Our ENT doc has suggested we switch our 21 month old daughter to soy milk from cow's milk, thinking this might help clear up her runny nose. She's had the runny nose persistantly for months - literally all winter and now into the summer too. Her congestion has affected her sleep, causing her to wake up frequently during the night. We had chalked up the congestion to daycare and all the viruses that are passed around, as did our pediatrician. I'm wondering if any other moms have experienced this and if you found the change to soy milk worked to clear up nose congestion. Also, if you do use soy milk wondering what brand and flavor your kids like? Thanks in advance.
I switched to organic rice milk by Rice Dreams when I cut back on my son's dairy intake. It helped much for clearing up his congestion!!
Much rice is genetically modified and for that reason I use only the organic rice milk. Soy has another host of problems - some of which is worse than that of cow's milk.
I also have used Almond Milk for my son and w/ both Rice Milk & Almond Milk, he's done better.
Dear L.,
Chronic congestion is definitely a symptom of a milk protein intolerance. My son had chronic colds and ear infections, plus a speech delay and a perpetually sad mood, as a result of just trace amounts of dairy in his diet. When we finally got him off all traces of dairy, he literally learned 50 words in a week, his mood brightened unbelievably, and he hasn't had an ear infection since. My son used to have sleep issues a lot like your daughter's, too; as soon as we got him off all dairy, he's been sleeping like a champ.
For soy milk, I go with the store-brand organic. At our local Stop & Shop, it's called Nature's Promise. This gets us away from genetically modified soy, which can have troubling health consequences if consumed regularly, but it's cheaper than a name-brand organic. I also recommend NOT going with a flavor, since they all have a lot of sugar and they give a child the impression that milk/milk substitutes have to be sweet.
You might also try rice, oat, or almond milk. The latter two are supposed to be the healthiest, but they're harder to find.
Best wishes,
Mira
P.S. If you think dairy may be the culprit, it's important to read all labels and get your daughter completely off milk and milk derivatives (whey, caesin, etc.) Companies are supposed to put allergins in boldface on the bottom of an ingredient list, so don't feel like you have to go back to school and get a degree in chemistry: just look out for "contains milk" at the bottom of the list. I know this sounds like a pain, but it's not that hard once you get used to it, and it results in a much healthier diet. I made my whole household dairy free when I got my son off dairy, since I didn't want there to be food in the fridge that he wasn't allowed to eat, and I lost 10 pounds :)
Congestion can be caused by any food/environmental intolerance. Watch for patterns (like is she more congested when she's inside or outside, does she get stuffy after certain meals or at certain times of the day. If dairy is the culprit it's important to remove all dairy from your child's diet--not just milk. No yogurt, no cheese and none of the hidden dairy (whey, casein etc) that can be found in all kinds of things like lunch meat, hot dogs and pretty much anything that's been processed. Read labels--dairy free has no meaning many "dairy free" products contain milk by products. Looking for kosher parve is one way to find foods that are truly dairy free. The other way is to make it yourself or read your labels REALLY well. (Most will have "contains milk" or something similar on the label, but they don't always.)
Soy milk is not the only alternative and can be just as reactive as dairy (in fact, due to similar protein structures, milk and soy can be cross reactive in some people). Not that your child actually NEEDs any white liquid if she's eating a well rounded diet with lots of variety. ;-)
Nut and seed milks are really tasty--sesame is especially high in calcium and almond is just plain yummy :D (Soak seeds overnight if you have time. Put the seeds/nuts in your blender or food processor w/ a little water blend until the seeds are well chopped up add more water until it reaches the consistency you like (about 1 cup of nuts makes about a liter of milk) and strain through a cheesecloth or muslin. Use the pulp for cookies and other baked goods or sprinkled on salads. Store milk in fridge for 3-4 days.) Try different kinds of "milks" if you want--hazelnut, sunflower, oat, rice, wheat, hempseed are just some others that I've heard of. Making your own is lots less expensive than buying them and you can control what goes in them, so definitely give it a whirl. <pun intended>
Other alternatives are coconut milk for baking and ice cream; bone broth for replacement in cooking and biscuits/dumplings, etc; lard or rendered chicken fat (pan drippings) instead of butter, avocado to create creamy texture in salad dressings or in place of cheese on sandwiches.
High calcium foods also include fish, dark leafy greens, sesame, etc.
i have not tried soy for the runny nose thing, but if your child does not like the taste of soy, you can try rice milk. it is much sweeter.
L.,
Try a humidifier at night. Even if it's humid.
Good luck,
M.
If you daughter is not allergic to dairy, you can also try goat milk. My 20 mos old daughter drinks goat milk made by Meyenberg Farms (available at Whole Foods and supposedly lots of other places too). Goat milk is not supposed to be mucus-producing like cow milk.
HI L.,
Congratulations to having an MD that finds a natural solution.
I took my children off milk years ago for the same reason. I use SILK. We prefer the plain "red" box. It comes in vanilla and chocolate also ( a great treat or nice warmed for Hot chocolate). It absolutely worked.
We have used natural means for all health concerns while raising our children.
Hi L.-
my 17 month old son has problems with dairy. we tried him on soy milk and had a reaction to that also. most kids who have problems with dairy also have problems with soy. we are now using rice milk (and still some elecare formula). god luck!
I would try her on rice milk instead. Only because if she has a problem with milk most likely she'll have one to soy and the rice milk taste better than soy anyway. She seems to be having an allergic reaction to the milk thus the runny nose and most people who are allergic to milk are also allergic to soy.
Hi L. - we had the same problem with my son... terrible congestion (and vomiting at times) after we started him on cow's milk (and Cheese and yogurt!). My dr. suggested lactaid. That did the trick. It's a bit pricier but the congestion went away and I was still able to give him his normal cheese and yogurt. Good luck.
L.,
I hope that switching to soy does the trick for your little one. We don't have the congestion but our 20 month old has been on soy since 3 weeks of life - she was hysterical and turning bright red after regular formula. We use Silk soy milk - vanilla or very vanilla. If this is the culprit, there are so many great products out there made out of soy - yogurt, pudding, milk. Target is the cheapest for the milk. Whole foods has the special puddings which my daughter loves.
Best wishes
