Should I Switch My Baby from Milk-based Formula to Soy Formula????

Hi E.,
I have 2 children, 27 months and 10 months! My 27 month old was on Soy formula because he had egzima (I don't know how to spell it)from dairy. What I will tell you is that Pediatricians are very quick to put babies on Soy Formula but the truth is that it has high amounts of estrogen and it is very hard on their stomach. Before I knew this I tried putting my 10 month old on soy and she threw up terribly from it and had stomach issues.
The estrogen is too high for babies.
Best of luck

Is going organic the only reason you want to start soy? I ask because there is an organic formula...well, several, really. We used Similac Organic, but there's also Earth's Best, and I'm sure others that I can't think of right now, lol. When we transitioned to whole milk at a year, we of course went to organic milk. Being organic does not have to mean soy. Just an option for you!

Our pediatrician switched our son to soy when he was 2 months old because they said he was lactose intolerant. We kept him on it until 12 months. If I could go back I would not have done it- the soy made him constipated all the time and his new pediatrician said they don't get enough calcium with the soy. Not to mention I read many studies on the effects of soy with children and many were against it due to development issues. I know many who have their babies on soy, I'm sure its not a horrible thing but I just didn't like the "side-effects" it had with my son.

why do you want to switch? have you changed your diet to change your milk? meaning, if you want to go organic via formula, then is your diet organic? something to think about...
not being sure as to why you want to switch, I can only guess...if you want to be more healthy/conscious of organics, then buy regular organic formula- especially if baby has done fine w/ milk-based formula. if you want to switch bcse you want to be vegan and get away from cow's milk, then I would assume that you are now going to be vegan and no longer ingest cow milk proteins?
if you want to switch because soy is healthier, well I'd say breastmilk is healthier and just stop supplementing with formula all together...
when baby is 12 months & you don't want to do milk for whatever reasons, then soy is not the only alternative- thre is rice milk, oat milk, almond milk, even potato milk. you'll need to add 'good' fats, too to the milks like flax seed oil and make sure diet is heavy in good fats. toddlers need good fats for healthy development...

Please do not gove your daughter soy and do not use it your self. The letest research suggests that soy is BAD for you!
here is a link, so you can read about it. http://www.westonaprice.org/brochures/SoyAlertTrifold.pdf
but feel free to Google "dangers of soy"
if you need to use milk, organic grassfed milk, or goats milk, or almond milk are the way to go!
good luck!

Hi E.,
Soy formula should only be used as a last resort for babies that cannot tolerate any milk based formula. If your baby is doing fine on Enfamil, I would stay with that. If she is having issues, I would try a hypoallergenic formula like Nutramigen before trying soy. There are a variety of milk based organic formulas out there if you are looking to go organic. Also, what is your reasoning for putting her on soy milk at age one? I think if you are really trying to go organic, grass fed raw cow's milk, or goat's milk, are better alternatives if available in your area. If your daughter has a problem with dairy, I would try almond or coconut milk before soy. I personally use unsweetened almond milk for my 2yo. While soy is a fine alternative for adults, it is not really the healthiest option for the developing bodies of small children. If you do decide to eliminate milk form your daughter's diet at age one, make sure she gets plenty of healhty fats for proper brain development.

hi, i'm not that smart on the organic stuff myself, but i had put my daughter on soy bc i thought that she wasn't tolerating the milkbased stuff. the soy was actually worse for her. it bound her up and she couldn't poop right and she was very gassy and miserable. also from my understanding soy has a lot of estrogen so while it might not seem like a bad idea for your daughter, your sons should definitely not drink it. also my friends sister is a vegan and she always gave her daughters Rice Dream after she was done breastfeeding them. she is a VERY STRICT vegan also. there are also organic milk options. if she's doing alright with the dairy products i wouldn't take her off of it, just go with organic. they need fatty milk for their brain development until the age of 2.

the pediatrician actually told me to start with soy milk when my daughter switched from formula to milk. I think she was about 4 months old then. The problem was that she was highly allergic to the soy milk, and it made her very sick! She tolerated cow's milk a lot better. But every child is different! My point is, i think you can go ahead and start the soy first, because that is what the Dr. told me to do., so it must work for many people!

Hi, I have 3 kiddos. I breastfed all for 6 months then moved to Enfamil Lipil. When they were 1 yr of age and ready to transition to regular milk, they all had a reaction to it (funny because i breastfed and used a milk based formula). They had a high sensitivity to it. So all went on soy milk, and the first 2 were on it for about a year to a year and a half, my 17 month is on it now. My question for you is why do you want to switch to soy if theres no milk senstivity issue? Is it a vegan matter and don't want to use animal milk? If not, they do have organic cows milk, which I use for my 2 older kids (6 & 3). But if you don't want to give her cow's milk, Soy milk is good, it does contain high levels of estrogen. I don't think you would have to swith the formula, like I said, my kids were on the Enfamil and went to the soy milk. My peds said that whole milk is best because babys brain still needs the fat from it for development. Organic is a personal choice, it doesn't have any of the extra hormones or antibiotics in it that they give non organic cows, however I do give non organic too, organic is double the price. As for vitamins, I give my older one chewables, and for the baby I give her polyvisol liquid drops. I do have good eaters, but I can't always make sure they are getting the right amounts from food. I personally would stick to what you are doing, and then use whole organic milk, if she doesn't have any problems w/ milk base products. I hope this helps, and of corse bring it up w/ your doctor. Good Luck! T.

Soy is touted as a healthy option, but it really isn't. If she does well with milk based formula, I would just keep her on it. Make sure to do a lot of research on soy before switching. Check out mercola.com for info

Be careful with doing too much soy. It has not been studied very well but many doctors now belief too much soy in the diet can lead to thyroid dysfunction. Also, you don't have to go to soy to go organic, there are organic milk products too.

FYI about soy, it can decrease testosterone. i don't know if that matters with a baby girl as much...just so you know

if it was me i would not go to soy anything...........i am vegan and gluten free for almost 2 years and eat mostly all organic fruits and veggies. there are just too many negatives about soy...google negative info on soy! here is one from a doctor i have the greatest respect for.
http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm
i have not read al of this but organic goats milk would be my choice. but read all the info before you make a change.
good luck.

Hi, I just suggest you go to a health food store and read up on both-Also for time sake, you can just google in the question. I personally never gave my children cow's milk nor was I raised on it- I am lactose intolerant due to being carribean indian heritage- I am one of seven children and none of us drink milk- We take calcium supplements, eat cheeses yogurt spinach etc, but drinking cow's milk plays havoc on our digestion. Much Happiness, Annmarie

Unless she is lactose intolerant or allergic to dairy i would not switch her. When it comes time to start giving her milk and not formula you can use organic whole milk. I used organic milk for my first daughter but used organic soy milk for my second because she was a little lactose intolerant. I have heard and read about concerns over the hormones, like estegen I think in soy products. We no longer use soy because she has seemed to grow out of the lactose phase. I would do some research if you are concerned.