Soy Milk - Menifee,CA

I think everyone has pretty much said the same thing. But just to add. My twins who are now 3 are lactose intolerant. they were put on soy formula as babies, at one we tried regular milk and they couldnt tolerate it. so they were put on Soy milk, per doctors advice. They are just fine, they are still lactose intolerant. But we did move them from soy milk to just lactose free milk. The only difference in the two, is that soy milk is derived from a bean (soy bean) and the lactose free milk, is from a cow and the lactose is removed. So, dont worry, soy milk is fine and healthy even for a two year old.

soy isn't good for kids or adults. you can look at www.mercola.com which is a very good website about health issues. they have alot of info on soy in general. There's also a pretty good article on mothering.com http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_...

i was advised by someone i trust (he deals with natural health & nutrition) not to give my daughter cows milk or soy milk. we give her rice milk and she likes it. she was breastfed until 18 months and then switched to rice milk. she's 3 now and still drinks it.

I would consult your pediatrician to be sure but it is my understanding that any choice is fine after age 2...that is the age at which you can switch from whole milk to whatever else so it should stand to reason that soy wouldn't be a problem. You know your child and if soy is helping baby then tell the naysayers to mind their own as it were ;) Good luck!

R.- my daughter is almost a year old now and she has only had soy. She had a bad reaction as an infant to milk based formula so we switched to soy. I am now adding some soy milk to her diet because we are weaning her frm the soy formula. Many children are lactose sensitive and have to drink soy. There is nothing wrong with giving her soy milk it is a safe alternative to cows milk

I breast fed my son until he was 7 months old. I stopped because he thought it was funny to bite. Afterwards, he went on formula, and after trying a few different brands, I found he was having issues with any other kind accept for the soy based formula. After formula, he was put on regular milk, as per the doctor, at first. That didn't work, so we had given him soy milk. He loved soy milk! AND, it wasn't giving him any issues. He seemed really happy with it. We gave him vitamins on top of it, and he was fine.
He has recently shown a disliking to the soy milk though, and has switched to regular milk. and has not had any reactions to it as he did when he was younger. I think that he switched over because he noticed we did not drink the same milk, and neither did other family members. My point is, he is a very healthy, and very smart young man. The soy milk did not have any bad affects on him. I would say run it by your doctor to be safe, but if your child prefers soy milk, go for it!

Hi R.,

Afer I took my daughter off of formula - I did breastfeed her for 9 months - she had a problem with whole milk....it made her constipated. The doctor actually told me to try her on soy milk. She loves it, even to this day and she is now 5 1/2. She doens't want regular milk, only soy milk (vanilla flavored! It is very healthy and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be using it for your child. Good luck!!

C.

i think they say no soy milk before age 1 because its something a lot of people have allergies to, like nuts. if she likes it and shes not having any reactions to it, its actually very good for her, more protein than regular milk and easier for the body to digest.

Well, recent studies are now showing that regular use of soy products in children may NOT be a good thing.... the high content of natural estrogen can affect their hormones and body development (it is generally good for menopausal women, replacing lost estrogen). It may not be detrimental but in teh long run, usually in the pubecent years and older, it may cause some issues that they may have not had to deal with had they not been exposed to large amounts of estrogen.

Another part that isn't so great is the lack of calcium, which is VERY important for the health of our lil ones... bones, teeth, etc.... so, do some research online, talk to your pediatrician (if he/she is "old school" they may disagree), but I'd look into all sides of it. Myself, I limit the amount of soy I give my son, but I have not cut it out completely, nor do I plan to.

my son now 4 has been drinking soy milk since he was weaned at 18mnths. i gave him soy for 2 reasons . 1st he was/is such a picky eater that knowing he drinks soy milk i knew was getting 6-7 grams of protein each time. 2ndly i feel that we have become too needy on farm animals that they are getting over used for lack of better term. my pediatrian knows that he went from moms milk to soy and has never said anything about it. i plan on doing the same for my 31/2 mth old when his mommmy molk time is over. my 4 yr. old loves cheese and yogurt and other forms of dairy so i've never worry about that.
plus, my girlfriend's son is allergic to cows milk and soy like her he drinks rice milk which my 4 yr. drinks at school.why because its gentle on the system and we all know how school lunches can be. :P he likes them all.
hope this is helpful. GO NATURES MILK!!!! :p

I nursed all 3 of my children for their first year but also supplemented soy milk from about 6-8 months on. I am not a nutritionalist, and don't know about any adverse affects. But my children are now 16,19, and 21 and are rarely sick, have beautiful skin, and very healthy. I was very health conscious at the time, and didn't give any of them junk food, no processed food, artificial flavours and raised them vegetarian until about 6 years old. I made my own soy milk (I didn't like the powdered ingredients back then-I don't know what they are like now),it's not hard at all, just a little time consuming. They also ate a lot of plain yogurt mixed with mushed up bananas.
It took a lot of extra time to prepare food that was nutritional, but in my opinion it was worth it! They were hardly ever sick with colds, had very few ear infections either. My friend fed her daughter milk and she had ear infections all the time. Is there a connection? Maybe, maybe not. But soy milk was a staple at our home for years. My 21 year old still drinks it today, and I have heard that soy is healthy for women.
A lot may have changed sinced I raised my children 20 years ago, but one thing is constant-we all want what's best for our kids. Don't stop looking until you find it!

I don't have time to read other responses, but here's mine....

My son just turned two and I still breastfeed him, only at nights. I started giving him "kid's fortified" soy milk by Silk, but it was vanilla flavored so it was pretty sweet. I recently switched to regular Silk soy milk and he loves it (he's been drinking soy for around a year now)....

His doctor says there's nothing wrong with giving him soy milk, and 3 other doctors in the office agreed....hope this helps!

Enriched rice milk is a good choice. It doesn't have the protein, but at two they are getting protein from other sources.

Hi, I would think soy is fine.....my doctor said it is fine. My little one (12 months old) was breast fed until 10 months, and then I started formula. He was allergic to that, so I had to give him soy formula. Now at 12 months I give him soy milk (not formula), but am slowly introducing regular milk and he seems fine. My point is that some children are allergic to milk, so soy milk is their only option.....so I'm sure it is just fine.

Most formula's are soy based. In fact babies who have allergies to certain milk based products are given soy formula's.I can't see that it would be any problem especially at 2 yrs of age. The best advice is, as always ,check with your child's doctor.I think you can probably rest easy though I'm sure your not hurting your baby!!Good Luck.....

Hi R. -
I breast fed until 6 months, then put my son on formula. He didn't react well to the milk, so we changed to soy. Not only does he LOVE soy, but it is very healthy and our son is definitely thiving. We use the Odwalla brand from Whole Foods Market. Silk is good too. These are "organic" soy milk products with added Omega-3, etc. Very healthy and tasty. I use it too.

Good luck to you! - L.

I breast fed my daughter till she was 6 months old and then switched to formula. My daughters doctor actually told us to give her soy milk because she was sick quite often from the germy kids at daycare and formula made her extra flemy. So she drank soy milk until she turned one when we switched her to whole milk. She really loved it. Also my husband grew up drinking it because he was allergic to whole milk. His milk allergy is gone now so if she isnt allergic to other dairy then she will probably just out grow it.

Your baby is two, she doesn't need any milk, soy or other, at all. Just give her water and a little juice with no added sugar. My boy is three and that is all he drinks. He nursed until he was two as well. He is big and strong. Many kids are allergic to dairy. Do not give it to your child. She does not need it. You gave her everything she needed in her breastmilk for the first two years.

Soy milk has two issues but they can easily be avoided - it contains phytates that can prevent your child from absorbing calcium if the calcium rich foods are eaten within of hour or two of drinking the milk. As long as you give her other calcium rich foods at a different time from when she has the soy milk (like broccoli, kale, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified whole-grains, cereals, waffles, and breakfast bars) she will be just fine. Maybe just have her drink soy milk with breakfast and dinner (which is what I do with regular milk with my kids) and then be sure to serve calcium rich foods throughout the day. The other issue is that since it is derived from a plant and not an animal it does not contain B12 which is an important nutrient for your little one. Lucky for us, many whole grains, cereals etc. are fortified with plenty of B12 for toddlers. Aside from these issues soy milk is very good for both kids and adults and contains a high number of phytoestrogens, which have been proven to promote good blood cholesterol. Hope this helps, sounds like you are providing your little one with exceptional nutrition! :) :)

PS Until your toddler is 2 he or she should have whole soy milk - since your little girl is 2 already she can have low-fat versions

My girls both are lactose intolerant. My oldest had be put on soy formula at 9 months because of it and we just carried over the soy milk when she turned 1. My youngest also drinks soy milk, and neither has had any health problems. They both love it and are now 3 and 5 years of age. I think it depends entirely on the individual and their diet. Good luck.

Hi R. :)

I would stay away from soy in large amounts. A treat every so often is prolly fine, but soy is generally best for aging women, since it is high in estrogen. A good alternative might be rice milk. It's naturally sweet and my kids love it. I recommend Lungberg brand over Rice Dream. Better ingredients, tho it is a bit more expensive.
Something interesting to note is that soy formula has been banned in England and I believe New Zealand as well, as they believe it to be bad for children.
When you get some time, pull up google and do a search on "dangers of soy". Lots of interesting reading. ;)
Best of Wishes,
M.

i have heard the same thing about soy milk..so i gave my son goat milk at the age of 1 and then slowly shifted over to rice milk..another friend did the almond milk thing.. i think as long as its not being used intead of formula your child should be fine..but try the rice, goat or almond milk. good luck

Hi R.!!

That's awesome to meet more moms who breastfeed past 6 months of age! Not too many do anymore. : (

I don't have any research ( I never looked it up, because I didn't do any bottles at all with my youngest and she doesn't drink a whole lot of milk ) but I did use soy formula with my oldest after she quit breastfeeding ( my fault, no support ) and also both my oldest and middle child drank soy milk after the year mark. Neither have had any problems. I've heard people say that it can be better with goat's milk, if that's an option you can try.

Sorry, that probably wasn't very helpful, but just wanted to give you anecdotal information. LOL

Christy

according to everything i have heard--- it's totally OKAY for your child to have soy milk! (they're obviously uneducated in that area if they are telling you that is wrong).
there is SOY formula!
people say the oddest things...
anyway, talk to your pediatrician, but mine was MORE than okay with me giving my baby soy milk, much less a 2 year old! :)

Hi R.! We're not milk drinker's either for a number of reasons, but we'll save that for another time. Down at the Vitamin Shoppe, there is an all veggie powder formula - I believe it's made form rice protien - that we tried. We also enjoy Almond milk. At Trader Joe's a 32 oz. of Almond Milk is less than $2. WHile soy is a veggie protien, for some reason, people of all ages may have an uncomfortable digestive reaction.

Hope this helps!

Hi R.,

Wow! Good for you! I also breastfed my children until they were 2. I just thought some positive reinforcement was recommended. Not only because you did such a tremendous thing for your child but I also know that you may have recieved many a comments about bf that long.

As for the soy milk. Formula is made from cows milk and soy. If it was not safew for your child than it could not be used in formula. However the protiens in cows milk vs soy are very similar. So, Its not unusual to be "allergic" to both. Have you considered lactaid vs. milk? This might be a better option only because of the calcium content. Soy is considered safe but not a great form of calcium unless it is fortified. Maybe consider calcium fortified juices and continue to offer the cheese, yogurt, icecream ect.
As a matter of fact, WIC is finally going to start offering soy milk besides cows milk eventually. It finally got passed at the federal goverment level.
Everybody has an opinion! Get all the facts and then make a decision.

H. B.

Hi R.. No, you are not hurting your baby. Everyone has given you good advice. First and foremost, consult with your physician. None of us are doctors and can properly give you the right advice. Do your own research. As for me, my daughter was breastfed but developed colic early on. My pediatrician suggested I try to supplement with formula. She still seemed colicky so we switched her to soy formula. She drank soy formula for awhile before graduating to drinking soy milk. She is now 2 1/2, still drinks the soy milk and is fine. It may have been a milk allergy I don't know. I too am allergic to regular milk. But soy has alot of additional benefits that regular milk does not. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

R.,

Soy milk is fine as long as the baby is not allergic to it like my son was. Soy is rich in calcium and anti-inflamatory. Lots of Asian countries eat soy as a meat substitute. They have less obesity and heart problems than we do.

Dear R.,

Have you looked closely at the label? They probably would have a warning on it. I really don't know, but call the local health dept, or your doctor's office. C. N.

R.,

Talk to your doctor first. There is always going to be "new" studies that prove or disprove is something is good for us or not. Right now soy happens to be the hot topic. Making sure your daughter gets a balanced diet and not loading up on the soy, i.e., tofu, soy yogurt, soy snacks...adding soy milk should not be an issue. My daughter who is 4 has developed an allergy to milk; my doctor told me to rotate her milk intake - she loves almond milk (trader joes), soy milk and rice milk. He did say that for children under 3, especially girls, soy can be harder to digest in some systems and they could develop an allergy later on because soy protein can be harder on the little gastro systems. He also suggested goat milk and goat yogurt which Hannah loves as well.

Anyway, as my delivery doctor told me..."you are the mom and deep in your gut you know what is best"...I will always remember this advice.

M.