10 Month Old Not Drinking Formula!

No, you should continue to offer her the breast. That's what she needs. Introducing something new probably won't help. If she refuses for much longer, call the doc, she will become dehydrated. In the meantime, feed her foods with a high water content.

Have you tried "stage 2" formulas? These formulas are made by all the different brands, and they are designed for older babies and toddlers. The main reason I mentioned this is because they also come in flavors, like vanilla, as well as unflavored. The new flavor may encourage your baby to continue drinking formula for a bit longer. They have many more of the nutrients your child would get from normal formula than soy or whole milk. I think most of them are marketed for ages 9 -24 months (some are now labeled 9-36 months). I would try one of these "older baby" formulas before moving on to whole milk or soy prior to 12 months of age. If this doesn't work, you might also try 1/2 and 1/2 formula and whole milk or formula and soy. The main reason to not feed whole milk to babies younger than 1 year is that whole milk is deficient in nutrients essential to brain development, while breast milk and formula include these vital nutrients.

You also don't mention the route you are offering these drinks. Sometimes offering a sippy cup instead of a bottle can get your child "re-interested" in drinking (or even assisting them to drink from a "real" cup like a dixie cup). Also, make sure you are still offering the formula/breastmilk prior to a solid feeding at this age. Some times the stuff in the bottle is not the issue, it is just that the child feels full.

If you are still breastfeeding, I know many BF moms who have said that they have to get away from the action to BF at around this age - high level of stimulus can make eating seem like a low priority to babies at this age.

Most children who are allergic to milk will also react to milk based formula (I am allergic to milk, and my mother found out by weaning me from breast milk to milk based formula), so unless your child has had problems with milk based formula, I would start with whole milk rather than soy as dairy has nutrients that soy lacks.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I hope this information helps!!!!! Good luck!!!

Although your child may just be going through a food rejection phase, since she is rejecting food, I would not wait too long & bring her to her pediatrician. Soy milk is oftne not digested well & doesn't provide all the necessary nutrients that breastmilk does. So please go to your pediatrician or find a good naturopathic one.

If you are going to switch then why not just go to regular whole milk unless she has a milk allergy. That being said if I was you, I'd call the Dr and check with them. When in doubt, I always call and check with the Dr. :)

I would not recommend switching to soy milk. There is some really disturbing information regarding soy and young children . . .

"In 1996, Dr. Kenneth Setchell of the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati studied five leading brands of soy-based baby milk. He found the products contain the phytoestrogen level of several contraceptive pills every day, about six to 11 times the amount that alters the menstrual cycle."

"Infants on soy formula are two to three times more likely to develop thyroid disease than if they were drinking cow formula or breast milk," says Dr. Naomi Baumslag, clinical professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical School."

Try different formulas or go to whole milk. It has the required nutrients, proteins, and calcium for absorption.

Talk to your pediatrician. For the first year there are vital nutrients that your baby needs that are not met in soymilk, cowmilk, or goatmilk. Before you go to anything like that, try some different formulas, at least.

I assume she is eating solids at this stage. Has she been drinking either or both breast milk and formula? Is there another change in her routine or diet? How long has she been refusing? Is she teething? Have you tried a different nipple in the bottle? There are different nipples for different ages. Sippy cup? She may be ready to transition away from the bottle.

When my children were this age, I had already started mixing their formula with regular WHOLE milk. No problems at all, health, development, or otherwise. If you are concerned about offering milk, then try another approach. As another mom suggested, she may already be full when bottle comes around. Try that first if you are offering breast milk. Have you tried mixing breast milk and formula? What about her solids? Maybe they are protein-heavy, which is filling.

I would certainly talk with my pediatrician, but she may just be done with the bottle. Don't stress out about it. You'll find a solution. Good luck!

NO to soy milk. It doesn't have enough nutrition for an under 1 yr old. Most soy milk cartons have a warning about not using them as baby formula. Have you tried other brands of both milk-based and soy-based formulas? and both liquid and powder formulas? Kids tastes do change as they mature.

If you do switch to milk, don't go low-fat until your child is over 2. They need fat to help build brain tissue.

It's really common for breast-fed babies to go through a faze where they don't want to nurse much. My son did it between 7-8 months.. I knew there was no way that a 7 month old could be weaning so I worked around it. I would take him into a dark, quiet room to nurse. Also, he would nurse more at night and play catch-up. Most babies go through this and it is JUST A SHORT FAZE. Keep offering your breast, it's much better for her than soy or cow's milk.

NO SOY, it's not designed to replace formula or breast-milk. If you stop breast-feeding then you still need to give her formula. Good luck!

I was told by the pediatrician that a 10 month old can have whole milk. If you are opposed to that, then go soy.

Try non sweetened yogurt. You can add your own fruit to taste if you want. My son loved the non-sweetened kind. Nancy's is good.

Most of these formulas contain sugar and other ingredients that don't belong in a healthy diet.
How long has your child been refusing to drink? Soy milk says plainly on the carton that it is no substitute for infant formula.
Is your daughter allergic to milk? If she is very few children are allergic to goat milk which is very healthy. I raised goats so that my children could have fresh milk. It took two milking goats to keep us in fresh cheese, milk and yogurt.
Do you have an aversion to animal products. Otherwise I would recommend goat milk. You can buy it at the health food stores. Fresh is best.
I always liked the Tommy Tippy cups because children don't spill the liquid inside.

Unless she's lactose intolerant or allergic to cow's milk, why not feed her whole cow's milk? Especially if you are weaning her from her bottle to a cup, it makes good sense. Talk with your pediatrician. It sounds as if you're supplementing breast feeding with a bottle, so if she has weaned herself from the breast, won't take a bottle of formula, then a sippy cup with cow's milk would be an okay thing to do. She should be getting more and more of her caloric intake from solid foods and cutting back on the number of bottles and breast feedings anyway. Congratulations on the next step of growing up!!!

Is there something wrong with cow's milk or goat's milk? Goat's milk is supposed to be easier to digest for little tummies, and cow's milk really is good for most kids. I also had luck with some yogurt drinks when my kid was really young.

I've been seeing and hearing about problems with people over doing the soy and developing problems with soy, so i'd, personally, try not to go the soy milk route.

Maybe its something to talk to your pediatrician about. Depending on the rest of your daughter's diet s/he may recommend different things.

My son gave up baby formula at 8 months old. He was on regular milk til it caused us issues. Anyhow, I see all these parents talking about soy milk. I would recommend if you're adverse to cow/goats milk to try almond, rice or hemp milk. Almond milk is very tasty as is rice milk and these of course are not meant to be a substitute for formula but rather another way to get nutrients and liquids into your child.