Will Soy Formula Cause My Daughter to Become Lactose Intolerant?

Updated on March 15, 2010
K.S. asks from Winter Springs, FL
19 answers

My 6 month old has been spitting up way too much the past couple months. Ive been thinking of switching her to soy, however, I'm afraid that it may cause her to become intolerant to cow's milk in the future. I do not want to deprive my child, I LOVE CHEESE and would hate for her not to be able to enjoy it as my son and I do... I go to the Dr on the 17th and will ask her this same question, just wanted to know what you Mommas out there thought...

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

Both my oldest and my nephew were on soy and neither had any issue when they switched to whole milk at one. The soy was the only thing that kept my oldest from throwing up all the time!

Good luck!

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D.G.

answers from Dallas on

It didn't cause any issues with my son and he was on soy from about 1 week old until he was a year. When we switched to whole milk he didn't have any issues at all and still loves milk to this day. Good luck !

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L.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Hi K.,
My daughter spit up constantly when she was an infant so we switched her to soy formula. She still spit up, but not as much. When we tried whole milk for the first time she projectile vomited across the kitchen. So we went to soy milk and she still drinks it 4 years later. She ended up having a milk protein intolerance which she has almost grown out of. She used to break out when she ate cheese, ice cream, or yogurt. Now she is fine with drinking milk once in a while, although she prefers soy or almond milk. She can eat cheese, ice cream, and yogurt with no problem now. Her doctor assured us that the milk protein intolerance was not the same as a lactose intolerance and that she would indeed grow out of it by the time she reached kindergarten. Best of luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

No, they have nothing to do with each other. All of my children were allergic to cow's milk. After I weaned them, I placed each on soy, and after a few months each became allergic to soy. My mother-in-law found an article on goat's milk and I had each one on goat's milk until age five. Today as adults, one of my children is still allergic to cow's milk, but can tolerate a little cheese. My daughter weaned my grandson to goat's milk and he eats yogurt and cottage cheese with no ill effects but cow's milk causes diaper rash. He will probably stay on goat's milk until about age five. It is much more easily digested then cow's and now comes in powdered form. Just mix with bottled water. You do need to supplement with iron or iron fortified cereal when using goat's milk, as it has much less iron than formula. Try the goat's milk, it worked wonders for my kids and grandson.

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R.A.

answers from Boca Raton on

What people don't realize is that genetically modified soy is not healthy. It's got something from round up in it. Monsanto created this monster to make more of a profit.
What people also don't realize is that animal flesh and animal milks are not intended for human consumption and cause long term damage like cancers, allergies, etc.
Is it possible for you to get your milk back in and nurse?
Cheese is really so unhealthy, it's the breast milk from a cow!!! You are not a cow and not an infant cow needing this substance as a source of growth. No other species drinks from another not their own.
Check out www.notmilk.com
There are substitutes that avoid using and hurting animals and are less detrimental to your health. There is a new one on the market that is really good called Daiya
The lactating secretions of a cow are not "regular" milk they are newborn calf secretions.
You want to ensure your child has calcium? Give him sesame paste-tahini, give him green leafy veggies, figs, seaweed.
Teach your child simple tastes early in life and he will grow up with a clean palate for nutritional foods.
Someone suggested hemp milk, excellent choice, it's full of omega 3,6 and 9. If you get Pacific brand you will see no added cane sugars, they sweeten with brown rice syrup which doesn't freak out your body, keeps it at an even level.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

I would highly consider you checking out goats milk before soy........

Soy has been linked to problems. Infertility is one of them that I've heard. So I would look into it more before choosing that route. (I have NOT researched it because both of our kids did well on breastmilk..... They spit up quite a bit but it didn't seem to bother them.)

Just because they make a product does not mean it's good. They make soda and cigarettes too. But we all know that they are not good for us.....

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T.M.

answers from Orlando on

Soy absolutely DOES cause infertility. It is VERY high in plant based estrogen which confuses the human body and can lead to infertility. I was unable to get pregnant and had a very irregular period for years. When I cut soy out of my diet completely (which is hard to do because companies put soy in all sorts of things!,) my period regulated and I became pregnant! I was seeing a fertility specialist at the time (who didn't even have to touch me...no meds, no treatments, just getting me off the soy!) and he was confident that the soy was the problem and once we removed soy from my diet, my body was able to work correctly!

Here is an excellent page explaining some of the concerns over soy, by a reputable research foundation:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Soy-Alert/

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

There shouldn't be any correlation that using soy would cause lactose intolerance.

Honestly, there is only 1 population of humans known to be genetically lactose TOLERANT (small Israeli population). The rest of us are genetically programmed to be lactose intolerant. How severe is really what causes the discomfort and issues.

But, using soy would not per se cause lactose intolerance. That being said, I'd highly recommend speaking with your pediatrician before switching to soy. Cow's Milk based products are the preferred choice for formulas because they're loser to human breast milk than plant-derived products.

Good luck. I agree that it's more normal than you'd think, but I'd also recommend speaking with your pediatrician to make sure there isn't a Gastrointestinal issue that needs to be addressed.

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N.M.

answers from Jacksonville on

My baby (now 21 months old) was a spitter upper and it was gross! I'm not sure what 'way too much' is in your case and am certainly not in the position to 'give advice'. But I remember giving him formula specifically designed for the spitter upper...sensitive or something--NOT soy. Spitting up does not necessarily indicate lactose intolerance and in my opinion it is always better to go with milk and just deal with the spitting up, as gross as it is. It will eventually stop...like I said, he's 21 months and I can't remember the last time that happened. Good luck.

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D.S.

answers from Tulsa on

no my oldest took soy formula and eats cheese and drinks milk like its going out of style

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M.H.

answers from Fort Walton Beach on

Hi K.,

There are some issues with soy and the jury is still out on a lot of them. I would avoid it for that reason. Soy will not make a child lactose intolerant but most kids aren't intolerant to lactose. Most kids are having a reaction to the synthetic chemicals that the milks are processed with or that the cow's have ingested. My daughter was diagnosed lactose intolerant and can drink organic cow's milk just fine.

I would try another route though. Goat's milk is good, Almond milk and even Hemp milk are very nutritious. Rice milk is mostly sugar and gives little nutrition. As soon as your little one is ready for table food this issue will be a small issue to deal with.

God bless!

M.

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S.S.

answers from Miami on

Go get NAET treatment. Then she can eat what she wants. I would stay FAR away from soy. It is estrogen. Check it out. It causes many problems in the future. A big percentage of children allergic/sensitive to cow's milk are cross allergic to soy. I could never figure out where my daughter's ear infections were coming from....now it's crystal clear!

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M.B.

answers from Orlando on

In your situation I would just go with whatever my doctor said, however I can tell you that I had to have soy milk as a baby and I am definitely not lactose intolerant as and adult :oD

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A.C.

answers from Orlando on

First off, lactose intolerant people can still have cheese. There is actually no lactose in most cheeses. Second, my stepdaughter was on soy from 4-months of age until just before her second birthday. She now drinks cow's milk just fine.

As for all the bandwagon jumpers on the "soy is bad" issue, people have been drinking it for years and the occurrence of illness hasn't increased all that much. Yeah, it's got stuff in it that probably isn't good for us, but so does cereal, hot dogs, chicken, fruits and veges.

I'd ask the doctor, but also go with your gut. Soy helped my stepdaughter w/ her colic issues and again, she isn't lactose intolerant. But even still, cheese isn't lactose.

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N.R.

answers from Lakeland on

When my daughter stopped nursing and started drinking regular milk (about 17 months) we discovered that she was lactose intolerant - like her dad. That was when she was no longer able to sleep through the night and was balled up screaming in pain. I started giving her lactaid brand milk, and soy milk. It's a real pain in the neck because we travel a lot and you can't get either in a restaraunt or convenience store - so it was always traveling with it and making sure the cooler was cold enough, and that we had enough ice, and transferring it into plastic bottles because cartons are not cooler proof. I noticed that my daughter was developing alot of dark hair on her arms and legs and was getting really moody. (about age 3 1/2 )Thankfully I found a lactoce intolerant therapy that works like a charm, and took her off of the soy immediately. Soy has alot of bad side effects - information is readily available online if you look. If your baby is lactose intolerant - I don't know what you can do until she is old enough for regular milk and has teeth - but this is what revolutionized our life! My husband takes a product called "Digestive Advantage - for lactose intolerance". They finally came out with a children's chewable and boy did it make out life a bunch easier! The "lactaid brand" of pills have to be taken 1-3 EACH time that you have dairy if it's been more than 30 minutes since you've had the pills. Geez! With the Digestive Advantage - you take 1 pill with breakfast and you are good to go for 24 hours! I noticed that after I took my daughter off of soy - the mood swings went away as well as all of the new dark hair growth on her legs and arms.. I definately would not recommend going on soy - the risks far outway the benefits. Good luck!

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K.M.

answers from Tampa on

Check with WestonPrice.com for a formula that will be good for her.
The best is nursing, and if you are then look at what you have been eating- and there is the thing to change. If she is on formula then it is from some of the junk that they put in there- engineered food- ugh- someone thinks they are smarter than nature and can make something a body can grow on- oh but wait and have a long shelf life, and they can make money off of- guess which is the bigger priority?- any way that is why I suggest Weston Price- he was a genius- and went around the world looking at cultures that are long lived, and seeing what they did- what they ate, what they fed their children, and this data has stood the test of time, and will serve your baby well.
Please NO soy- it has parts that act like estrogen- and is one of the reasons our daughters are starting their periods so young-avoid that .
Goat's milk, almond milk, barley milk are possibilities.
best,k

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D.M.

answers from Miami on

My daughter was crying all the time when she was a few months old. The Dr. said it was Colic. A friend of mine said try switching her to soy. I asked the Dr. and she said it wouldn't make a diffenece but I tried anyway. It worked. She never cried like that again. The Dr said I should put her back on the regular formula, but that was not happening. Now my Daughter is 2 and she's just fine. She drinks milk, eats yogurt and cheese, no problem.

V.C.

answers from Dallas on

Soy won't cause lactose intolerance or infertility.

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B.S.

answers from Fort Myers on

my son ( now 5) and my daughter (1 1/2) both used soy formula. both are healthy kids. both are incredabily smart. and i am glad i used soy. my peditrician recomened it.

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