First we transitioned from formula to whole milk. Not a big deal. The kids didn't even seem to notice the switch. It's SO nice not having to buy and make formula; that was such a huge pain in the neck (and expensive!). We are now going through 5 gallons of milk a week. That's right people, 5 GALLONS PER WEEK. That's one gallon per person! Still cheaper than buying formula though. So now we just pour the milk in a cup and we're good to go. If only it were that easy...
The next transition came with the milk temperature. We'd been heating the kids' bottles in a bottle warmer since they were born. They liked their milk warm. Correction, they LOVED their milk warm. We made the mistake of suddenly stopping warming the milk and gave them cold, refrigerated milk. They HATED it and would not drink any of it. So we had to slowly transition from warm milk to lukewarm milk to cold milk. It took them forever to get used to it. But now they will drink it straight out of the fridge, thank goodness!
Next, switching from bottles to cups. We are still struggling with this one. The pediatrician said that it might take them about a month to catch on to cup drinking and that we may have to try different types of sippy cups until we found one that worked well for them. Well, we've tried just about all of the sippy cups on the market...ones with straws, ones that function like a bottle, ones that pour out, cups without lids, you name it, I think we've probably tried it. Our kitchen counter in constantly littered with these cups. Turns out the ones they like best are the cheap take-n-toss variety. Go figure.
So now that we've found a cup that they will actually drink out of, we give them a cup of milk at each meal - breakfast, lunch and dinner. They usually start out eagerly drinking, but after about a quarter of the milk is gone, this is how the cups end up....being played with, dumping all over the place and then they end up on the floor.
We've tried just about everything we can think of to get these little buggers to drink their milk! We've tried having them drink, then eat a little, then drink some more, then eat a little, and so on. This usually ends in cups being thrown across the room. We've tried praising the heck out of them when they are drinking. That works memontarily. I've even modeled drinking from a sippy cup. They just thought that was funny.What to do, what to do? Suggestions anyone???
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11 comments:
My lifeline for raising kids was a doctor who described the eating habits of one year olds as "They have to kill it before they can it eat it." (Squish it, play with it etc.) Don't get into a battle of wills over milk - they will win. Smaller quantities more often? You are superb parents - trust your instincts. Love reading about these little ones I prayed for before they were born. Thsee blogs must be a great resource and encouragement for new moms. Put your adventure into a book. It would sell.
Such a hard stage. I think you're doing a good job though. One mistake I made when my kids were little was letting them drink when they wanted - drink, play, drink, play and carry their cup around with them. It would drag on all day sometimes. It helps keeping them in their highchair for milk time.
Thanks for the comments! I LOVE hearing from other Moms!
Erin, Ethan has had trouble transitioning and we still are. He finally just started liking milk. I found that if I added some drinkable yogurt in his sippy cup,he began to like it. I no longer have to add it. The cups you showed in the picture are the only cups that Ethan will drink from. The transition is so hard!
Looks like your sweet babies are getting a lot of exercise trying out their cups. Perhaps it's not so much the cups, but the time that it takes to break away from the precious bottle. It takes one baby a long time to make that transition. Guess it would present a challenge to your little ones when they have two others to imitate.
Yes, trust your instincts. You're doing an awesome job!
Erin: We eagerly await each new blog and it is such a neat way to keep up with your brood! Ann prints some of the pictures and we take them to Bob in the nursing home. By the way, their pictures are prominently displayed on hi bulletin board and we get lots of comments. We change them and right now have the Christmas card on view. We think you and Jacob are great parents! Shirley and Bob Corbin
My guess is that if they are drinking a quarter of a cup, that's just fine. They have little bodies and don't need a lot. No worries. :)
The take-n-toss cheapos were the ones that worked best for us, too. I think putting smaller amounts at a time in the cups is a good idea.
Yep, those cheap cups are the best! Our dr. told us to give them water in the cups and let them play with them in the bathtub. It's just a good place for them to play with the cups and to get all wet. Then by the time dinner comes they should have gotten their playing/experimenting out of the way!
Thanks for all of the comments and words of wisdom, everyone! We've been at this for over a month now and it's getting a little better :) Oh the joys of toddlerhood!
My favorite read USED to be the Miss Julia books--now it is "The Zacharda Triplets"! What fun I have reading all the adventures you guys have been sharing--I even go back and read the old ones! Love the picture of all the sippy cups on the counter. I LOL at that one! Sorry, no suggestions for the drinking milk situation. I'm a grandma and grandmas don't make kiddos do anything they don't want to do :) Linda Kehle
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