Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Bottle Weaning

Dear Lisa,

I just weaned my 15 month old son from the bottle and now he won’t drink milk from a cup. I am afraid that he’s not getting the nutrition he needs and I am tempted to just let him have the bottle back.

“Back on the bottle again in N.J.”

Dear “Back on the bottle again”,

Most toddlers react to the transition from bottle to the cup with some resistance. They usually show their disapproval of this change by refusing to drink milk from a cup. It is a very difficult time for parents and many do let their child go back to the bottle. If you do go back to the bottle, it will be more difficult to wean him when he is older because children learn from their behavior. When you try to wean the bottle the second time, most likely he will just put up more of a fuss, with the hope that you will let him have the bottle again. So the best advice is to stick to your decision to wean your son and know that your child’s nutrition should come from solid food, not from milk.

After watching your baby consume such large amounts of milk/formula during the first year of life, it is natural to think that a toddler needs to drink large amounts of milk too. Fortunately this is not the case. A 15 month old child only needs 16 ounces (or 2 cups) of whole milk per day. If your child will not take this amount you can give him solid foods that contain the same nutrients as milk. You can replace the milk with yogurt, frozen yogurt, pudding, cheese, or cottage cheese. Luckily, most children will eat a bowl of cereal with milk. It is also a good idea to add extra milk or cheese to recipes whenever you can. You can add milk to pastina or hot oatmeal to cool it down, put cheese sauce on vegetables or sprinkle grated cheese on macaroni. Many children love grilled cheese sandwiches or scrambled eggs with a slice of cheese melted on top. For those children who don’t take enough calcium and Vitamin D fortified foods, you can give juice with calcium. You will be able to find orange juice with calcium and many juice box brands with added calcium in your supermarket. The most important thing to do is not give up offering milk in a cup, because most children in time will begin to drink milk again.

Lisa Kelly, R.N., P.N.P.,C.
Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Pediatric Advice -Keeping Kids Healthy

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