Milk Strike

Water vs. Milk. And the winner is.......WATER!

If a picture could say a million words this would be no exception! Monday Jocelyn started getting a cold. She also chose this day to no longer take her milk from a bottle. I'm happy that she has finally put the bottle behind her. It was definitely time. My little girl is getting so BIG right before my very own eyes! The downside to her being completely weened off the bottle is that she no longer drinks her milk at all. Whether she refers to a sippy cup to "only water" as she has had it that way since 6 months old or refers to the bottle as "milk only" or whether she's just being a stinker and on a milk strike. (I'm guessing the later one!) I still offer milk in a sippy at every meal but don't force the issue. She loves water and I love that she loves water because if she was on a water strike too...we'd be in trouble! So just to be sure that she was getting enough calcium with not drinking milk anymore I took her into see the doctor today and she said for a child at this age, they need about 3-4 servings of dairy a day. Jocelyn loves (and eats) string cheese and yogurt every day so this was good to hear. The doctor also said this could be a stage or that some children just decide they don't want milk anymore or no longer like it. A multivitamin in liquid form was suggested to give daily. (This topic could be a post all on it's own!) Also to try Pedisure, smoothies, or milk shakes. This past week I've exhausted myself trying to figure her out and even offered her milk by warming it up like she used to have it in her bottle. That didn't work either. Children also at this age and stage like to be in control - or think that they are. She could be testing my limits. In any case, I'm doing what I can do to offer her the 3-4 servings a day of calcium rich foods and a vitamin and sitting back to enjoy the rest of being a parent. It's hard enough being a parent alone without these road blocks. The vegetable this is exhausting by itself. :) This battle I'm afraid is not mine to win. I'll be interested to see what becomes of this stage down the road.