wdw restaurants and milk (bottle related q)

[Angel Ariel]

DD just turned 1 this week, and I'm going to start weaning her from breastmilk. I've been EPing for the year, and as happy as I am to have been able to provide bm for her, pumping is taking too much time out away from her other needs now and I need to cut back.

We're heading to WDW in October, and I was wondering if you can order warmed milk? DD generally won't eat unless it's warmed (at least room temp). She will not eat/drink anything cold. Will the restaurant warm it up at all before bringing it out if I ask? ETA: I don't expect them to warm the bottle, just warm the milk. I would transfer the milk at the table. I'm just trying to figure out how to handle that part of our trip. With the breastmilk in March, I was able to keep the last pumping session room temperature (it wasn't hot) until she drank it, so it wasn't as much of an issue. Cow's milk isn't the same in that regard, though.

If they don't bring it warmed, what are some strategies others have used to warm it (if you have a child who won't drink it otherwise)? My nephew was the same way...wouldn't drink cold milk til he was almost 3. I plan to talk to my SIL about it, but they didn't travel anywhere like Disney when he was in that stage, though, so I was hoping for some expertise here!

 

[Julie711]

DS was 12 months his first trip this past November & wouldn't drink cold milk, so I would just buy it, pour it into his bottle & warn it up at one of the baby stations.

 

[Lbachelot]

I defrost and warm DS's BM by running it under hot water. It gets it to room temperature in just a minute or two.

 

[firecracker725]

I refused to warm cow's milk, but here's my trick for warming a bottle virtually anywhere: the spigot on commercial coffee makers that dispenses steaming hot water. We've warmed bottles all over the Southeast using the scalding water from coffee makers in gas stations and restaurants. Just ask for a cup of it and plop the bottle (or sippy cup) down in it, and it'll be warm in no time.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

Could you ask the restaurant to bring out a halfway filled mug of hot water and then put the bottle with milk in the mug for a few minutes to warm?
But honestly, I would try to get your child to drink cold or room temperature milk before October. Maybe she would drink cold milk in a sippy cup instead of a bottle? Most doctors want you to wean kids off bottles by 15-18 months anyway.

 

[darnheather]

I think TS restaurants would be able to bring you warm milk no problem. CS on the other hand might be more difficult. Also they probably won't warm your bottle due to safety concerns.

 

[scrapquitler]

DD just turned 1 this week, and I'm going to start weaning her from breastmilk. I've been EPing for the year, and as happy as I am to have been able to provide bm for her, pumping is taking too much time out away from her other needs now and I need to cut back.

We're heading to WDW in October, and I was wondering if you can order warmed milk? DD generally won't eat unless it's warmed (at least room temp). She will not eat/drink anything cold. Will the restaurant warm it up at all before bringing it out if I ask? THey can bring it out in a glass, that's fine (I can transfer to bottle at the table) - I'm just trying to figure out how to handle that part of our trip. With the breastmilk in March, I was able to keep the last pumping session room temperature (it wasn't hot) until she drank it, so it wasn't as much of an issue. Cow's milk isn't the same in that regard, though.

If they don't bring it warmed, what are some strategies others have used to warm it (if you have a child who won't drink it otherwise)? My nephew was the same way...wouldn't drink cold milk til he was almost 3. I plan to talk to my SIL about it, but they didn't travel anywhere like Disney when he was in that stage, though, so I was hoping for some expertise here!

When I weaned my kids, I completely made "milk" a different thing than "breast milk". Breast milk came in the natural container, and warm. "Milk" was cold and served either in a sippy cup or with a straw, so my kids never really associated them as equivalent beverages, they were just different.

I would suggest that you do the same to make your life much easier in the long run. Add the cold milk in the cup at mealtime, nurse or give EBM as you have been doing at nap Time, bed time and snuggle time and within a few weeks, your child will drink it cold. For a great tutorial on teaching her to use a straw, look on ehow.com

 

[MSSANDRA]

I agree that whole milk might be different enough that she will drink it cold. I do however, hold on to the fact that having her on bottle when you travel can be so helpful that I would not initiate the change to after the trip. I would try very hard to get her to drink cold milk as unlike breast milk....room temp, even for short times is less safe. Will she drink the
shelf stable milk boxes you can buy? Other wise, a hot cup of water served us well many times.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Could you ask the restaurant to bring out a halfway filled mug of hot water and then put the bottle with milk in the mug for a few minutes to warm?

We tried this a few times in March and it didn't work all that well (though it works perfectly fine at home).

But honestly, I would try to get your child to drink cold or room temperature milk before October. Maybe she would drink cold milk in a sippy cup instead of a bottle? Most doctors want you to wean kids off bottles by 15-18 months anyway.

I appreciate your input, and we have tried (and will continue to try) to drink cold milk. She does drink room temperature breastmilk now, and I think she would milk as well once she's drinking it. But can you carry cow's milk around with you un-refrigerated for it to become room temperature? I wouldn't think so, hence my questions here.

As for weaning her from the bottle between 15-18 months- my daughter has some delays, so she's not at the development of a normal one year old. The delays include her mouth motor skills. We are working with OT, a developmental ped, and her regular ped to catch her up and find out what the cause is, and she's improving a lot, but the "normal" developmental timeline doesn't apply for her right now.

Regardless, the temperature of the milk is more important than the vessel (bottle/sippy). DD does not eat anything (I am talking firm closed lips, turning head, will spit out...will absolutely not ingest) anything cold. Solids, liquids..it doesn't matter. She was low in the growth percentiles (like 5-10% in height and weight for a long time), and her weight was a problem (not gaining enough) for some time. So at the moment, her eating her solids and liquids at all is the most important thing. Once we figured out she'd eat her solids better warmed as well, she has been eating much better and had a major growth spurt in the last month (28 & 34% finally) (. Her growth is the most important thing to me. While it would obviously be easier if she'd drink it cold, and I continue to introduce it, we are not at the point of pushing the issue yet.

ETA: I apologize if I sound defensive, but it's been a long process working through her delays and mouth/food issues. She wouldn't suck at all when she was born, and never latched to BF despite 3-4 months working with an IBCLC (hence the EPing), we spent a night in the ER with her at a month old because she'd choked on Vitamins and went grey and had to call an ambulance, and getting her to finally eat enough solids has been a long, trying experience. We're finally making progress and while I would love nothing more than for her to be at a normal one year old's level, we are meeting her where she is and working to get her caught up.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Also they probably won't warm your bottle due to safety concerns.

just to clarify, since it may have been unclear in my OP - i don't expect restaurants to warm the bottle itself because of the safety concerns you mentioned. I just want to know if they'll bring me a glass of warm milk instead of cold. I would transfer the milk to her bottle myself at the table.

 

[Angel Ariel]

DS was 12 months his first trip this past November & wouldn't drink cold milk, so I would just buy it, pour it into his bottle & warn it up at one of the baby stations.

Thanks for the response So did you just buy it at CS or something before meals and then warm it in the care center and bring it to a TS with you? Or was your son eating at different times from you?

 

[Julie711]

Thanks for the response So did you just buy it at CS or something before meals and then warm it in the care center and bring it to a TS with you? Or was your son eating at different times from you?

Well mornings we would warm it up in a sippy cup for him and that's how he had it with breakfast, then at night he got his bottle to sleep so yes I bought at CS, and used the care center to warm it up. He usually just had watered down juice in his sippie cup when we did dinner at the TS. You could just buy the milk before you go to the TS & warm it up ,but like you said not to long before b/c I wouldn't let milk sit out long!

 

[Julie711]

Thanks for the response So did you just buy it at CS or something before meals and then warm it in the care center and bring it to a TS with you? Or was your son eating at different times from you?

Sorry answer for last ? On his eating, he was eating certain table foods when he did CS for lunch & TS for dinner so he was eating with us. We did mainly have his jar foods or the gerber meals that we would warm up before we left room or once again used the care center to earn it up if we knew there was nothing in the menu he could eat ( mainly Mac n cheese, )

 

[Angel Ariel]

Sorry answer for last ? On his eating, he was eating certain table foods when he did CS for lunch & TS for dinner so he was eating with us. We did mainly have his jar foods or the gerber meals that we would warm up before we left room or once again used the care center to earn it up if we knew there was nothing in the menu he could eat ( mainly Mac n cheese, )

Thanks - that helps It sounds like we may use the care centers a bit more this time around. When she was EBF in March I'd just find a quiet place to pump and give it to her when she was hungry, so we didn't use the care centers much.

She will sometimes eat the solids room temperature, so we'll see how that goes before we warm everything. I hope she'll be eating some table food by that point as well...we're working on that with her OT now. It's mostly just the refrigerated cold that she won't eat, so trying to figure out getting around that. The BCC's will be our friend, I guess!

 

[sb682]

I agree with the PP who suggested giving cold milk in a sippy or straw cup instead of a bottle. You could also try heating it less and less at home until she gets used to cold milk. DS used to only drink warm milk (I heated it in the microwave at home) but eventually I stopped bothering (it was a hassle) and he never seemed to care.

Edit: just read one of your replies. Obviously safety is #1 and if she doesn't have the oral-motor skills to use a sippy or straw safely, then that's out. If all she can manage is a bottle, then I would go the "hot cup of water" route and warm the bottles yourself. It's nice to use the Baby Center, but if you're on the other side of the park at mealtime, it's more of a hassle and you need to have other options. If your OT can help you work with a straw prior to your trip, you'll have more flexibility, but I don't know if that's possible in your daughter's case.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Maybe try switching to formula instead of whole milk? With some special needs, the extra nutritional value may be a benefit for a while, and it would be much easier to add powder formula to room temp water or to keep ready made formula room temp. Whole milk at room temp is not a good idea. Good luck with your little one!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Her ped has approved us going to whole milk, as her growth is much better now than it was. We just had her one year WBV and had that talk yesterday. I didn't think room temp whole milk was a good idea to carry around like BM, which was why I was asking about the warming. Her ped did approve warming the milk immediately before giving it to her, but I definitely wouldn't walk around with it like we did with BM.

Since we started warming her solids and she's been eating better, her weight percentile went from the 22% to 34% and her height went from 24% to 28% - a very nice growth spurt for her. Her check up a few months before that was at 15% and 13% respectively, so discovering she'd eat solids much better with warmed food has helped her tremendously.

Thank you for the well wishes We are looking forward to WDW without me having to pump this time around! I am especially looking forward to enjoying the F&W festival

 

[Gracie09]

What about carrying some shelf stabilized milk boxes with you. It will be room temperature whenever you want it.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

at the small park I work at, not Disney, I would ask for a cup of hot water, pour mill into bottle, and warm bottle in the water. we give out few each day. as a pp said look onto shelf stable small boxes as another idea. we are not allowed to use microwaves to warm milk even if bought there as boxes can explode and bottles boil over

 

[firecracker725]

What about carrying some shelf stabilized milk boxes with you. It will be room temperature whenever you want it.

This x1000. Horizon makes shelf stable milk boxes that are great for traveling. They're in the baking aisle near the evaporated and powdered milk.