Got Milk?

A common school of thought these days is to introduce cow's milk to babies when they reach the magic age of one-year-old and they are supposed to just as magically love it and drink cups and cups of it all day long.

I have bought into the importance of milk--I mean it is a pretty nutritious food source and I personally have always enjoyed drinking it.  Well, a certain 2 1/2 feet tall red head didn't get the "milk does a body good" memo (shocking, I know).

I have been asking moms for months, "How did your baby take to milk?"  And really the only negative was for some it impacted the child's digestion, so they diluted the milk or introduced it very slowly.  Many people I know swapped bottles of formula or breast milk out and offered the cow's milk in it's place without issue.  I don't know why, but I just knew it wasn't going to be that easy for us.

I wasn't going to replace nursing with cups of cow's milk (Vivie was slowly cutting out feedings and was a great solid foods eater) I was just going to give her a cup with her meals.  Since her birthday was six days before Christmas I had decided to wait until after the holidays when we were back on our normal schedule before offering her cow's milk.  This also gave me a chance to drill her pediatrician before starting too--her recomendation, Vivie should get 12-16 ounces of dairy (milk, yogurt and cheese) every day. 

A few days before New Year's I bought a half gallon of organic whole milk, filled one of her favorite straw cups, warmed the milk to room temperature (as many seasoned moms had suggested) and gave it to her.  I wasn't sure what would happen, but I was a little excited that she was trying something new.

One sip and the cup went flying across the room.

I gave it to her cold the next time and she sipped and spat it all out...sigh.

She eventually stopped spitting it out (most of the time), instead she'd look at me like I was crazy when I offered her a cup and she'd pucker her face with every little bitty taste.  Seriously, have you tasted organic whole milk lately, it's basically melted ice cream, how can this kid not like it?

Over the next several weeks I offered her milk 2-3 times a day with little improvement, then the other night I handed her cup to her while I was cooking dinner and she downed six ounces in under a minute!  Eureka, there is hope! Or, maybe the kid is playing me because she figured out that if she empties the cup I open the fridge--her FAVORITE place to play.  Hum...

Have you ever been outsmarted by a baby?