Has anyone tried rice milk or soy milk for their child?

Question

I think my 1 year is allergic to whole milk and i need advice on what to switch him on.

Answer 1

I had to put my twin son on soy after I brought him home from the hospital. He got really congested and couldn't breathe when he drank regular formula. My daughter was fine. So I just switched him over until he turned one on soy formula and then I bought soy milk at the store after that. When he was about 3 I tried him on milk again and it sometimes constipates him but he drinks it now that he is 10 because he hates the taste of soy.

Answer 2

first you may not want to give up on the cows milk. Children develop at different rates and while 1 years of age is the reccomended time to start cows milk not all children are ready for it then. Wait 4 or 5 months and try it again.

In the mean time you may want to go with rice milk or goats milk. (goats milk is easilier digested for infants and less likely to cause problems then cows milk) both are fine. Soy milk may be fine to, my son did fine with a little soy milk now and then, it has more nutrients then rice milk but allergen wise its not as good as rice or goats milk because soy is just as high allergen food as cows milk.

Also don't forget that at 1 year old your child should still be nursing or drinking formula so whatever you try is fine, even if its only in small amounts because they will still be getting added nutrition from breast milk/formula.

As for all these people with their soy "estrogen" issue, they need to do some research as there is NO proof to this claim. Soy does NOT contain estrogen or any other animal hormone! It *does* contain chemicals called phyto-sterols which are similar to hormones like estrogen but don't react like hormones in the human body. Animal products like milk or meat DO have REAL animal estrogen and hormones! If you do a little research on steroids and hormones you will learn that all these chemicals have a 'steroid base' of four carbon rings (3 six carbon and one 5 carbon ring). VERY minor changes in what and where other atoms attach to this steroid base have VERY different bio-chemical results! If this was a real issue all men would have big breasts from drinking animal milk and eating animal flesh which do have *real* estrogen! I'm still amazed that none of the mega-farms have boomeranged this claim on the dairy/meat industries!! Whats worse? Plant almost hormones or animal real hormones?

Answer 3

I have tried both for my youngest daughter(she is 2 1/2) as she is allergic to milk. The soy made her stomache hurt and hurt bad. She would even wake up in the middle of the night screaming in pain. I just recently tried her on the rice milk(about 2 months ago) and not only does she love it it doesn't seem to have any negative affects on her.

Answer 4

I'd go with soy. It's so healthy. My pediatrician actually recommended not giving my kids milk at all and they have no allergies. He said that milk is meant for cows, not humans and that 70% of all people are lactose intolerant. People just started substituting cow's milk when women in the past were unable to breastfeed and it was the only way kids could survive until they started eating real food. Soy is actually better for your kids and for you, too. There are cancer preventing agents in soy milk and there are WAY more vitamins and minerals, too. Just make sure your child is getting the recommended amount of calcium and you should be set!

Answer 5

What are his symptoms?

Rice is a bad alternative. Its lacking the fat and protein found in cows milk. Also, the calcium in it is synthetic and sticks to the inside of the carton... so whatever small amount may make it into the glass, will be badly absorbed. I use rice milk for pancakes and biscuits... its not good for much else.

Soy is possible... but there is alot of controversy about kids and soy and hormones... its pretty scary stuff when you really get into it (try mercola.com for some info)

Goats milk is sometimes better digested than cows. Its worth a try, yes?

The best option would be to continue nursing... or relactate and nurse if you arent nursing any longer.

My son is 14 months and dairy-allergic and all he gets is breastmilk.

Oh, one last option... you can make homemade bone broth. It contains calcium and zinc and all sorts of good stuff. I use it for cooking everyday (rice, potatoes, soups etc...) and i also take a cod liver oil supplement for fat, vit a and vit d...

Answer 6

I don't believe rice milk contains the necessary nutrients for a child that age. Soy milk might be a little better, but some people have problems with it.

Answer 7

My son is 20 months old and has never had anything but breast milk and enriched rice milk. He is allergic to milk protein and lactose. He has gained weight like he should and he's perfectly healthy.
As far as soy, I chose to stay away from it because of the potential hormone issues.
Just be sure to use the rice milk that is enriched with vitamins A & D (just like cow's milk) and be sure he gets his calcium and fat from other natural, healthy sources. (Like fish, avacados, nuts, green veggies, etc.)

Answer 8

have you just tried 2%. milk can be hard at first. I started with the step 2 formulas first until 18 months. weened her onto whole. I would jump to the allergy solution. Soy milk just isn't the same, sticky and stinks. You baby didn't have to have a soy formula right

Answer 9

I was allergic to milk when I was little...it doesn't bother me now, but up until I was a teenager I couldn't drink regular milk. My parents gave me soy milk and it did just fine I believe. Good luck making a choice!!!

Answer 10

If it's a boy. DO NOT give him soy milk what-so-ever! Soy milk contains many hormones which promotes estrogen. He might be moody becuase of it and create problems physically because of the hormone imbalance. About 80% of American's are lactose intolerant so it wouldn't surprise me that milk gives him problems. Rice milk is the best when it comes to replacing milk it even comes in flavors to please your son! And is fairly inexpensive. My little borther was lactose intolerant and switch to rice milk..and it's amazing the difference! His digestions was all out of wack becuase of milk. But everything changed once he went on rice milk. Moods, getting sick, his bowels, everything. So in the long run i suggest rice milke 100%!