Daughter Hates the Taste of Soy Formula, What Can I Do?

Dear T.,
My advice to you is to keep up with the nursing because I had a mammogram after my first son was only a month old and I was heavily nursing at the time, so I don't know why they wouldn't want you to be nursing (esp when your little girl is almost a year old and you're not as engorged). I also had an ultrasound done on my breast as well at the same visit (I had a lump). I would go ahead and get your diagnostic tests done and keep nursing as that is the best thing for your daughter and you know she isn't allergic to you. I nursed my first son till 19 months and hope to nurse my second son for at least that amount of time because there are definite health benefits for them for the first 2 years of their life. I have a nine month old right now and am feeding him pureed veggies, some fruits (not too many as it's a lot of sugar), some rice and oatmeal cereals and then nursing him. I also do give him a little water and at times will add a little fish oil to his food (even though I know he gets some from my breast milk) and probiotic powder (Campbells) or acidophilus to boost immunity when he is coming down with something. But my best advice to you is to keep nursing!! esp if your only reason to wean was because of getting a mammogram, etc. Again, I had those two tests when nursing heavily and they had viable results. Luckily my lump was supposedly a blocked milk duct that did not present as one, so my OB suggested the mamm and Ultrasound. Good luck to you and please get back to me if you have any other questions! Ps: also, long-term nursing is supposed to be a very healthy thing for your breasts, esp in lowering your risk of cancer.

I'm adding another bit here - also re: soy I would stay away from it. I have read and heard that soy isn't not something that we should be consuming much of at all. Rice milk is mostly carbohydrate (sugar), so if you are going to wean in the end, maybe try Goat's milk. I do wish you luck.

Try Alimentum formula by Similac. It doesn't have milk protein. My daughter loved it! About half of the kids that can't have milk have an intolerance to soy as well so she may be trying to tell you that the soy formula doesn't agree with her.

Try giving it to her cold. Make it up in advance and stick it in the frig- like real milk

If you are putting it in a bottle, I would ask the ped if you could go to whole milk. Otherwise I would use bmilk. Or you can try a cup instead of bottle.

If you are using it to mix cereal, I would use bmilk, water, juice, or just baby food.

Otherwise I would suggest continuing to bfeed her, especially if it is you weaning her, not her weaning herself.

Good luck and congrats on bfeeding this long.
S.

Hi T.-
I'm so sorry about your predicament. Breast cancer is a scary thing. I'll keep you in my prayers.

My girls are lactose intolerant, but are able to drink soy milk. When my now 2 year-old was 11 months, we had the same problem that you are now having. What worked for us is Silk Very Vanilla. It is in the purple container. It is very sweet and creamy. It is fortified for kids with vitamins A, B, C, D, & E and is calcium enriched. A 1 cup serving has 35% of the calcium needed for the day. I also see on the bottom of the container that there is a satisfation guarantee. If you don't like the product call 1-888-820-9283 or visit www.silksoymilk.com and they will give you your money back.

My favorite part of the container says: "It's FREE! Silk Very Vanilla is free of lactose, dairy, cholesterol, gluton, eggs, casein, peanuts, MSG and worries. You still have to pay for it though."

Good luck with everything!

If switching to soy milk (instead of soy formula) doesn't work, you can try rice milk next. That's what we did when my son started refusing the soy milk.

As your daughter is almost 12 months if you are comfortable with it you could give her soy milk. It is a little less bland than formula, a little sweeter, so she may like it better. Or try lactose free "milk." If you are insistent on formula unfortunately I can't come up with something to help you.

Sorry to hear of your predicament, I'm sure this on top of it isn't making things easier. I am not sure about goat's milk, but it may not hurt to look into it. I was going to suggest like the other post since she is already 11mo. just trying to go to regular soymilk with the flavors. they have chocolate and vanilla, so maybe she would like those a little better. I haven't read anything about the bad stuff from soy, my own son took soy milk for a while so we'll see! Another suggestion...has she ever drank from a straw? You would be amazed at what kids will drink if they get to drinl from a straw. Maybe would be worht a try! Good Luck!

How about regular soy milk (not formula). I'm sorry I'm not much help since I've never been through this. You can get flavored soy milk such as vanilla that might make it easier to give her.

here are some thoughts from my experiences with milk allergy/reactions.

can you skip formula and move to regular soy or rice milk? i watched two kids for a while who drank only breast or rice milk due to milk allergies.

also, my babe broke out from milk products at 11 months, too, but did fine with whole plain yogurt (all the fat!). you could make smoothies with this and rice/soy milk. she also did fine with a drink called kefer that you can get a co-ops or some regular grocery stores.

At 11m, I'd ask if she can have vanilla soymilk. It tastes great (If she won't take it, try the kids version by Silk--it's amazingly good) and she would probably prefer it. Some pediatricians may not let you do that until 1 year, so I'd check first.

Good luck!
J.

Many kids that are allergic to cows milk can handle goats milk. They do not make a formula out of goats milk but you could ask your doctor if you child is old enough to handle goats milk.

T.,

I wouldn't push too hard with the soy milk. Children who are allergic to cow's milk are also often allergic to soy. Some other options are rice milk and goat's milk. (Goat's milk can be given to a child before 1 year of age and the allergy risk is much lower.)

Good luck,
S.

Could you flavor it with a little vanilla? I know they make vanilla flavored milks, not sure if you could just flavor the formula to make it taste better....

Can you pump and make a stock for the freezer? Ask Dr. Sears is a wonderful Web site that has been helpful too. I had a sister who had breast cancer too. Remember, all the nursing you have done has benefitted you with a lot of prevention. Is there any way to get some info on this lump without having to wean? For every year you nurse you reduce your cancer risk significantly.

Good luck to you and take a breath...
J.

Since your daughter is 11 months I would suggest switching to goat's milk. You can find it at Cub, Wal-mart Supercenters and most other grocery stores.
The proteins are smaller and easier to digest. My daughter had a milk protein sensitiviy and but had no reaction to the goat's milk.
Goat's milk is also available through WIC if you are on that program.
Soy milk is a waste product of soybeans. I would avoid it entirely. There are many downfalls to soy milks, supplements, formulas and cheeses. There is alot of new research indicating that the cons of soy milk far outweigh the pros.
I hope you find something that your daughter likes but even more I hope that you remain free of breast cancer. I'm sorry for the loss of your sister.
-Anne

At 11 months old, you could probably switch to soy milk (instead of soy formula). Just make sure to buy the full fat kind. One other thought (but check with your pediatrician) is pediasure - I think it is lactose free, but may still have some milk proteins. May be worth a try.

Since she is 11 months old, if this were my baby, I would try soy milk and see if she likes it or has any bad reactions to it. If soy milk doesn't work, you can move on to goat's milk.

Did you try target brand Soy formula? people say it's sweeter or the parents choice at walmart? OR try just regular soy milk(Silk Brand) mixed with soy formula? My son is on soy since he was 4 months old, so I've tried a lot of soy products,but he was younger when he went on it. Just thought I'd throw in something for you....I hope you find something that helps, that not fun finding the right mix....Good luck!

U can buy powdered goats milk, it is not formula but i mixed it with soy formula for my son & he liked it