Baby refusing to drink cow's milk? Here's what you can do

Cow milk is the preferred choice for babies that are 12 months or older. This is the time when babies need more nutrition for their proper growth and development. While formula milk can also be used, the majority prefers cow's full cream milk for babies or cow's full cream milk for toddlers. As per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 12 months babies and older can have up to 2 1/2 cups of cow's milk every day. AAP also recommends that parents use full cream milk for their toddlers. But, what can one do if the baby refuses to drink cow's milk? Well, there's nothing to worry. The baby just needs to adjust to the new taste of cow's milk. Here are some safe ways to make your baby start liking cow's milk.

Warm the milk

Cow's full cream milk for babies and cow's full cream milk for toddlers can be warmed a bit to mimic the natural temperature of breast milk. The closer you can match the warmth of cow's milk to breast milk, the easier it would be for your baby to accept it readily. A few hit and trials would help you achieve the most appropriate temperature for cow's milk. For example, if you have a microwave, you can test with different time settings such as 20 seconds, 30 seconds, etc. and note down your baby's response to find the best temperature of cow's milk that would make it likable to your baby.

Slightly sweeten the cow's milk

Breast milk is naturally sweeter than cow's milk, which is why your baby may not like cow's milk initially. To make the transition, you can sweeten the cow's milk a bit and check your baby's response. With just a little bit of sweetness, your baby will start liking cow's milk. You can then gradually reduce the sweetness and eventually avoid it completely, when the baby has become accustomed to drinking cow's milk.

Do your own experiments

Some parents have reported good results by using straws, sippy cups or other fancy items that the baby may find interesting. The logic is that such products take the baby’s attention away from the milk’s taste, enabling her to accept cow’s milk without any issues. You can try your own methods to see what works best for your baby.

For your 12 months or older baby, you can also supplement with tasty dahi. However, cow’s tasty dahi should be given in limited quantities in comparison to cow’s full cream milk for babies and cow’s full cream milk for toddlers.