Liquid debate - Soya milk or Homo milk or what???

Hey gals,

I have started to wean my 10 1/2 month olds. They were exclusively breastfed - no bottles. Now I can't get them to take a bottle or drink formula - ANY FORMULA.

A girlfriend suggested I try 1/2 Soya milk, 1/2 water and a high quality meal replacement shake. THEY LOVE IT!!! Finally after a week they are eagerly drinking from their sippy's! YEAH!

My bubble burst when a friend just called and said "I would NEVER give my BABIES Soya milk, studies show.... blah blah blah"

Does anyone give their babies Soya milk and why did you choose that over Homo milk?

THANKS!!!
BB

 

I wouldn't give them a ton of soy milk because there is some concern about the hormones in it. I don't see how a little can hurt them. We just used regular milk though (they were already on formula and we switched to milk at 1 yr).

I would also be careful about the meal replacement shake, actually. Those have vitamins and other supplements in them that may be too much for babies. I've heard the same advice about not giving babies PowerBars (at least not a whole one). You might want to ask your doctor about that. (If it's the taste they like, you might do just as well giving them chocolate milk.)

Sorry to be negative -- I know it's a relief to find something they will drink. But hopefully once they are used to the sippies, they will drink other stuff more readily too. GL.

 

I know homo milk has the fats and nutrients babies need. But I also know babies that have had to use Soy milk due to allergies. It wouldn't be on the market if it was bad. Pretty sure some ladies will have some good advice for you.

 

Thanks! It is only 1/2 scoop of meal replacement and actually has alot of the same vitamins etc as the formula.

The Soya debates I found when I goggled were for babies younger than 6 months. I mean I am sure someone could tell us all the bad stuff about Cows milk too right???

BB

 

It sounds fine to me but if you're concerned, you could switch to the same mixture using regular cow's milk (since they're so close to a year old anyway). I think there are a lot of myths about soy milk that have not been proven with any scientific studies. Soy products do contain some chemicals that are similar to estrogen which is why soy milk is touted as a treatment for menopause. More than one study has shown that it does not have any estrogen-like effect on the body and really doesn't do anything for menopause symptoms. It will not give boys breasts or cause early puberty in girls. I know more than one family who gives it to their children and they are all doing well.

Don't worry about your friend's criticisms. Everyone has an opinion and what works for one family is not always the solution for another. Good luck and congratulations on breastfeeding for ten whole months (I was done at eight months).

 

Your friend probably was talking about the high estrogen levels and processing of soy milk. If so, I agree with her and wouldn't give it to any children unless there was a medical reason. It's not exactly common knowledge though and the information is just starting to get out there.

Now that the babies are drinking their sippies, you can slowly wean them to whatever it is you want them to drink by replacing one ounce of their current mix with one ounce of whole milk every 3 days or so. They'll probably never notice the difference.

 

There are millions of people in China, Japan and other asian countries that exclusively have grown up and have their kids on multiple soy products - soy milk included - much of it processed. And there aren't any alarming reports of adolescent boys growing female breasts. Yes, there is estrogen in Soy - it's not animal estrogen, it's called a phyto estrogen. These countries have very low cancer incidents - for many reasons including a diet high in soy, vegetables, fish, diet low in red meat, and lots of walking.

Cow's milk has natural occurring hormones and some cows are encouraged to produce more milk with an artificial hormone called rBST. There is a huge debate about whether rBST actually appears in the milk. So that's why in the stores you'll see "rBST free" or organic which has guaranteed milk from cows not treated with hormones or antibiotics. From my understanding, the dairy industry is highly regulated as each batch or load of milk is actually tested for antiobiotics. If antibiotics are present (I'm not certain of the maximum amount) then the entire load is discarded. I think the law is the cow must be off of antibiotics for a year before it can contribute to the milk supply. I don't believe the milk supply has the same kind of restriction on hormone levels.

I've been concerned about this same issue for a long time as my DD- 5 has a milk allergy and couldn't take reg formula (I breastfed until 14 mos. and supplemented when she started solids). So we had to use Soy formula. We tried to put her on cow's milk but she was still allergic so she is drinking organic soy milk.

The boys are 14 mos. and they have been supplemented with reg formula from birth. Now that they are transitioning to regular milk, we have been mixing reg formula, cow's milk and soy milk. They don't like the cow's milk alone. For now, we are buying rBST free dairy products and may switch to organic dairy.

At first going to restaurants and events that don't allow outside food/beverages inside their venue, was a challenge because we had to keep explaining to people that our DD was allergic to milk so we had to bring our own soy milk - then they would allow it in. But now that I think about it, I'm glad to bring her milk all of time because I know exactly what she is drinking. I think the same goes for the boys - I don't want them drinking rBST induced milk. Even though there isn't absolute evidence that there is additional hormones because of rBST - it just doesn't sound right to me.

Sorry if I put some you to sleep, I research just about every aspect of my life. I won't bore you all with my thoughts on menopause - I'd like to actually put that one off for at least another 10-15 years.

Happy milk shopping! p.s. anyone else's refrigerator under siege from soy and milk?

 

My guys went right from formula to milk...but I always use organic milk....they do have regualr milk when we are out, which I am ok with...because I know that 99% of the time they are drinking the organic! (once in a while won't hurt them!)

As for soy, I have a friend who is vegan and his raising his kids that way also...his 2 boys drink mostly soy milk and sometimes rice milk....with no issues at all!!! I don't think you have anything to worry about!!

 

Ladies, as ALWAYS - GREAT replies! Thank you for taking the time.



BB