Milk Based Vs. Soy

All 3 of my boys were spitters! I tried absolutely every formula you can imagine with no success. The only thing soy did was make the spit up smell worse! Finally, we tried the thickened formulas that are now on the market...GENIUS!!!! We eventually had to 'make' our own with rice cereal added to the formula. My son was picky and would only drink Good Start Natural Cultures but they don't make a thicker version yet. Yes, I know, people will act like you are an abusive parent if you even mention the idea of cereal in a bottle....but they just need to get a grip! LOL Soy may be the answer for your little one, who knows...but give the cereal a try. Until my boys' tummys' were developed enough to hold all the feeding down, the thickened liquid was like magic!!! Wish I'd known about it for the first two!!

~L.

1 mom found this helpful

I used soy for the same reason and it worked well for my now 3 year old as far as her not spitting up so much and she was less gassy. I've been reading scary stuff about soy. There's a lot about estrogen and soy... here's just one example. recently.http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/05_soy_fo...

She honestly just may need to outgrow it. My son was on soy and still threw up all of the time until he was about a year old. It was very frustrating. He just eventually outgrew it. Good luck.

I would definitely switch and also discuss this with your pediatrician. My son had this reaction (I nursed exclusively the first year - however as he was a newborn, the nurses had us supplement with formula while in the hospital the first day or two due to his weight) - he threw up (not spit up, but really threw up immediately), which is what led me to exclusive nursing. We found out at 9 mos that he was highly allergic to milk.

This could also be a reflux problem that can be helped with medication. Please check with your doctor in order to determine what is causing this and to know if you need to avoid milk products.

I never breastfed my kids but my youngest daughter had the same problem with spitting up. She started off on regular enfamil which made her too gassy so we switched her to soy which made her too constipated. I finally put her on the Gentlease which she did great with but she spit up everytime she ate. Sometimes it was just a little and sometimes it was a lot. The spitting up stopped around 6 or 7 months. The doctor said there wasn't anything to worry about and that some kids just spit up alot. When she turned 1 we switched from formula to 2% milk. She spit up with the 2% from the first time we gave it to her so we switched to skim and haven't had a problem since. Just something to keep in mind for when your daughter gets old enough to drink milk. I would tell your doctor about the spitting up and see what he/she says about it but she will probably grow out of it.

I switched my daughter to soy from regular formula around 2 months old.
It worked for her.
Maybe make sure she is not laying flat when you feed her and for a little while after.
When I tried soy it was just a guess that it would work. Our doctor told me if she tolerated it better, then that’s fine.
Another thing was if she wasn't losing weight, our doctor didn't seem too worried.
I used Similac soy.

My son is exclusively breast fed and he throws up all the time...He is 11 months old and still spits up..

Some babies are spitters.. if she is gaining weight and seems happy.. then the drs dont worry about it much

My daughter stopped throwing up at about 4 months.. My son.. well... he is just Mr. Pukey..

Your daughter will outgrow this.. I would not use soy formula. She sounds like she is doing fine on her formula

S.,
I breastfed for 4 months, then returned to work. We tried several different formula's for my son (the spitter upper)and finally settled on Carnations Broken down protein formula. We started with that and swithced to generic. I am lactose intolarant so I thought my son may be. It was like magic. We did soy for awhile, but he got constipated.

Talk with your doctor. Rule out any problems and then try some different formulas until you find one that works for you.

I agree with the previous writter who stated generic is fine. The government regulates what is put into formula and generics are usually made by the same company just put under a generic name. Sam's club and Costco carry large size formulas for great prices and you can use the coupons as they act like checks!

Good luck - I know it is hard to see your little one spitting up so much.

Please do not give your child soy milk. Soy helps a person produce estrogen. Most natural estrogen supplements are soy based. Your child does not need an estrogen boost. Your child may be throwing up because she is lacking hydrochloric acid(HCL) in the stomach. This will not sound good to you, but natural apple cider vinegar helps the body produce HCL. Vitamin b-6 also helps, however, giving a baby Vitamin b-6 at this time is not recommended. You can put 1/4 tsp of natural apple cider vinegar in her bottle with the formula, its cheap and easy, give it a try. The natural apple cider vinegar (from the health foods store) will jump start the HCL production and your child may never have problems again.

I have had 3 girls now (14/11/6)and I had that problem with two. I used Enfamil w/ iron for all my girls and they did the same thing . I started using whole milk and it seemed to help. My dr. had said they were taking alot of air quickly. Made sence. I made eating time more calm so they were more relaxed and calm.(no tv,loud music etc.)and didn't seem to intake in as much air.Worked.With one I added a bit of cereal and never had the problem again. Hope this helps. Good Luck.
A.

I had the same problem with my daughter, she was a projectile spitter. The soy was awful for her. I found by Enfamil a formula for babies who spit up it's Emfamil AR (added rice starch) My daughter is now 11 weeks old and doesn't spit up often at all. Another thing to try is the playtex bottles with the drop-ins, that can be helpful too because the baby is getting less air.

All three of my kids were/are spitters. It got better at about 6 months or so. Good luck!

Hi S.... I had a very similar situation with my twin boys. They both developed a throwing-up issue after a couple months. Sometimes the spit-up was very significant, and sometimes it was small, but it happened all day long. I took them to the pediatrician, and she diagnosed them with acid reflux, and referred us to the Pediatric GI doctor. They were put on medication, and although it didn't stop the spitting-up, it made it less uncomfortable for them.... eventually the stomach muscles strenghten, and the spitting up stops. They are now 13 1/2 months, and it's a whole new world without the spitting up!!! Good luck to you, and let me know if you have any other questions about this... ~L.

my son nursed and he spit up a ton all the time, too. i spent months getting soaked in baby spit up...ahhh, those were the days.

my doctor wasn't too concerned, but recommended homeopathic pulsatilla. it worked like a charm. you can get it at whole foods or other natural food stores.

My situation was almost exactly the same. My son just grew out of it and stopped around 7 months. But if you are nervous about it, Give a call to your pedi. Thats what they are there for.

Hi. I had this same exact problem with my now 13 month old daughter. I switched her to Soy when she was about 3-4 months old b/c i think and my ped said as well that sometimes the milk based formula is a little heavy on their stomachs. She also suggested putting a little cereal in her soy formula to help thicken it up a bit, but my daughter wasn't having the cereal in the bottle. wouldn't drink it. Both of my kids were on soy until they turned 1 and went from that right to vitamin D milk. anyway hope this helps.

Hi S. -
First of all, don't change to soy on your own - it's not recommended unless really needed. They used to switch babies all the time, but now they're more hesitant to switch. Definitely talk to your pediatrician. Kennedi might have reflux, which is helped not only with formula changes, but with medications. Also, how much are you feeding her? It might be too much. My grandson has reflux, he was put on Prosobee, but they also had to try Nutramigen first, and they had to keep the feedings down to 4 oz at a time. They also put him on a medication to empty the stomach faster and one to reduce the acid in his stomach.
DO NOT water down her formula!!!! That is one of the worst things you can do.
Good luck!
D.

You may want to ask your ped about Acid reflux. If she cries or gets a bit fussy just before she throws up This might be an issue.

I am a SAHM with a 4yr old girl a 1 1/2yr old boy. Islso do in home childcare and I am an independent Stampin up! Demo.

My nephew switched to soy from milk based and it stopped his spitting up completely!!
My son... after nursing for a few months decided he didn't want to nurse any more and was switched to soy from milk based after a week on milk based because of welts he would get after drinking the milk based. He is now 1 and NOT allergic to milk. But some kids at young ages just can't handle the proteins in milk based formula.
I would say that it can't hurt to try it...
And also, don't get stuck on brand names... ALL formula brands have to stick to guidelines of nutritional standards...
I use walmart soy formula and pay $13 for a large can that lasts a week instead of $25.- for a smaller can of enfamil, and similac is more$$$. Some brands are easier on baby than others, true... But if you can't afford to get the formula and have to scrimp on mixing it, what good is it? (and once the formula comp. knows you are using their product they slowdown and stop the coupons)
My guy was on soy from 5 mos and is a healthy, happy, active guy...

You could talk to the doctor about this, but in the mean time try watering the formula down a little bit. We did this with my son and it took care of the problem. It was too strong for him I guess. He has been fine ever since.

If you are having trouble on Enfamil I would try Good Start Soy. I work in a day care and a lot of my infants have milk allergies. The Good Start seems to work better. Both of my kids were on Good Start and they did great. (My daughter had acid reflux) I hope this helps you!

I had the same problem - I breastfed until my son was about 2 months old. My son would spit up A LOT when I had him on Enfamil and Soy Good Start formulas. I switched my son to soy around the same time (4 or 5 months). I tried my son on Earth's Best Organic and he did very well. My son still spit up, but I would say 95% better on this formula. You do want to do the switch gradual (over about 4-5 days). Remember, once your little one starts to walk - the spitting up will probably not be an issue anymore.

And just a heads up for down the road - When my son was one, I transitioned him to cow's milk. He ended up with ear infections. I started giving my son soy milk (rather than the cow's milk). Oddly enough, the ear infections have not been an issue since! Something to think about when the times comes. :)

Good Luck!

Her stomach might just be a little out of whack. It's called a hiatel hernia, and trust me I had it for years myself! I'd have my dinner over and over until I took some minty anything to calm it. But that isn't correcting the problem, if it now is an out of whack tummy. It sounds like it could be. But to properly deal with it you need an alternative practitioner.

If you don't want to go that route, it could be sensitivity to soy. Try almond milk. It's got calcium, it's close enough in taste, and it's non-cow milk. I use it all the time.

This is something you MUST discuss with your Dr. They are the ones that may detect allergies. You may need to be on a soy based formula.

Good Luck