Milk

Updated on December 15, 2009
M.B. asks from Schenectady, NY
31 answers

my daughter was on soy formula since she was born and the nicu put her on that and i have no idea why well when she went for her 12month check up the ped. said i could switch her to whole milk when i use all the formula i had up well i did that and every since i did she has been having diarrhea every since shes been on it so we tried sweet acidophilus milk and shes still having diarrhea does anyone have any suggestions on what i can do?

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S.S.

answers from Lake Charles on

Both my daughter and my son were on soy formula and when i was a baby I was on Nutramigen. My daughter is 4 now and has grown out of her milk allergy and I grew out of at about the age of 2 I believe. My son is 20months and I give him soy milk. I had the same problem with him. At 13months old I started to wean him from formula and the diarreah started. But when I went to get him formula...they were out of the kind I bought in Soy. So, still not realizing it was an allergy...I just thought any formula might make it better b/c I thought he had a virus. He had diarreah until we bought more Soy formula. So, after the diarreah completely cleared up...I started giving him Soy milk...and he's been fine ever since. I haven't tried any cow's milk products since to see if he's out grown it yet though. Some do and some don't. Just kind of have to try it and see. Also...i read someone's response about limiting fruit juice. BOTH of my children have diarreah if they're given fruit juice w/o being heavily diluted. Very strange. If I want to give my kids a 'fun' drink instead of milk...I give them either flavored water (which they think is juice) or Sprite.

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M.D.

answers from Nashville on

I know when I was an infant I was on soy milk simply b/c the doctor said my system wouldn't be able to handle the whole milk. My mom kept me on soy milk until I could eat solid foods, and it does have a lot of Protein. Also try the Carnation Good Start.

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J.N.

answers from Knoxville on

Try Lactaid brand whole milk. It's just like regular milk but without the lactose. It may be easier for her in her transition. Or, she may always have a milk allergy and she will always have to have soy milk.

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J.D.

answers from Huntsville on

Ashley-

Please discuss your daughter's reaction with your pediatrician ASAP. Diarrhea can be an indication of an allergy. My son is allergic to milk protein and every time he has cow's milk, he has slimey diarrhea- like someone with a REALLY bad cold blew their nose on his poop. Terrible thought, I know, but that's exactly what it looks like! He also has gas and a tummy ache. This lasts for about 3-4 days until all of that milk gets through him.

Sometimes when I'm talking to people about his allergy, people ask what his symptoms are. After I tell them, some people respond with "Oh- that's all". Well, according to my son's allergy doctor, that's not all. The type of reaction my son has is one step below Anaphalatic Shock-however you spell it. Allergies are nothing to play around with.

Talk to your doctor about alternatives to soy and dairy. Some doctors prescribe a formula geared towards kids with allergies (it's very expensive- over $40 for a small can) and then other doctors might say that rice milk is ok at this age, given that your daughter eats a well-rounded diet. The big concern with rice milk is that there is very little or no fat in it (I can't remember which) so our doctor had us tossing ALL veggies in olive oil. I have also heard of pediatricians recommending goat's milk. Keep in mind: none of these is something you should try on your own without the guidance of your doctor.

Good luck!
J.

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S.H.

answers from Memphis on

Hey Ashley, my daughter just turned 1 and she is now drinking whole milk, for the first 2 weeks she diaherra bad and I was worried I took her to the doctor but the doctor said its normal for a baby just switching milk. She told me to just give her 3 cups a day to get her use to it, I even warmed up the milk and added a little baby cereal to it and she enjoys it now! Just try doing what i did if you are not satisfied you might have to put the baby back on the other milk

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L.G.

answers from Nashville on

My Son had the same issue and I took him back to soy milk. He is 4 1/2 now and that's all we drink. I do however allow him to have yogurt (non soy), cheese and ice cream on occassion and that does not seem to cause an issue. We use Silk Vanilla soy milk, which seemed to taste the best.

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J.S.

answers from Chattanooga on

Hi Ashley

A lot of kids cannot handle milk...i know it gives both of my kids diahrea. I have my 1 year old on a toddler formula (rather than milk) even though my pediatrician wants him on whole milk. There are toddler soy milk formulas.
My 2 year old was on rice milk until just a few weeks ago and now he drinks one small cup of milk. I think that may be what is causing all the mucus, so I may have to try something else. Some kids just can't handle milk.
Sometimes Pediatricians don't know what is best for your child....you do! go with your gut on this one.
J.

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T.G.

answers from New York on

soy still create mucus why not try hemp milk from living harvest (joe traders) red one, or you could try coconut , rice milk, i think she has lactose problem did you try lactaid milk lactose free milk, anyway I too have major problem with milk when ever i take milk tea or milk specially on morning empty stomach i have to run to bathroom, but with lactaid i did'nt have any problem, but if you eat something before milk or milk tea it helps, by the way, i hope it might help
goodluck,

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M.T.

answers from Fayetteville on

My daughter was on soy milk too. I didnt have any problems switching her to whole but at first I gave her lactaid. She didnt have any problems with it either. It may also be the transition that is giving her diarreha. I would suggest a soy milk just for the time being.

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J.F.

answers from Johnson City on

Ashely i prob dont have all that much advice but i have heard that sometimes its just there body responding to something different in general. Did you also move her over to complete solid food at that time. Maybe something in her diet there might also be doing it. I understand where you are coming from as not wanting to leave your daughter with anyone. I was like that with my child for along time but she is 3 now and she wants to go places because she understand that she will have fun etc. I didnt loose and child that far along but i did have a miscarrige and it is very hard to deal with loosing a child no matter how far along you are. Hopefully the diarrhea will soon stop once her body adjust to the change.

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D.H.

answers from Memphis on

We just went though almost the same thing with our 13 month old Son. I would suggest get ahold of your Peds doctor. Request allergy testing. We found out that our son is allergic to casein. Which pretty much leaves out all dairy products for him. Currently trying to switch him from soy based formula to soy milk. I hope this helps. My son was born Sept. 12 2006. He is my youngest of 4.

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B.K.

answers from Clarksville on

Well, you don't have to give her any milk. I know *GASP* contrary to popular dr opinion. We don't do cow's milk very often and my two year old daughter was on breast milk until very recently. You can give her soy milk, rice milk or anything else you want at this age, but if she has a bad reaction there's no need to continue to give it to her. If you're giving her other protein and fatty foods then she doesn't need cow milk. HUGS!

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K.G.

answers from Nashville on

Have you tried Lactade brand milk? It is in the regular milk case and only comes in a half gallon, it more expensive but worked for us. Our daughter has a lactade/milk/soy allergy and this was all she could drink. We also found some chewable pills, which I crush and put in her first cup of milk in the morning, they are in the pharmacy section and are for lactose intolorance. Our daughter is 3 and drinks and eats anything she wants as long as she has had her pill each day. They are all natural so our ped said they were okay for any age.

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H.B.

answers from Mobile on

Ask your pediatrician if you can use soy milk--she may be lactose intolerant. Also, if she's having lots of diarrhea, make sure you're limiting use of fruit juice. I'm soooo sorry about your son--I can't even imagine the pain of losing a child. You may want to seek out a support group to cope with the pain--sometimes it helps to know you aren't the only one going through that!!

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M.J.

answers from Huntsville on

Both my son and daughter had to be on the soy formulas, due to a milk sensitivity (it causes tummy problems and eczema). My daughter grew out of the allergy/sensitivity at three, and can drink and eat small amounts of dairy now without complications. My son, who is now almost 18 mos. couldn't go to the whole milk at 12 months, but soy milk didn't sit well with him, either, at first. So, our pediatrician had him just stay on the formula until he was eating a well-balanced enough diet to cut down on the milk, which all balanced out around 15 months. The formula's got a good balance of nutrients, and is better than losing fluid and nutrients in the diarrhea, said our ped. We had tried Lactaid with no help, as well. He now drinks watered-down soy milk 2-3 times a day,(have to go easy on the soy, as it can be a natural laxative, as well,) and eats a balanced diet, drinks water, and the tummy yuck usually stays away unless he's teething.

Hope that helps.

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S.A.

answers from Baton Rouge on

My second son had the same thing and I didn't know what it was until he was 13 months old. So he suffered for 13 months when he shouldn't have, but he and my youngest son are lactose intolerant. When we changed their milk, they were completely new babies and the diarrhea went away, so did the horrible diaper rashes it would bring with it!

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A.E.

answers from Memphis on

Both of my girls reacted to cow's milk at 12 months. Keep her on soy or rice milk (not necessarily formula) for another month or two and try a little bit of cow's milk again and see what happens. My first daughter didn't like soy but drank goat's milk. The other answer is either dairy allergy or lactose intolerance. If your daughter didn't have a rash around her mouth, it may not be an allergy. My 13-month-old, I suspect, is lactose intolerant. I hope she'll grow out of it, but for now, we're avoiding all dairy products. Good luck.

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M.T.

answers from Nashville on

Ashley,
We had the same trouble but exact opposite. My little girl got stopped up on whole milk so we tried soy and she started going regularly. So we switch back and forth because the soy will give her the squirts if she drinks it too often, whereas the whole milk will constipate her.
If I were you, I would ween her from the soy. Give her a little of both, kind of like like you did when she was getting baby formula.
Hope that helps.

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S.A.

answers from New Orleans on

Have you tried soy milk? My hsband is lactose intolerant and he drinks soy milk...he says that the vanilla Silk that is in the refridgerated section tasts the best.

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K.P.

answers from Little Rock on

Try mixing the formula with whole milk. At first do mostly formula and gradually add more milk. My son was also on soy formula and this is how we transitioned him to whole. We had no problems.Good Luck

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L.H.

answers from Shreveport on

My son had diarrhea too! Once he was old enough to stop formula and have milk, because of a family history of lactose intolerance the doc put him on soymilk. He loved the stuff, but always had diarrhea. We finally took him to an allergist for a scratch test and bloodwork. He turned out to be allergic to apples by the scratch test and the bloodwork showed and allergy to cherries. These things cause him diarrhea and we also found out that soymilk can cause diarrhea as well! It was very hard to switch him to whole milk because it doesn't taste as good, but now he will drink chocolate milk. We avoid any juice that has apple or cherry juice listed in the ingredients and his diarrhea is under control. Needless to say he is not lactose intolerant! I hope this helps.

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L.J.

answers from Birmingham on

Your daughter will be fine and as she ages you will need to show her that you're a strong, confident women, not full of fear. I am terribly sorry for your loss, babies are so very special. I think we all fear losing them (at any age) because it would be so terribly difficult to handle but we can't let them be affected by this insecurity. I tell myself this everytime one of the kids is not with me. I breathe much easier when they are back home. On to the feeding question .. my son could never tolerate whole milk, 2 % or anything of that nature. The dr. recommended the powder milk that you mix with water that is usually sold around the flour/corn meal. It worked GREAT and we bought it for many years. He is now a teenager and can drink any type of milk. Good luck!

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C.V.

answers from Lafayette on

The baby needs to be put on Soy milk. When you switch from a soy formula you can't give them whole milk, it will give the baby diarhea. Try the soy milk and leave the whole milk alone..... You need to give her one capsule of Flora Q over the counter in some pudding to help with her diarhea, it helps put back the good bacteria in her body that the diarhea is taking from her..... Hope this helps you...

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M.S.

answers from Dothan on

I would put her back on the soy formula and mix a little of something else in with it until her body gets use to it. Best of luck,
M.

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C.C.

answers from Birmingham on

Have you talked with the MD? Sometimes, it helps to start changing 1/2 at a time.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

The fat in cow'smilk is sometimes hard for other species to digest.
Try giving her goat's milk instead. The fat is more easily digested.

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J.D.

answers from Shreveport on

Have you tried just regular soy milk. Also i would like to add that it isnt healthy for you or your daughter to not have alone time with others. I felt the same way about leaving my daughter with others but its better for her in the long run if she learns to be around family and friends now than later.
Best of luck.
Jess

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S.W.

answers from Jackson on

Hey my ped told me to ease my son into the switch. He told me for the first week give him bottles with 3/4 formula to 1/4 whole milk. For the second week bottles of 1/2 formula and 1/2 whole milk, and for the third week 1/4 formula and 3/4 milk. Then go to whole milk until age 2.

The doc said that going straight to whole milk could really upset their stomach, causing spitting up and loose bowels. I did this with breast milk and it worked great, but he said he recommends it for formula, too.

If this doesn't help you should talk to your doctor. She may be lactose intolerant or even allergic to milk, but more likely since she was on soy formula her stomach is just not used to the things that are in milk.

Hope this helps.
S.

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W.T.

answers from Memphis on

She may not be ready to go off the formula dispite your doctors advice. There is no magic age that any child is ready, 12 months is just a general rule. I have a 20 month old who was not on whole milk until he was 16 months. I also had to ease him onto it (week 1=6oz. formula 2 oz. milk and so on). Hope this info is helpful.

Good Luck
W.

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D.M.

answers from Clarksville on

Hi my name is D. and I have a son who also could not and would not drink milk. He was on prosobee and then when it was time to switch to whole milk, he would throw up as soon as it hit his tongue. What I did was I told my husband we should try 2% which didnt work and neither did skim milk. We put some Silk Soy milk in his bottle and he loved it. The only disadvantage to me was that WIC did not cover it and this milk is 2.99 for a half gallon. I tried Lactaid too but it didnt work. Hope this helps

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T.C.

answers from Nashville on

You really need to talk to her pediatrician about what to do. Diarrhea in an infant can be really serious and cause dehydration.

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