Milk alternatives - Help!

raelinds · October 2012

DS is now almost 13 months and we're working on switching from formula to milk.

We got the okay from the pedi on a Friday, so that night we tried whole milk. He really didn't like the taste of whole milk so we did the formula with 1-2 oz of whole milk in it. He drank it like a champ but then at night he'd wake up wailing and seemed to be in pain (he's normally a 12-13 hour a night sleeper without a peep!).

Well I just assumed it was teething, so the next night we gave a little tylenol and then the same thing happened. The wakings happened 45min - 1 hour after we laid him down, and then would happen every hour after that for 2 - 3 hours. So, the third night I decided to try mixing in 1-2 oz of lactose-free milk. Still the same thing.

So I decided to try soy milk. Just regular, plain, fortified soy milk. We did the same thing, 1-2 oz in with his formula and he slept perfectly.

Now, this leads me to believe he has some sort of milk allergy (and he had been on soy milk since 6 months). I do not want him to be in pain at night, because it breaks my heart, but I'm also alittle concerned about soy milk and estrogen. Do I need to be? Have any other moms had the same situation? What do you use??

Thanks so much for your help!

Netty_3 · October 2012

There's also rice and almond milk you may be abel to try...not sure if they have the same concerns linked with them though.

2-Step · October 2012

We're in the same situation. He had a milk sensitivity when I was nursing him for the first six months I couldn't eat dairy. Then he seemed better and I could eat dairy but now that we are moving to whole milk he is up screaming again. I've had him on soy for about three days and he is MUCH better. I was wondering the exact same thing about the estrogen though. I drank almond milk when I was nursing him, but then I had second thoughts about giving it to him because of nut allergies.

I'm thinking about trying him on rice milk though. That seems like a happy medium. I'll also be asking his pedi at his appointment in a couple weeks.

raelinds · October 2012

I may call our pedi as well about rice milk because I just want to make sure DS is getting all the nutrients he needs.

Let me know what you hear!

tmwishful · October 2012

did you try organic 2%?

suncherie · October 2012

i have was extremely lactose intolerant as a child and drank soy milk for most of my life. I have built up a tolerance and can drink regular milk if i want, but i currently like to drink almond milk. However, you should not give you baby almond milk because it is very low calorie. It is very healthy otherwise, though. It is also not fortified. It sounds like you should stick to soy milk for now and maybe try regular milk in a few months. I would not be worried about the estrogen. This should only be a concern for women (adult) that are at high risk for breast cancer because of family history, etc. Good luck! Also, I heard that goat's milk is more gentle on the stomach, so you might want to look into that. However, I have no experience with goat's milk myself. I don't think rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or 2% (organic will make no difference concerning tolerance to milk) are going to be sufficient calorie/nutrient wise. Not to say these aren't good for you.

2-Step · October 2012

I also was going to say I might try goats milk if I can find it. They say it is the most nutritionally similar to human milk and it is the standard for babies in many other countries. When DS was sensitive to me eating dairy, I could still drink goats milk and he was fine. It's just a matter of finding it! I did just read that rice milk does not have enough protein or nutrition, so I guess that is out!

desdemona39 · October 2012

If you have a trader joes near you, they have goat's milk.

Also, alternative milks aren't necessary at all. Just offer other foods high in calcium, protein, and fat. Sure, cow and goat's milk are convenient sources of those nutrients, but there are many other foods that have them.

hisaak · October 2012

We use coconut milk and yogurt here. There are brands that add in calcium, you just have to check the nutritional guide and it is high in good fats.

GibsonGirl620 · October 2012

https://kellymom.com/nutrition/startingsolids/toddlerfoods/

I agree with pp your LO doesn't NEED milk, WCM or an alternative. It IS a convenient way to get calcium, vit D, protein, and calories. However, those nutrients can be found in many other foods in a balanced diet.

That being said, I give my LO almond milk with his am snack, but the rest is BM, solid foods, and water. I'm vegan and cook with soy on a regular basis so I choose to give almond milk for more variety.

Rink08 · October 2012

My older boys and I are alergic to the protein Whey in Cow's Milk and DS1 is also allergic to Soy. We use rice, almond, and coconut milk as substitutes. I'll use any of them but DS1 and DS2 have their preferences. We also use coconut yogurt, rice cheese, and coconut based "butter".

If you have any questions let me know.

lucylea · October 2012

DS can't have dairy. He is still breastfed, but I cook with almond milk. If he hasn't outgrown it by the time we wean then I will most likely do almond milk with pea protein/rice protein powder when he does get milk. I personally don't feel milk is as needed as we are lead to believe so we focus on getting the nutrients from other food sources.

sami1784 · October 2012

LO has a dairy allergy, and is still breastfed, but he drinks fortified rice milk from a sippy and does okay with it. I tried him on soy milk and almond milk, but I think the thicker texture turned him off of it - I think he likes the rice milk because it's thinner like BM. When I wean him, he will be on rice milk full time, until he *hopefully* eventually outgrows the dairy allergy.

BrendaLou1969 · October 2012

if you go the almond milk route, make sure you get the unsweetened variety. Costco sells unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk which can be stored on the shelf until opening... very convenient. Our Pedi said she should have 16 oz of milk a day but we are averaging 10. however, she is an excellent eater so I know she is getting nutrients she needs. BTW, almond milk appears to have more vitamins and especially calcium than whole milk. I looked at the labels.

My pedi also said there was a recent study and 2% milk was deemed fine once weaned off of BM or formula because the majority of nutrients should be available in foods she is eating.

raelinds · October 2012

I appreciate all of the comments! I hope to narrow down my options a little by talking to the pedi today.

Thanks!

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