Explaining "milk" to BF toddler

[DagnyMom]

DD is nearly 21 mos and just met Santa. I told her that Santa brings presents. She asked "cookies?" I said "sure, if that's what you want." She later asked Daddy "cookies?" My silly husband tells her "Santa comes to our house with presents. He eats our cookies and he drinks our milk". I believe DD is now horrified. To her, "milk" comes from Mama. I don't know that she understands what the rest of society calls "milk". I stock it in the house for my cereal, but I don't give any to DD and I haven't made a point in explaining to her what the white stuff is in the carton. She was EBF until age 15 months, so perhaps she thinks that the white stuff provided to the other kids at daycare is EBM? I just don't know. I really don't even know if the other children receive milk at daycare or if they drink water and juice. Has anyone else tried explaining cow's milk to a BF toddler? It shows up in some of the books I read to her. It must be confusing.

[BarefootScientist]

"You know how babies like you drink milk from their mommy's (breast, milky, na-na)? Well, lots of grown-ups and older kids drink milk like that from cows or goats - they take the milk out and put it in cartons and you can buy it in the store and drink it or put in your cereal."


Something like that? Of course if I was hearing this for the first time I would probably be all like WOW! :REALLY??

[Calidris]

Do you not drink any cow milk at home (adults I mean?) or soy or rice or whatever?

My DD didn't drink cow milk at that age, but she knew what it was, just another drink, like tea or water or juice. We always called it cow milk, to differentiate.

[SparklingGemini]

My DD is only 16 months but she loves anything animal related.

We have a book with a nursing calf in it and all it took was once to tell her that the baby was drinking his milk from the mama and that cow's make milk too.

Now, whenever she sees any animals nursing, she instantly says "Milk!" So cute.

We also call the milk in the fridge Cow Milk just like the PP.

[woodchick]

Originally Posted by Calidris

My DD didn't drink cow milk at that age, but she knew what it was, just another drink, like tea or water or juice. We always called it cow milk, to differentiate.

Yeah, this.

My awakening to this issue came at the grocery store. I'm in the habit of talking through the grocery list with DD and we got to the Dairy section and I said that we needed milk and she was up my shirt in a second! I definitely started saying 'cow's milk' from then on.

Just last week we were at a restaurant and DD ordered cow's milk. The waitress was not prepared for that and burst out laughing. It was kind of cute

[Eliseatthebeach]

I just told my dd that it was cow's milk. We do use it in cereal. She doesn't like to just drink it though. The whole idea of "another milk" never phased her. I think she gets the difference.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

Well, ds knows that cows make milk too and that milk is used for cereal and coffee and making his very favorite, ice cream (to really understand it, you must hear it screamed as only a 2 year old can! IIIIIICE CREEEEEEM!) We have some farm books that show milk in a glass, and he knows that it's milk, but not MOMMA's milk.