a cup with the soy formula that she WILL drink and then transition her from the soy formula to something else. Or should I do it the other way............?