Kids Drinks?

DD is a little over 13 months now.  She is finally using a sippy (straw type) cup.  But I struggle with what I should be giving her to drink.  I keep lots of S/F things around (crystal light, diet / decaf tea, water)...but I have noticed that she really isnt interested in milk- unless in a bottle.  We were told she should stop having bottles.  So she was getting 1 bottle at night and 1 in the morning with milk.  Tried to stop the bottle this morning and she literally let the milk run out of her mouth when she drank it from her cup.  So I figured if she really wanted it , she would have drank it.  But I feel like all I can give her is milk, and watered juice (we make it at least 50% water to juice)- I guess I dont want to fill her with sugary choices.  But I know there should be other things- What are you thoughts & how much milk does she really need?  (they told me she was anemic 10.5 last check) Thanks for your input.  Oh- and usually she drinks a few sippy cups full of "juice" a day since there aren't any daytime bottles.

Note: the juice is Juicy Juice / Welches ( it probably is less then 6 / 8 oz of true juice a day).and we do warm the milk because she hated cold, cold drinks (we leave her juice out for a few minutes too). 

I am not a mommy yet but the plan for me is not to give anything "juice" wise unless they are having constipation problems. My neice is plauged with UTI's and kidney infections because of poor choices from her Mom giving her crap to drink...I plan on only giving water but then again I am not a mommy yet and that will probably change lol

sorry not much advice lol
~Flora

My boys are almost 15 months and no more bottles! Yeah!!  We also use the straw type cup.  I just kept giving them the milk in the cup and they evntually drank out of them.  You can also try warming up the milk a little in the cup.  I just do enough to knock the chill off, we mainly do that only at bedtime, the other times, they drink it cold.  I give them milk basically with all three meals, then watered down juice with their snacks.  I think I remember seeing that around this age they need 16-20 ounces of milk a day.  My 2 drink the most milk in the morning and at bedtime, with their meals, they don't drink very much.  They were around 13-14 months when I just started giving them milk in their cups instead of bottles and they eventually started drinking more out of the cups.  Hope my rambling helped you some!

Our oldest was born before the days of the "juice Police". I was on WIC and no sugar, no preservative added juice was paid for. He had four ounces daily. Then, we found out that all the ear and sinus problems he was having were because he was allergic to milk(he had been on soy formula for bowel issues). Soy milk was not as readily available or nice tasting back then. He still doesn't drink milk and he's 15 . He pours it in his cereal and eats the cereal and leaves the milk. It's skim so I think that's why it doesn't bug him. He drank full fat chocolate milk at the beginning of the summer and got snotty from it within an hour. He drank more juice(full strength), water and my green tea(good ones are mild and sweet- not bitter). He had a multi everyday and we gave him a lot of dark green leafy veggies for iron and calcium. He still loves his veggies to this day. He is very healthy.

BTW- Alex has never had a UTI, or bladder problem. He also has never had a cavity and has a BMI of 19. Needless to say, based on my kid, I don't buy all the anti-juice hype. Now, I don't think you should leave a kid with a bottle of juice in their mouth or give them a bunch of sugar added stuff....but natural juice is not gonna hurt your kid in small amounts daily.

What about putting an orange slice in the water it has just a little flavor. 

As for the bottle issue. I was "mean" and took it all away at once. I made him sit at the table with his cup, put a little bit at a time in there. I think it took all of three days before he was completely off bottles. I knew I wasn't having anymore kids for a while so I threw them away. Niether of us had a choice after that.
 HTH,

Angie

Hi Jenn,

 I have the same issues with Zoe, she will only drink milk out of a bottle. We have tried sippy cups, sippy cups with straws, regular cups even tried adding a little ovaltine to it. She just spits it out. She was getting a 9oz bottle in the morning and before bed but now she will only take the one before bed, so I guess she is weaning herself off the bottle. It's great she is getting rid of the bottle but I was so worried about her getting enough milk. I talked to her doctor and she said as long as she is eating yogurt, cheese and other milk products she should be fine. She is also starting to eat cereal with milk now so she gets it that way (half on her the other half in her tummy..lol.) I don't know that I was any help but just know your not alone.

Good Luck!

Personally, I think milk or water are fine choices. DD is 12 now, still gets mostly milk or water! She can opt for soy milk for lunch (she likes soy in asceptic containers, but not cow milk. Go figure.), and unless she's had very little calcium or a bunch of sugar during the day, she can have an Izze for dinner, or she makes one herself with sparkling water and a little juice. Sometimes she just wants sparkling water with no juice, even! She's just starting to get into iced herbal tea, mostly because I'm drinking tons of it with this baby... So anyway, my 2 cents, juice occasionally, I'm planning on less than 2-3x/wk with this kiddo!

BTW, I do remember struggling with the bottle-sippy cup transition, but we got through it, though I remember many, many incidents where she tipped a straw cup upside-down like a bottle and made a bit of a mess...

I am much like Sharon.  My kids have milk with breakfast and dinner.  I allow them to have watered down juice during the day.  I put a little bit of hershey's syrup in their morning cup.  Kellen 23.5 months) drinks from a sippy or a regular cup with a bendy straw sometimes.  I just read an article by dr Sears or some other highly known pediatrician that said adding some chocolate or strawberry syrup to milk - if it will get them to drink it - is totally ok because there isn't nearly as much sugar in that as in juice.  I thought that my friends were weird for letting their kids have strawberry milk for EVERY meal - guess I was wrong.  I still only allow the choco at breakfast - IF they ask for it.

Other than that, I give ice water in a sippy.  I do the Roaring Waters by Capri Sun too.  Nothing wrong with flavors if it doesn't have a ton of sugar, artificial sweetner or other junk in it - as far as my opinion goes. 

Good luck!
Sandy

My son is 2 1/2 and I've always only given him water or milk.  He gets juice only at parties and such.   He much prefers water as that is what he is use to.  

DD is the same age as yours...

She is having a hard time giving up those bottles.  She won't even touch a sippy with milk in it.

Here's our drinking schedule:

7:30 AM
Sippy w/ 1/2 juice 1/2 water

10 AM
6 oz bottle of milk

Noon
Sippy of ICE Water (the colder, the better for her)

2pm
6 oz bottle of milk

4pm
Sippy of Ice water

Bedtime
6 oz bottle of milk

I think the only thing I can do w/ the milk is give it in a regular (non-sippy cup).  She refuses it out of the sippy.

Thanks everyone..I have a ton more ideas of what to try to get her into a "drink routine"...I will try milk with her meals, water, and sometimes some watered down juice.  I know it will be a transition, but you ladies always have great opinions by sharing how you handle it.