Opinion on Best Organic Brand of Soy Formula and Probiotic for 4 Month Old?

I agree with the other person who responded to look into the effects of soy on children. I have heard that feeding a baby soy formula is the equivalent of giving them 5 birth control pills a day (since soy produces estrogen in the body and babies are not able to metabolize it like adults). Here is a link with more info: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/infant.html

One suggestion to help with the spit-up/reflux is to look into your little one wearing a hazelwood necklace. They work by absorbing excess acid in the body (the wood has that natural property). They help a lot with spit up and reflux and have been a miracle for treating my youngest's daughter's severe eczema (many types of eczema are caused by over acidity as well).
You can find them at http://www.hazelaid.com

Good luck!

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For probiotics: I use a supplement called HLC Maintenance, by a company Pharmax. When we started my son on milk other than mine, we'd open the capsules & mix it in, and he did great with it! The same company also makes a probiotic supplement called Neonate, too, so if you're happier using one specifically formulated for babes, try that one! I get all of our supplements at Rainbow natural remedies on Capitol Hill - they're wonderful there, they have a naturopath there that you can ask questions, and they're great with helping find things, and figure out what you need. The probiotics are in the refrigerator :-) Good luck to your and your little guy!

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Many people get confused about this. Babies cannot be lactose intolerant! All mammals have lactose in their milk. Even (and especially!) humans. I urge you to continue with dairy based formula or donated human milk. much better for your baby because he needs lactose--it's important for his devoloping brain. it may be the cow's milk protein that he's sensitive to. probiotics should help.

R. Beebe, IBCLC
Lactation Consultant, Seattle

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Hi A.,

I'm with Renee--avoid soy at all costs! I am in the process of studying Nutritional Therapy and there's a lot of information about soy that is very concerning. If you can get donated breast milk that would really be your best bet.

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Hi A.-

When I found out I would be unable to breastfeed my youngest daughter, I did tons of research on formula. I didn't just want to give her anything. Most formulas you see in the store (especially the sensitive ones, unfortunately) have a lot of unnecessary chemicals and are high in sugar. This could be why your little guy is having such a hard time with them. Try looking into Baby's Only Organic formula (put out by Nature's One). I've been using it for my daughter for almost a year now with no problems. You can order from them directly for about the same price as anything at the store, they don't charge shipping if you purchase formula by the case, and they have soy, lactose-free or dairy to choose from. They also have a probiotic you can buy separately, though I've never tried it.

They have a wonderful website that you can check out here:
http://www.naturesone.com/index.php
You will probably notice that their formula is labeled as toddler formula, however, that's only because they recommend breastfeeding first. I had my baby's doctor look into their formula and she said it would be fine for my daughter.

Anyway, I hope that helps! I first learned about "Baby's Only" from another mom here on Mamasource and it's worked for me!

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A., we had a similar issue with my daughter at that age and tried different formulas. We settled on the sensative (orange can) which worked better for us since my daughter turned out to be sensative to soy.

One thing that worked for us more than anything else was a suggestion from a friend of mine to add 1 gas drop per ounce of formula directly to her bottles. It made an immediate and noticable difference! We had been giving her the gas drop directly and it never seemed to help much, but as soon as we started adding the drops directly to her bottles she stopped acting like she was in discomfort from the gas and it just passed right through her (she still tooted a lot, but it didn't seem to bother her anymore). It's worth a try! Good luck, it does get better :-)

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I've used Baby Jarro-Dophilus (Jarro brand). It comes in a powder that you can put in liquids or on food. You can buy it online or at health food stores like New Seasons. Be careful with the soy formula because some babies are sensitive to soy as well as cow milk. It's why breast milk is best, though sometimes not possible. I would switch slowly to a soy formula so you can see if it's helping, hurting or staying the same. Good luck. I wish you and your son the very best.

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Hi A.,

I'm not sure about the formula, but as far as the probiotic - I HIGHLY recommend "Pharmax HLC Neonate Powder". You just dip your finger tip in the little bottle and let your baby suck it off your finger.

Bastyr University did a study on probiotics a few years back and found that most probiotic products on store shelves did not contain active cultures, and therefore did not do anything. There were only a small handful that did contain live cultures. I don't know all of the brands, but the one that has always been recommended to me to use by my Naturopath is the HLC brand, being one of the ones that they found the most active cultures. Once you get some, I suggest keeping them in the refrigerator to keep the cultures active.

I get mine directly from my Naturopath's office, but I know you can find it online, including on Amazon.com. I completely understand being budget conscious, but remember that your money is going to better use when you're buying something that you know is working.

I also highly suggest having you and your 17 month old take probiotics. (HLC also makes kids (straws or powder to put in drinks) and adult (capsules) versions.) Probiotics and omegas (Nordic Naturals or Carlson's) are two of the most important supplements to take, especially for growing children.

You can also get probiotics in yogurts and such too (for you and your 17-month old), but make sure that the label says >active cultures<. Some claim to have probiotics, but if they're not active, it's useless.

All the best to you and your family!

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If I had to use soy formula (I'm still breastfeeding, but I did consider the option at one point) it would be the brand they sell at New Season's. Not sure of the name, but it's something like Nature's Best. It's organic--and of course more expensive than other formulas. But otherwise, WalMart's brand should be just fine--especially if you have to bottle feed a growing child!

As far as probiotics, ask your pediatrician. They do make infant probiotics, which have more variety than adult probiotics do. I don't think there's any special brand that's better than another.

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You will get much conflicting information about soy and much of it is not true. Soy and corn are the two things that are most likely genetically modified if not organic. All soy products are not the same. A great soy protein is made by Shaklee. You will have to ask a professional how to use this. Shaklee also has a probiotic. Here is what one Dr says about the quality:
DR. CHRISTIANE NORTHRUP, M.D.
Obstetrician/Gynocologist, author of Health Wisdom for Women
. . . states that Shaklee's Vita-Lea is the best pre-natal vitamin she has found. She never has problems with her patients becoming anemic like many of her colleagues do. The cost of Vita-Lea is. . . a small price to pay for so much nutritional insurance. “It is so important for adults and children to take a
Vita-Lea (multi) tablet twice a day in order to fill in the gaps in the diet and to give your body everything it needs for healing and repair (which takes place while you sleep). People who think they eat ‘very well’ are surprised to find out that minerals and trace minerals are very low in supermarket fo ods, due to early harvesting, transporting , and storage. Of all the vitamins on the market, Shaklee supplements are different. Vita-Lea is made primarily from organically-grown vegetable sources, cold-processed to preserve enzymes, and contains exactly what the label states. Not only that, all Shaklee supplements are clinically tested to make sure that what is on the label is actually absorbed.”

Another option that many people are not aware of is donated breastmilk. There's a yahoo group called MILKSHARE that's designed to bring donors and babies together. I am personally donating milk to a baby who's allergic to formula (his mother couldn't breast-feed)..

Anyway, it's just a thought..

Pay the extra money and don't shop for formula at Wal-Mart. Their supply line, even on a name brand and especially on their own in-house brand is suspect. They negotiate for lower prices with their manufacturers by changing the formula or construction of things.

My kids did great with Nestle Good Start (and I think there's one with probiotics included). The proteins are more broken down so softer on their tummy. I have no idea if that's an option for you based on your child's issue.

Hi A.,

I wish I could recommend a brand, but I haven't used any formulas, my daughter refused a bottle or pacifier and breastfeeding worked out best for us.

But I wanted to add that switching directly to soy from dairy can still be an issue since the body looks at soy as similar to dairy. Plus there has been a lot of research showing hormonal disruption by too much soy consumption especially in boys. I would look at other types of dairy free formula before considering the soy. I am surprised your doctor recommended a soy based formula for your son.

You can read a lot about the effects of too much soy on all our bodies at www.drmercola.com and I would especially look at soy and the affects on boys.

Sincerely,
A.